• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7

It’s 1977, and 10-year-old Tina couldn’t be happier about her life. Not because she just moved to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, but because she’s finally old enough to make her dream come true: she can play on a real hockey team. But when she tries to join the league, she learns that girls aren’t allowed to play on the boys’ team—and there’s no team for girls.

Despite jeers from classmates and cruelty from some of the town’s adults, Tina is determined to play. She wants it more than anything. With the help of her family, Tina takes her fight to the Human Rights Commission. She’s allowed to play on a team while her case goes through court, but though she’s the best skater on the ice, even some of her teammates think she shouldn’t be there. From facing down angry coaches to testifying on the stand, Tina does everything for one big goal: to play real hockey.

Based on an inspiring true story, No Girls Allowed is a journey of passion, determination, and sheer love of the game.

Natalie Sampson's Halifax home is like a reality show mashup, wherein she battles her four teenagers to cooperate on dish duty and to get up in the morning; drives to hockey, basketball, baseball, piano, riding, and social events (theirs); keeps the dog's diaper clean—he pees in the house; befriends the crows; draws and writes when it's quiet. And the true judges are the three cats, of course. She is the author of several books for young readers, including Game Plan, It Should Have Been a #GoodDay, and Take These Broken Wings.

Natalie Corbett Sampson's profile page

• Short-listed, Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Awards (English Fiction)
• Nominated, Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award (MYRCA) Sundogs List