• Age: 3 to 8
• Grade: p to 3

At last — Canada's favourite storyteller takes on Canada's most beloved pastime!

Ciara is tired of hauling her hockey gear across town to play on the rink. It makes no sense—there is a perfectly good frozen river in her own backyard! But her dad says it's too jagged, and her mom says it's too bumpy, and her older sisters don't see why she can't keep going all the way across town, just like they did. But Ciara won't let anybody stop her. And with a little help from the neighbourhood, she knows that her team, the River Rink Rats, will finally win a game on their own brand new rink.

In classic Robert Munsch style, this warm fun story of community and hockey takes a hilarious turn. With the excitement and pace of a real hockey match, the River Rink Rats play their final game on their new rink. The pressure is on; the crowd is watching; Ciara has the puck; the crowd keeps watching; the ice starts to...CRACK!; Ciara keeps playing; the ice starts to drift; the crowd starts running; Ciara shoots to SCORE and—

You can be sure that no matter how the game ends, there will be hot chocolate!

El reconocido narrador ROBERT MUNSCH ha escrito decenas de libros para niños, entre ellos: Paper Bag Princess y Mortimer. Él vive con su familia en Guelph, Ontario.

Robert Munsch's profile page

MICHAEL MARTCHENKO est né à Carcassonne, en France. Il s'installe au Canada avec sa famille alors qu'il a 7 ans. En 1966, il décroche son diplôme du Collège des arts de l'Ontario et devient bientôt directeur d'une agence publicitaire. C'est lors d'une exposition d'art graphique que Robert Munsch découvre le travail de Michael Martchenko. Michael a reçu le prix Libris 2006, Illustrateur de l'année.

MICHAEL MARTCHENKO has illustrated dozens of books, and is most famous for his work with Robert Munsch, including Smelly Socks (Tes chaussettes sentent la mouffette!), Makeup Mess (Maquillage à gogo) and We Share Everything! (On partage tout!). He lives in Burlington, Ontario.

Michael Martchenko's profile page

• Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award