• Age: 8 to 9
• Grade: 3 to 4

More than anything, Isobel Harkness wants to play hockey with her older brothers. But it's 1893, and a lot of people—including her father—think hockey is only for boys. Ignoring her father's wishes, Isobel helps her brothers train for an upcoming game. And she begins to shine on the ice. When she meets Isobel Stanley, one of the first women to play hockey, young Isobel gets some great advice. When Isobel has a chance to skate in a big game with the best of the boys in her neighbourhood, she has to find a way around her father's rules. Inspired by true accounts of Isobel Stanley's role in the history of hockey, Isobel's Stanley Cup proves that hockey has always been a sport for girls.

After nearly 30 years as a published author, Kristin has written more biographies of herself than she cares to remember. And she has run out of new ways to describe the same old life. Besides, she doesn't think of herself in terms of her birthplace, education, and work history. What she'd really like people to know about her is that she loves to dance. She loves to laugh. She loves to learn. Crossword puzzles relax her. Waiting frustrates her. She likes spending time by herself. And, like the heroine in her new book Closer to Far Away, she has a family that gives her strength. Her books include Cheat, Girls Like Me, The Druid and the Dragon, and Alibi. Kristin lives in Campbell River, British Columbia.

Kristin Butcher's profile page

“Although Isobel's individual triumph is played out on a small, flooded field, her determination to follow in the footsteps of Isobel Stanley and other women who were creating a space for women in sports, transcends her historical moment: young readers of all genders will identify fully with her need to prove herself and her inner strength to do so.” — Karyn Huenemann, There Will Be Books (blog)