Kate's really good at hockey. So good, in fact, that she was accepted into a special summer training camp! The summer is gearing up to be awesome! But tough coaches, bullies, and staying with her grandmother are just part of Kate's summer going downhill. But then there are surprises and secrets that are revealed.

The story is told in flashback format; the book opens with Kate walking into school on the first day, her friends commenting on her new orange and black hat. Her friends know Kate well enough to know that this new accessory has to do with hockey. So starts Kate's summary of her summer vacation with all of its ups and downs.

This is a story of courage, and determination, and a love for hockey and family. Kate and her grandmother really start to bond over the story, and--by proxy--Kate and her mother grow together as well. It's definitely a bit of a tear-jerker at times, but mostly you're rooting for Kate. The author has done an amazing job of making the reader feel exactly what Kate is feeling, everything from elation to anger to sadness. The art is fantastic, too. A soul-sister to Victoria Jameson's "Roller Girl, "Kate's Really Good at Hockey" will make a fine addition to any library, and will find its way into the hands of many girls regardless of whether they are an athlete or not, or a hockey lover or not.

Kate was finally accepted to go to an elite hockey camp in Denver over the summer. While she was looking forward to staying in the dorm, her mother decides that she should stay with her grandmother instead. Her grandmother had never shown an interest in hockey, so Kate is disappointed. There are girls who bully her and a coach that seems to let it happen, which makes her summer even worse. When Kate discovers secrets family members kept from her, she is upset and feels as though her summer is ruined.

Kate's Really Good at Hockey is a story about friendships, families and mother/daughter relationships. Kate is "almost thirteen" in the text of the story, which is a rough age to balance the need for independence as well as the parents' need to protect from harm. She wants so much to be independent and live out her dream of being a hockey player, which is the part of her that's growing up and creating goals. There's also the side of her that wants everything to be fair, which real life hardly ever is. The comic never once shies away from the reality of a sports camp, that it's a lot of hard work and practice; as much as the head coach seems like the bad guy, nothing she says is actually wrong. Kate's rivals are like every other catty girl that had ever been present in school, so readers will definitely be familiar with that kind of personality.

The art in this comic is very brightly colored, and the flashback sequences are more sepia-toned. It's a great way to separate the present day from the story that Kate's grandmother told. The secrets held by Kate's family members are ones that would be common in families, so it's another feature that readers will be able to relate to. Based on Kate's age, I would think that middle grade and junior high school readers are the target audience. My ten year old read this with me, and really liked Kate and her struggles. The sequences where she bonded with her grandmother really touched her, so the authors and artist really knocked it out of the park for that part of the story. These are approachable characters, and show how adversity can be worked through and triumphed over, and that it's never too late to rebuild relationships.

Great book promoting strong girls working towards their goals. Great art with flowing text. Read this with my ten year old daughter. It was a hit!

Colorful, professional, and vibrant, this book works as a middle grades graphic novel from Animal Media — although adults can certainly enjoy it too.

There is enough plot and action to keep readers of all ages entertained, and this work is yet another fine example of a comic book/graphic novel published by this group.

This book was fabulous! It is a genre, girls hockey that I had never seen before! Also the graphic novel format for a girl’s sport is also new. This book would make an excellent addition to my classroom library. I have one student in mind who would love it!

If you didn't know before reading this, I am a huge hockey fan. Before I came into the book blogging community I had been a hockey blogger for a few years and was even looking into a career in sports journalism, but it just wasn't for me so I pivoted my career path. That being said, I still really love the sport of hockey, so whenever I can come across a new book about my favorite sport I jump on it.

This is actually my third graphic novel from Animal Media Group I've read that has been about hockey. There is even a mention of the character from one of the other ones, which I thought was a nice call back. I like that Kate's world is also in the same universe as The Hockey Saint & Hockey Karma. What drew me into about Kate's book the most is it's about girls in hockey and that is a thing I'm really interested in. I think with more interest in women's hockey, this is a great story for young girls that play the sport or for those just starting to get interested in it.

This graphic novel is really heavy on it being mostly about hockey since it's Kate telling the story of how her hockey camp went during the summer. I found all the stuff about the camp super interesting, and I honestly wanted to know more about the coaches. As two female coaches of the sport, I bet they have interesting stories. You come to find that the book isn't JUST about the sport as there is some family stuff going on. I found this to be a little too obvious, but I did absolutely love that Kate and her grandmother finally get to bond. It was really awesome to hear about her Grandmother's past in this story too.

