Splinters

Cindy Winters loves to play hockey. When her family's basement apartment is flooded and the floor freezes, she's even happy to skate on the concrete. Her parents are too poor to enroll her in a league, but she's resourceful and does odd jobs until she has earned enough money to play. Armed with her mother's old equipment, she is thrilled to join a team. But her happiness doesn't last long. Among her teammates are the horrible Blister Sisters. They make her life miserable. And worse, Cindy's sidelined by the coach, who just happens to be Mrs. Blister. It looks like she'll be spending the season cleaning equipment, instead of playing on the ice. Cindy's luck changes when her Fairy Goaltender appears and saves the day. With its great good humor and hilarious illustrations, Kevin Sylvester's Splinters is bound to become a favorite.

KEVIN SYLVESTER is a renowned author, illustrator, and broadcaster. An award-winning sportscaster for seven years, he is well-known to listeners of CBC Radio One for broadcasting national sports and anchoring radio coverage for four Olympic Games. He is now a regular on "Here and Now," "The Current," and "The Sunday Edition." Kevin Sylvester's book for children, Sports Hall of Weird, was named a Silver Birch Honor Book and a Rocky Mountain Honor Book. His second book, Gold Medal for Weird, won the Silver Birch, was a Willow Award nominee, and was named a Gold Medal Choice for the Junior Library Guild in the United States. He is also the author of Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders and Game Day. Kevin Sylvester lives in Toronto with his wife and daughters.