Power Plays

By Maureen Ulrich

Jessie has left the close friendships she’s had since her childhood and isn’t having an easy time fitting into her new Grade Nine class. An older girl, Kim, takes a disliking to her, pushing her around and setting her up to be attacked by a group of really rough kids who land her in jail. It looks like life is going to be downhill from now on. Then, because she used to play ringette, Jessie is invited to try out for the girls hockey team. She doesn’t expect to like it, but as her skills grow, she makes new friends – girls who respect each other and rely on each other’s strength and hard work. Some even help her resist the bullies, until she can stand up for herself – stand up to Kim, who’s a pretty good hockey player herself, although not as good as she thinks she is. A fast-paced story about hockey, peer pressure and finding yourself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Coteau Books
• Release date: Jan 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781550505108

Maureen Ulrich

Maureen Ulrich was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan but grew up in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta. She started writing horse stories when she was eleven and historical fiction during her high school years. In 1976, she returned to Saskatoon to attend university and graduated in 1980 with an education degree. Her first teaching assignment was in Lampman, Saskatchewan, and she has pretty much lived there ever since. She has been writing plays for young people since 1997. Two titles - Sam Spud: Private Eye (2007) and The Banes of Darkwood (2010) - are available through www.samuelfrench.com. Maureen has also written and produced several professional adult productions - Snowbirds (2015), Diamond Girls (2016-2018), and Lords of Sceptre (2018-2019). Souris Valley Theatre in Estevan SK produced her full-length musical Pirate Heart (2018), scored by the incomparable Ben Redant. In her free time - of which there is not a great deal - Maureen loves to read and write, travel, knit, hang out at rinks and ball diamonds, golf, ski, and ride her motorcycle. Please visit her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or maureenulrich.ca.

Reviews for Power Plays

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having trouble fitting into her new school after moving from Saskatoon to Estevan, Jessie McIntyre finds herself in a serious dilemma when she becomes the target of bullies, both in school and out. It is only after her mother signs her up for the local girls' ice hockey team, that Jessie finally begins to make some friends, and to develop the strength to defend herself.An exciting, fast-paced sports-novel for young readers, Power Plays successfully addresses a number of common adolescent problems, from bullying and peer pressure, to friendship and first romance. Ulrich can be proud of this debut novel, which manages to be relevant and entertaining at the same time.Knowing very little of ice hockey, I picked this up because it was published by the excellent Coteau Books, an independent Saskatchewan publisher whose children's catalogue tends to be excellent. I am certainly glad I did, as this was no exception. The author's thoughtful afterword on the nature of bullying, and what victims can do to protect themselves, would make this an excellent book to recommend to anyone trying to cope with the issue.