• Age: 10 to 13
• Grade: 4 to 8
• Reading age: 7 to 10

Mason dreams of spending the summer canoeing and kayaking at a camp up north with his pals from Cabbagetown Junior High. He's stuck in Toronto, though, ready to go crazy with boredom.

When hears about tryouts for a local roller hockey team, he sees a way out. But that way seems blocked at every turn: the team captain is tough on him, the coach even tougher, and finding a way to pay the league fees might be toughest of all. To top it off, his mother's new boyfriend arrives on the scene at the worst possible time. But as Mason works hard, moving from the third line to the first, he manages to work it out--with a little help from his friends.

Set against a backdrop of fast hockey action, Roller Hockey Blues follows one young man's struggle to overcome personal obstacles and stay in the game.

Steven Barwin is a middle school teacher. He is the author of Hurricane Heat in the Orca Sport series and several Lorimer Sports Stories novels, including Fadeaway, Rock Dogs, SK8ER and Icebreaker, which was chosen as a Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens selection.

Steven Barwin's profile page

GABRIEL DAVID TICK is a television writer. With Steven Barwin, they have written for such shows as John Woo's television series Once a Thief; The Royal Canadian Air Farce; and Street Cents.

Gabriel David Tick's profile page

• Winner, Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Selection