Oil King Courage (Orca Sports) [Paperback]

Sigmund Brouwer (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Orca Sports

When the Edmonton Oil Kings discover that Reuben Reuben has a hockey game as unforgettable as his name and his Inuit heritage, life changes in a hurry for him and his best friend Gear. A wealthy businessman sponsors a three-on-three pond-hockey tour across the western Arctic, and Reuben and Gear find out more than they ever bargained for about teamwork, about the North and about a dangerous family secret.

(20100903)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Young people will enjoy reading about the supportive friends, the exciting hockey scenes, and the mystery. This will appeal particularly to reluctant YA male readers." (NMRLS Youth Services Book Review )

"Brouwer has done a wonderful job of tying mystery, Inuit traditions and hockey together in a great story of family, loyalty and friendship. This high interest novel will satisfy not only reluctant readers, but others who enjoy a fast-paced story Highly Recommended." (CM Magazine )

"Canadian hockey will certainly be a hot topic in libraries following the recent Olympics. This quick read may satisfy the desires of those who want to read about the game." (Washington State YA Review )

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I sucked down the icy air, but all too soon my lungs grew ragged from the cold. It felt like I was breathing in air from a red-hot furnace. My broken fingers throbbed, but that was the least of my worries.

The bulldozer stayed directly behind me. It wouldn't get tired. There was no way I could stay ahead of it, not with all the miles between me and where the Mackenzie entered the Arctic Ocean.
(20100301)

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1554691974
• ISBN-13: 978-1554691975
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #943,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Whether writing youth or adult fiction, Sigmund Brouwer is a best-selling author of more than 40 fast-paced novels. He loves going to schools to get kids excited about reading, reaching roughly 80,000 students a year through his Rock&Roll Literacy Show.

Sigmund is married to songwriter recording artist Cindy Morgan. The couple and their two young daughters divide their time between Red Deer, Alberta and Nashville, Tennessee.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Author Disappoints, January 14, 2010

By 

Cson "hornspoon .com" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oil King Courage (Orca Sports) (Paperback)

Dedicated fans of Brouwer's previous works have a major disappointment coming their way with Oil King Courage. It seems all he did to write this book was Google "the basic rules of hockey" and "boring Canadian history". Even his usually incredible writing style fell through the ice on this one. To his credit, he did have a couple good laughs throughout and very faint glimpses at the grittiness he layers fast and thick on his epic thrillers such as Broken Angel and Double Helix.

I've read close to 70 of his books, most of them two or three times, and I have to say this is his absolute worst book to date. Even his board books are better than this.

Bottom line: don't read it. Please. It's embarrassing.