Hockey, a Zamboni®, anthropomorphic machines, and a great message: what more could you ask for in a young reader series for Canadian boys?
Published by Tundra and written by Canadian author/illustrator team Brian McFarlane and Geri Storey, this Peter Puck book stars a Zamboni® who is feeling a little unappreciated at the arena. Luckily, his adventure out on the town reminds him that his friends appreciate everything he does and that his job is not only an important one, but one that makes him happy!
Summary: Peter’s good friend, Tony the Zamboni, longs for adventure. When Tony disappears, Peter and referee George Phair head out to find him. Tony loves being out in the big wide world, especially when he enters a race at the speedway. Peter arrives just in time to hop on and drive, but a run-in with two nasty drivers threatens to put them on the sidelines. Can Peter and Tony stay in the race? And will the runaway Zamboni return to the arena and prepare the ice for the big game?
From a marketing standpoint, Zamboni® stories are actually quite popular in Canada, and what child is not fascinated with watching them drive over the ice? Overall, the series is written for young readers who are advanced enough to read confidently on their own, and who are between readers and early chapter books. Each spread has a picture and a page of text, which also makes the series great for parents reading to their kids. The language is very basic and pairs well with the expressive and colourful art for readers to piece the together the story.
This is a great Canadian young reader series for fans of books/shows that feature talking vehicles/machinery, and includes a positive "love the life you have" type of message. Fun fact: Brian McFarlane is a famous hockey sportscaster on Hockey Night in Canada AND he's the son of the author of many of the Hardy Boys books!
3 Stars
I don't read many romance novels and I'm incredibly picky about what I do read. I can't stand anything resembling Fifty Shades of Grey and I'm not big on the classic mass-market romance novel writers like Nora Roberts or Danielle Steele. I picked up Rachel Gibson many years ago and since then, I've read everything she's ever written, usually multiple times. Gibson writes for the younger adult woman who likes a little plot, a little disaster, and a little fun. I love that Rachel Gibson has written several mini-series and connected some of the characters in her many different books. What's more, is Rachel Gibson writes a fantastic mini-series about a group of good-looking Canadian hockey players. Any Man of Mine is a part of the Chinooks hockey series and not only do I feel it's the best in the series, but it's the best of everything she's written.
Sam is a famous hockey player for the Chinooks. He met Autumn at a very low point in his life and the end result of their fling is their young son, Connor. Autumn is a strong, confident, and sometimes stubborn single mom who has yet to get over Sam abandoning her. The story that unravels is one of making a choice to forgive and forget, and one of being able to accept someone truly being able to change.
I love the interactions between father and son and the way that Autumn cannot help but fall back in love with Sam. Is he not the Canadian woman's dream: a sexy, rich hockey player who is a good father, and undeniably, utterly and completely in love with an average woman?
There are some familiar faces from the other Chinooks books, as well as some NHL player name-dropping. Rachel Gibson is a perfect summer read. The intimacy of the characters is important, but not the central focus of the novel. There's something substantial in the plot to appreciate and her books are fun, witty, and leave you with a very sweet happily-ever-after.