The colors in this graphic novel were so vibrant! They were really saturated at points, but I just found them so much fun to look at. I think it really set the mood for this graphic novel. I really enjoyed the art in this one, it's not too complicated but awesome to look at as you go through the book. Animal Media Group is definitely a publisher of graphic novels that I really enjoy. Especially if they continue to give me interesting stories about my favorite sport.

The age for this seems a little younger, either middle grade or younger YA, so I think if you are looking for something for a younger audience this would be a good place to start. Also, if you have a young girl interested in the sport, this is a perfect book for them to read. I thought it was such a cute story!

*I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

This would be a great graphic novel for fans of Roller Girl and/or hockey. Kate's participation in an elite hockey summer camp is just part of the story. There's lots here about friends, enemies, family, and perseverance.

I received a digital copy of this graphic novel in return for my honest opinion.

Kate's Really Good At Hockey is a graphic novel that details the events of Kate's experiences just prior to and during her summer hockey camp. We follow Kate, her mom, her grandma, and teammates on a journey where she discovers herself through creating new friendships.

As an adult, I will admit that I knew something was up when Kate's mom insisted she stay with her grandma but I didn't foresee both of the reveals. Perhaps an elementary aged student (who I would think this is geared towards) would not be as quick to think something was up.

I like the dedication that Kate displays - even in the face of adversity - and would think she could be inspirational for young hockey players. I would recommend this book to children interested in hockey but I encourage parents to read it first as it deals with some complex issues.

SPOILER

SPOILER

SPOILER -- The grandma has cancer. This may be a topic of concern if family members have experienced it or died from it.

This story follows Kate who was chosen by the North American Women's Ice Hockey Federation to attend a developmental camp in Denver for elite junior girls ages 10 to 13 from all over the world, and it is incredibly hard to get in. So she travels to Denver to attend the camp and stays with her grandmother while there. Throughout the story, Kate has to learn how to overcome obstacles on and off the ice: whether it's trying to learn how to connect with her grandmother, who she feels like has no interest in her or hockey; or teammates who pick on her for where she's from (Tennessee); or learning about a family member with an illness. And I don't want to spoil the story, but the topic of discrimination against female hockey players was also covered, and I absolutely loved it!

I loved this story because for one, it's much harder to find stories about female athletes, especially female hockey players! I have read so many books with male hockey players as the lead, but this is the first one I have come across with a female hockey player, and I am here for that.

And it has so many good messages throughout. "You don't have to be the best player on the ice, but you should be the best at outworking every other player there." That's a lesson that people of all ages could learn. And we learn that Kate has high aspirations for herself: she wants to be the first girl in the CAHL, and I love that she's not letting her gender from limiting her.

As for the illustrations, they are beautiful as well, and I love the diversity of characters that are shown, from skin color to size.

I enjoyed this graphic novel and think it is a great story for all ages with so many important themes and lessons to be learned throughout as well.

The book was pretty text heavy which would have been fine if I liked the artwork more. It was a nice story but a little preachy and sappy at some points. I would hand this to a child who likes sports and family/friend issues.

Review to come early November on all things mentioned on my profile.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I was quite excited to start this book, I am not really a hockey fan myself, but I do like reading about them. And this one featured a girl for once! Generally the books I see around are about buff guys playing competitive hockey.

Sadly, Kate wasn't that interesting, and I was often quite annoyed with her attitude. I also thought she was a bit too cocky about her hockey skills. Yes, she was good, but to say she was the best as she often thought she was? No. She has a long way to go. Sorry, it may be harsh, but that is how I feel. And sure, there were also times that I did like her. She was dedicated to hockey, she was quite energetic. And later on she also showed that she was mature.

I also didn't like the coach of the camp, at least in the beginning/middle. Jocelyn and her sister did quite a few things wrong, not only on the ice but also off it, and she just didn't give a damn. She got angry at Kate for sure. I hate it when adults just think kids should just toughen up or something else shitty. :| And sure, what Kate did wasn't what one should do, but I can imagine she snapped. I would have done the same. Sorry, there is only so much you can handle before you snap.
Plus I didn't like how the coach was saying all those things to the kids after practise. I can see why she did it, but I am not sure if it would have worked for everyone.

Jocelyn, and her sister, were just the worst characters. But of course, as always there is redemption. *sighs* All it takes was a bit of that and voila everyone loves you. *rolls her eyes*

The camp was fun, or at least seeing what the kids did on the rink. Practise with a puck, without it, goals, shooting, and more.

