Product Description
In the days of Roch’s childhood, winters in the village of Ste. Justine were long. Life centered around school, church, and the hockey rink, and every boy’s hero was Montreal Canadiens hockey legend Maurice Richard. Everyone wore Richard’s number 9. They laced their skates like Richard. They even wore their hair like Richard. When Roch outgrows his cherished Canadiens sweater, his mother writes away for a new one. Much to Roch’s horror, he is sent the blue and white sweater of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, dreaded and hated foes to his beloved team. How can Roch face the other kids at the rink? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

classic
i had to watch the film for this in elementary school once or twice, so when i read it i have the voice of the narrator in my head. but, as all of the other reviews have said (making this repetitive and somewhat unnecessary) it is a classic children's book. it encapsulates the tension between Quebec and Ontario, that still exists today, but not as much i think. I'm not at all into hockey myself, but am around hockey players so have been exposed to it in some form or another all my life, which might be why i relate to it. but hockey player or not pretty much anyone can relate as its about a kid not getting what he wants and having to cope. and if you don't read it, at least go watch the short film, which is debatably better (or that might just be my preference as i saw the film first).

Started out great, but the ending was odd
The story started out great.A little boy who wanted to be like his Hockey idol.He had always worn the same jersey for years, but this year his Mom bought him a jersey from a different team.He was not happy.But he wears the jersey anyway.The ending is what was weird.It was like it was missing some pages or something.It just didn't end well in my opinion.

The Cultural tension of Canada told through hockey
The Hockey Sweater is a book that I grew up loving and when I entered Teacher's College (Primary) I made it priority to have it in my library. I have found the book is excellent to read to students of all ages. The religious connotation is not a problem for public schools as long as a pre-intro is given to tell children that the Quebe education system was for the majority made up of Catholic schools.
Living in a different country where ice hockey is not well known it has been a perfect book to describe hockey, which I get a lot of questions about. For the older students I have used it too describe the hidden cultural tension that exists behind the sport.I.E. the french and english rivalary and then expanded this to incorporate how rugby for example is similar when we look at New Zealand...North and South Island or even in a larger context....New Zealand versus Australia.

blah ending
what i thought would be a great book for my 2 hockey players ( ages 6 + 9), we were all dissapointed in the ending.the story builds as the boy is the only one with a different sweater from everyone else.Instead of something great happening to him, it ends with him in church praying that moths eat the sweater.period , thats the end. not very inspirational for your kids.want a great hockey book?get "The Magical Hockey Stick" its great!

Classic Canuck Childrens Book Hits Home with American Dude
The Hockey Sweater is such a nice little childrens book that can melt the heart of any hockey fan no matter how old. The book is great for young people, the illustrations are adorable and there is some hockey history laid in the book as well. It is a nice look back on a semi-forgotten time and it is nice to introduce old-school hockey to the youngsters. I am going to read this book to my nephew once he is old enough and if that is not recommendation enough to get your hands on this book yourself, then I am lost for words. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Biography of the Rocket, social history of Quebec in one
I actually bought this book in Canada in paperback form, and I am seriously impressed with Roch Carrier's storytelling ability.Having only read The Hockey Sweater, I expected a fantastic story in this book, and it does not disappoint.In Our Life with the Rocket, Carrier writes a biography of Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, one of the greatest hockey players of the last century, or some would say ever, by placing this French-Canadian hero in the context of the province's history.Carrier describes the poverty and hopelessness of the Great Depression in Quebec with vivid detail, telling how young Maurice would run errands for neighbors to earn cash when he wasn't playing street hockey.The hard work Richard put into developing as a hockey player and his career in the NHL, including the famous Richard Riots of the 1954 season, are told with great care.The connection between the Rocket and his legions of Quebecois fans, young and old, is evident.Carrier himself interjects memories of growing up in Quebec worshipping the Rocket, stopping short of completely retelling the autobiographical story related in The Hockey Sweater.He tells how Richard continued to mean a great deal to him as an adult.If the adult reader is a fan of the story of The Hockey Sweater, this book is a perfect companion to it, more fully explaining the significance of Maurice Richard to young French Canadian boys in a time when Quebec had little else to cheer about.I am seriously considering using this in a course I teach. ... Read more

Product Description
The inspiration for the National Film Board animated feature. The title story, about the Quebec boy who is shipped a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater by mistake, has become a Christmas favourite. Includes 19 other tales of a childhood in a Quebec village. ... Read more

Product Description
“The longest home run in the history of baseball was hit by a girl.” So begins a baseball misadventure in the village of Ste. Justine. This time, a strange girl named Adeline shows up at the daisy field where Roch and his friends play baseball all summer. She proceeds to hit a towering home run…right through the window of the crankiest man in town. Adeline has other powers as well, which Roch and the boys discover at a magic show. But without the baseball, the game cannot go on. When Adeline literally disappears, who do you think has to get the ball back? ... Read more

Product Description
In nineteenth-century Quebec a woman plots the murder of her husband after the death of their child. After brewing a poison, she is arrested, denounced as a witch, and in a devastating conclusion, released from her terrifying obsessions. ... Read more

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With the starkness of a medieval tale, this second novel takes us back in time to the wedding night of Floralie and Anthyme. ... Read more

Product Description
This hilarious novel is about one man's fight against high-rise development and urban madness. ... Read more