Andre J. Garant
Slap Shot is a middle-grade fiction novel for boys and girls between the ages of nine and thirteen. Trevor and Tanner Thibault are eleven-year-old identical twins who live for one thing in life; playing ice hockey. Now in the sixth grade, the two boys make a name for themselves as they play for the North County Pee Wee League. Trevor becomes outraged when Coach Messier asks a girl, Jillian McDonald, to join the team. As the Goalie for the team, Trevor feels that Jillian will steal the credit away from him. Will Trevor decide to boycott the hockey team altogether? More importantly, will Trevor be mature enough to understand that girls can play hockey on a boys' team, and play it just as well as a boy can? Slap Shot is an action packed sports novel sure to please any middle-grade child.
Andre J. Garant lives in Ellington, Connecticut. He works by day as an Accountant at Neptco, Inc., in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. When he''s not busy at work, Andre enjoys writing middle-grade fiction novels for boys and girls between the ages of nine and thirteen. Slap Shot is Garant''s second published novel, and is one of seventeen middle-grade fiction novels that he has written during the past three years. He is a 1991 graduate of St. Michael''s College in Colchester, Vermont and is also a 1997 graduate of The Institute of Children''s Literature in West Redding, Connecticut. Garant specializes in school visits where he enjoys speaking to upper elementary and middle-grade students about the books that he has written and what can be learned from them.
There was an awkward period of silence as I looked down into my ice cream dish and scooped out the remaining bits of marshmallow sauce mixed with nuts. "Look, Trevor, I’ll cut right to the chase. We miss you on the team and want you back. Things just aren’t the same without you around."
"You were supposed to boycott with me, you know," I reminded him.
Gavin shrugged his shoulders. "I know, Trevor, but I just couldn’t. I wimped out in the end, but only because I love to play hockey and I knew my father would have had my butt. Besides, what else is there to do around here in the winter?" Ted was listening to us quietly, making sure not to interrupt.
"Lots of stuff," I answered. "I’ve got tons of homework to do and I can always play hockey by myself or with Tanner on our pond."
"Yeah, but you can do that anytime. I know you want to play ice hockey on the league this year, Trevor. It’s all you talk about. Listen, I know you pretty well by now. I mean, we’ve only grown up together since we were in diapers."
"Okay, okay," I said. "I’m not going to lie to you about the fact that I want to play hockey on the league. I’m not denying that, but I won’t play with some stupid girl on the team."
"But why?" Gavin asked. "It’s totally retarded to quit just because you’re jealous of her. The rest of us are dealing with it."
"Yeah, but you guys don’t play Goalie like I do. How would you like it if some chick came walking in and took over your spot as Wing?"
Gavin shrugged his shoulders. "I don’t know, but I can tell you right now that I wouldn’t boycott the team just because of it."
I shook my head at him. "What do you mean? Just the other day you were ready to walk out with me, and now you’re saying you weren’t?"
"Look, all I’m saying is that we want you back, end of story. The other boys keep talking about you as if you’re dead or something, wondering if you’ll ever come back. Even Coach wants you back. That’s why he sent Ted to talk to you today."
I licked the remaining chocolate sauce off my spoon before I dropped it in the dish and burped out loud. "So, what do you want me to do about it?"
Gavin flashed me a confused look. "What do you mean by that? We want you back, that’s what I want you to do about it." I didn’t say anything as I wanted Gavin to sweat it out. "Look, even your brother is mad at you. He thinks you’ve gone bonkers on us or something. He says that you guys aren’t even talking to each other anymore. That’s the first time I can ever remember you guys not getting along."
"And your point is?" I asked, not giving in an inch.
Gavin rolled his eyes as he took a deep sigh. "Geez, Trevor, do you always have to be so darn stubborn all the time? You know what my point is, so stop playing hard to get with me."
"No dice," I said casually.
