One day Malik is a soccer phenom, dancing his way around the ball up and down the pitch.
The next day he isn't.
Coming to terms with needing a wheelchair at 14 is hard enough. But Malik is also switching schools, navigating a new neighborhood, and dealing with a father whose entire relationship with his son was built around soccer. Without the game, neither of them knows who they are to each other.
Antoine is struggling with his father too — mostly because his dad wants him to be something Antoine isn't sure he is. A musician. Like his father. Instead of practicing guitar Antoine just wants to play video games with his friends and be left alone.
The two boys meet at Malik's new school. It's rocky at first. Then something shifts.
And when a professional hockey player enters their lives — one facing his own unexpected humbling — both boys begin to realize that what they thought was reality isn't quite the whole picture.
This book doesn't play it safe. This book tackles: disability and identity, father-son relationships, friendship across difference, humility, and the liberating truth that even professional athletes are beginners at something
Pairs beautifully with: discussions of disability and adaptation, sled hockey, and the question: "What would you have to lose before you figured out who you really are?"
Note for teachers: sled hockey is real, and the professional hockey player in this story is based on a real athlete who agreed to let Jennifer use his story. Google sled hockey with your students — it will change how they think about sport, ability, and courage.
Inspired by a true story — and an ad Jennifer saw on TV that changed everything about where the story was going.
Level: Intermediate | Tense: All tenses | Words: 11,000 | Unique words: 479 | Language: French
Please contact me directly for bulk orders (and a discount!) or if ordering with a purchase order.