I also liked how the story was told. I thought it would be told in the now, but actually the now is that Kate is back from camp and telling all her friends at school about it. We sometimes switch back to the now to see the reactions of Kate's friends.

Grandma and what was going on? I guessed easily on all the secrets. It was just so predictable (and I have seen them pop up in other books as well in the same way). It was still fun to see Kate figure them out, though I wish her mom and grandma would have been more open about it, and told Kate. It would have made several things easier for Kate, but also for the grandma.
Though I did think it was funny at Kate at first was hesitant about going to her grandma, but then later, when certain things come out, she is all about her grandma. I guess that what works on Jocelyn, also works on Kate.

At times there was a whole LOT of text on the page, to the point I had a hard time reading it (the blurriness didn't work, plus at times it was quite distracting).

The ending was pretty sweet.

Ah, and I quite liked the art! Especially the character designs were topnotch.

But yeah, I just can't give this book more than 3 stars.

Wonderful graphic novel that interweaves coming of age, family secrets, and the sexual biases inherent in ice jockey.

This is the sort of book that makes you feel good when you read it. It is mostly about hockey and relationships, Kate telling her friends the story of her hockey summer camp. It was a little hard at the beginning with the bullying but it gets better once Kate decided to not let it put her down, and concentrate on being better at hockey. She also learns a lot about her grandma (with who she thinks she has nothing in common) and her past and I love seeing these beautiful relationships. I also really, really loved the art, I found it very soft, very huggable (like the whole book).

I got an ARC of this book.

I got this book solely because of an interaction I had with one of the authors of the book. I was curious at what a book that he worked on would be like. I was not disappointed!

The book follows Kate telling the story about her new orange hat. I thought it was going to be a simple story about it being something she got after winning a big game or something along those lines. Instead it was an emotionally intense book about growing up and maturing. Kate's journey starts with her being accepting into a really prestigious hockey camp and her mom telling her that she will be staying with her grandmother instead of in the dorms with the other girls. This is only the first downfall of Kate's summer.

The next is one of the girls plays dirty and the coaches let her get away with it. Kate has to deal with living with a grandmother that she swears up and down doesn't like her and she has nothing in common with on top of dealing with another player that is a jerk for no real reason. Kate learns a lot at camp, some of which is hockey skills. The majority of what she learns is a lot about growing up. She learns that people have lived lives before she was born and that just because you are facing a difficult person or situation doesn't mean that you you will never move beyond it.

The story is heart warming and hit a lot of my buttons. I was raised by my grandmother who was the first female ship fitter (she build submarines by hand). She is a total trailblazer just like Kate's grandmother. Kate and I are both lucky to have learned from our grandmothers. This is an important story that gives lives to grandparents and will encourage young girls to actually get to know their grandparents and learn about how far women have come.

I liked the graphic novel aspect of the story but I didn't think the story-within-a-story structure worked very well. I enjoyed the narration of the conflict at the hockey camp and the sub-story of Kate's grandmother's hockey days, but I wish it had been told in a more straightforward way.

What starts out as just another book about a kid playing hockey evolves, over the course of the book to be about <em>girls</em> playing hockey, and how it is taken as a given that girls can do so. That back in the old days, women were not allowed to play.

There is the usual mean girl stuff, as well as sports competition, but the secondary story, about sexual discrimination is a kind of cool theme running through the story.

The illustrations are bright and colorful and full of expression.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4524" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Screen-Shot-2018-09-06-at-11.47.26-PM.png" alt="kate lovevs hockey" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4523" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Screen-Shot-2018-09-06-at-11.51.00-PM.png" alt="Kate loves hockey" />

I think this would be a good addition to any library, or home, or school, for the sports minded readers.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

(This book is not yet on Goodreads. I will add this review there and connect it when it appears there.)
Kate's Really Good at Hockey was much more than I expected it to be. I believe it helps address a big gap in publishing: stories about girls in sports. I frequently see requests from other librarians and teachers for books in this area.

Yet, the book goes beyond sports; it is a good story about persevering, includes some teen angst, keeping secrets, and will be enjoyed by students beyond those looking for a sports story. The illustrations are very colorful and easy to follow as well, and I think the fact that it is a graphic novel means that it will be picked up by boys and girls alike.

I do question the title, though; I'm not sure it's what I would have picked.