When Kate gets accepted to a prestigious hockey camp it is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to her... until she learns that she'll be staying with her grandma rather than in the dorms. Kate doesn't feel like she has anything in common with her grandma and like her grandma isn't interested in her life. But Kate's about to learn that family can be full of surprises.

I thought this was a fun little read. Kate is a relatable protagonist and I was rooting for her even when she was screwing up. The only part I wasn't big on was that the set up of the book is her telling the story of her summer to all of her classmates. I think the story was strong enough to stand alone.

Firstly, this book automatically made me smile since it was set at my own alma mater.

Kate's life is hockey. When she's accepted into the elite hockey camp, it's a dream come true. Until she discovers that she's to stay with her grandmother instead of in the dorms with the rest of the girls. At camp, things get tough. Not only is the coach extremely hard on them...especially on Kate...but two girls from up north are determined to make her life difficult. Nothing is fair, but Kate doesn't seem to be able to do anything to stop it. Mix is the problems with her grandmother and coach, and the dream is morphing into a massive disappointment.

It's wonderful to see a middle grade book with girls and hockey, and one that hits the game with all that hardness the game holds. Young hockey fans are sure to enjoy that. The graphics/illustrations are extremely well done and keep the tension and emotions as grabbing as the text. It reads smoothly and brings the characters to life, making them easy to cheer for.

The author rolls in several tougher themes along the way. These slide right into the main story line, come with fairly practical solutions and mold in so as not to become overpowering, allowing the story to stay front and center. It has a feel-good ending, which wraps up the ends nicely.

A young-teen redhead loves hockey. Considering the previous works from this publisher, this is not a surprise.
After a get-together with all her friends before school—it appears they’re just back from summer break—there’s long and very clunky exposition as to how she spent her time away. The scene switches to her having a hard time at hockey camp while living with a grandmother who doesn’t seem to understand her. The main players are from those hockey hotbeds of Tennessee and Ecuador. And of course there’s bullies.
Mom says such Mom things. If you’re only gonna have a few things in common with Grandma, might as well make them ice cream and bacon.
There’s a lot of repetition, but I suppose this is for kids. Most of it is pretty standard storytelling, but luckily—or unluckily, in the case of the characters—there’s a couple of major twists.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

Kate's spent all year waiting to attend an elite girl's hockey camp. But camp isn't as great as she thought it would be. She's staying with her grandma, the girls at camp bully her and the coaches do nothing to help!

Will Kate leave early and head back to Tennessee? Or can she fight through the adversity and grow stronger?

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this graphic novel nearly as much as I did. The illustrations are very, very good, and the storyline is more than just hockey—it's about family, friendship, rivalry, adversity, teamwork and good sportsmanship. Okay. the last two are about hockey, but are great lessons that can easily be applied to more than just one particular sport—or life in general.

There are some pretty heavy topics (cancer, aging parents, discrimination, sexism, communication, relationships, discrimination, growing up, teamwork, forgiveness) in this graphic novel, but packaged in a way that is easily digestible for middle grade readers without being too overwhelming.

And in case you're wondering—Kate really is good at hockey.

My only complaint is that this graphic novel was too short.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

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!

Graphic novel appropriate for Elementary and Middle School.
Great drawings, very expressive. Love the getting to know Grandma angle, as many of my students have Grandparents far away.
Adolescent relevant.
Nice to see a girl being good in sports and the historical angle will be helpful for my students to understand how different sports used to be for girls.

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.

12 year old Kate loves hockey. She has a whole plan for how she is going to make it in the big leagues; even against some top male athletes. Kate's mom gave her an envelope one day. It was an invitation to a top summer camp for female hockey players. Kate is beyond ecstatic to be with so many others who are passionate like her. The only catch is that she has to stay with her grandmother; someone she barely knows and seems to care very little about her love of hockey. With competitive bullies and mean coaches, Kate isn't sure if she will crush summer camp or not.

This graphic novel is easy to read and full of important lessons for a young athlete. The novel panels are well organized and help the story flow nicely. As the story unfolds, there are some reveals that seem too orchestrated, but were overall conducive to the themes of family, love, pride, and dreams.

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.

I enjoyed this graphic novel. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes graphic novels and hockey. I loved the lessons in the book.

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).