One day Sebastián 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 Sebastián 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.
Anthony is struggling with his father too — mostly because his dad wants him to be something Anthony isn't sure he is. A musician. Like his father. Instead of practicing guitar Anthony just wants to play video games with his friends and be left alone.
The two boys meet at Sebastián'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, the NY Sled Rangers and 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, the NY Sled Rangers are real, and the professional hockey player in this story is based on a real athlete who agreed to let Jennifer use his story. Google the Sled Rangers 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 | Language: English
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English language learners and teachers, please click here to access a comprehensive word list of the text. Free!
