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.