The Highest Number in the World

by Roy MacGregor

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Pub Date Feb 11 2014 | Archive Date May 13 2014

Random House of Canada Limited | Tundra Books

Children's Fiction | Sports

Description

9-year-old Gabe (Gabriella) Murray lives and breathes hockey. She's the youngest player on her new team, she has a nifty move that her teammates call "the Gabe," and she shares a lucky number with her hero, Hayley Wickenheiser: number 22. But when her coach hands out the team jerseys, Gabe is stuck with number 9. Crushed, Gabe wants to give up hockey altogether. How can she play without her lucky number? Gabe's grandmother soon sets her straight, though--from her own connection to the number 9 in her hockey-playing days to all the greats she cheered for who wore it, she soon convinces Gabe that this new number might not be so bad after all.

A lovely intergenerational tale and a history of the storied number 9 in hockey, The Highest Number in the World is a must-have for any hockey fan.

9-year-old Gabe (Gabriella) Murray lives and breathes hockey. She's the youngest player on her new team, she has a nifty move that her teammates call "the Gabe," and she shares a lucky number with...

Advance Praise

“The story’s ending, in which Gabe dreams of her number 9 retired and raised to the rafters, is uplifting in every way. MacGregor’s writing packs an emotional punch without relying on sentimentality (when the coach hands her the disappointing jersey, 'Gabe’s heart felt as if a skate had just run across it'). Expressive pencil drawings, brightened with color washes, perfectly capture the characters’ feelings. From the moment Grandma begins to share her past and her passion for hockey, the story’s context becomes broader, more complex, and more meaningful. A memorable, intergenerational picture book perfect for sharing.” - Starred Review, Booklist

“As pleasing as a warm memory.” – Kirkus Reviews

“MacGregor’s text climbs to a heartwarming conclusion, is wonderfully illustrated by St-Lambert’s Geneviève Després (I especially liked the views from the arena’s rafters), and makes for a great companion piece to The Hockey Sweater, Roch Carrier’s Canadian classic.” – The Montreal Gazette