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Children's Fiction Hockey

Timberwolf Rivals

by (author) Sigmund Brouwer

illustrated by Graham Ross

Publisher
Orca Book Publishers
Initial publish date
Nov 2009
Category
Hockey, Friendship, Humorous Stories
Recommended Age
6 to 8
Recommended Grade
1 to 3
Recommended Reading age
6 to 8
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781554691074
    Publish Date
    Nov 2009
    List Price
    $6.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781459806108
    Publish Date
    Sep 2013
    List Price
    $9.99

Classroom Resources

Download Teacher’s Guide

Where to buy it

Description

Johnny Maverick and his friends Tom and Stu want to win the prizes donated for their hockey team's Valentine's Day dance fundraiser. Whoever wins the dance contest takes home all the prizes, one of which is a graphite hockey stick. When the boys learn that Connie, the new girl in Howling, is a great dancer, they each want her as their dance partner. But they don't think about asking her to go with them until it's too late. And as usual, things don't turn out as planned for Johnny and his friends.

About the authors

With close to three million books in print, Sigmund Brouwer writes for both children and adults. In the last ten years, he has given writing workshops to students in schools from the Arctic Circle to inner city Los Angeles. One of his latest novels, The Last Disciple, earned Sigmund an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America. Sigmund and his family live half the year in Nashville, Tennessee, and half the year in Red Deer, Alberta.

The Talk:
Reach For Your Dreams
It doesn't matter where you come from, it's where you decide to go in life that is important. Sigmund Brouwer encourages students to reach for their dreams, giving them fun and practical advice for the reading and writing skills that are the foundation of future success.

The Presentation:
Sigmund's presentations are an hour of high-level energy. He especially reaches out to reluctant readers and gears the talk to engage their attention. Audience size varies; often his presentations take place in the gym for the entire school, including kindergarten. (After the first half hour, the K-2 grades are dismissed, and the remainder of the presentation is focused on the older students.) There are no restrictions on audience size except for the space limitations of the gym. Smaller schools are welcome to invite another school to share in the cost of the presentation.

Booking:
For presentations that involve travel, Sigmund appreciates it if two or three schools in the area make bookings on the same day. For more information on booking, fees and expenses, please email Sigmund: rockandrollliteracy@me.com

 

Sigmund Brouwer's profile page

Look! Look what I've done!! The words of an eight year old as he holds up the drawing of a vibrant red fire engine. Oh Graham, that's wonderful.

Really? Oh this is good. You draw a picture and you get a reaction. I could get into this! And so it began. The seed was planted, further watered by bedtime rituals of propping pillows up against his bedroom wall getting into bed to get lost in a family member's reading of The Wind in the Willows.

An unintended lesson learned through those readings that our intrepid illustrator still calls upon in his illustration work is that the viewer will take different things from the illustration and he will add elements to the illustration that may go over some heads, but others will catch them and smile. There's always something to look at.

A graduate of the illustration program at Sheridan College in Ontario, Graham thought he would stick around the big smoke and in addition to his work as a designer at Canadian publisher McClelland & Stewart, he would also cultivate his Flock of Seagulls hair style and work on his dance floor moves. But alas soon follicles started to recede and shoulder pads deflated, so Graham moved back to his hometown of Ottawa, Ontario to contemplate his next career move.

It was in Ottawa that Graham began his freelance illustration and graphic design career. A career that has spawned illustrations for such publishers as Orca Book Publishers, Scholastic Canada, and Meadowside Books of the United Kingdom, as well as numerous Canadian government agencies and private design firms.

He lives in Merrickville, Ontario with a circus star family: his juggling wife, a helldriver daughter, a canine cannonball, and a fire breathing cat.

Graham Ross' profile page

Awards

  • Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens

Editorial Reviews

"This is a great early chapter book and the rivalry and sports related action will engage boy readers."

Tacoma School District #10

"Flagpoles, toilet water, plungers and arm farting may not win the fair Connie's heart, but these antics will endear Timberwolf Rivals to the young boy reader. Recommended."

CM Magazine

Librarian Reviews

Timberwolf Rivals (Orca Echoes)

Each of the three hockey-crazed friends (Johnny, Tom and Stu) wants to win the Valentine’s Day dance prize. When they learn the new girl, Connie, is a good dancer, they fight for her attention. As they pull pranks on one another Connie’s attentions stray elsewhere. Book Seven in the series.

Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. 2011.

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