Rocket Blues A Book Talk by: David Brandes
THE MAIN CHARACTERS & SETTING
The main characters of Rocket Blues are Bryan Rockwood, known as Rocket, and his best friends Maddy, Adam and TY. Adam and Ty played on Rocket's line on the Huskies and are best friends. They are great hockey players and are very popular in school. Maddy is more like a sister to Bryan. She lives in his apartment building and does not have the best life because she lives with a guardian named Griffen who does not care much about her. She relies on Bryan and his mom for lots of support.
Coach Sonia and Andre are minor characters. They are both a big part of Rocket's new team the Beaumont Blues and he feels very connected to them throughout the second half of the story.
This book has 3 main settings, which include Rockets' apartment building, the hockey arena and his school. Rocket lives in the North end of town, which is not an ideal place for a 13 year old boy to be growing up. It is full of garbage and gangs and the people who live there have low paying jobs or they just aren't working at all and living in poverty. This is why Rocket really wants to get out and be a better hockey player so he can build a better life for himself.
THE AUTHOR'S MESSAGE
In Rocket Blues I believe that the author is trying to tell us that no matter what happens in life, don't let that stop you from pursuing your dreams and being the person that you want to be. When life gets tough, and sometimes it will, the way to fight through that is to work as hard as you can and always be nice to people along the way. You never know when you may need some new friends or other supports to help you out. To pursue your dreams, you have to work at your game and you have to want it. Set out a goal for yourself and don't rest until you have done what you have set out to do. And also the lesson to me in this book is that there is more to life than just hockey! Persevere! Be great! And be in it to win it, even when challenges are thrown your way.
PLOT
At the beginning of this amazing book, Bryan Rockwood, aka Rocket, and his best friends, Ty and Adam, are best friends and play AAA hockey on the Huskies. They are at the tryout for the next year to try and return to their team. But after the tryout, the new coach named Coach Barker, had a few problems with Rocket, and that was Rockets' small body size and the fact that his parents are not rich and don't have much to offer the team. Therefore, the new coach cut Rocket from the team, and he was devastated. The last year playing on the Huskies, Rocket was the leading goal scorer on a line with Ty and Adam, and when he was not asked to return, they were in shock! This is a huge problem for Rocket in the story.
Rockets parents are also divorced and they don't have a lot of money so they have trouble affording the price of AAA hockey. They also do not have a car so that makes transportation very hard for them to get Rocket to the rink for practises and games. Despite these hard situations, Rocket is determined to get on another hockey team and prove to Coach Barker and the rest of the Huskies that he is the BEST in the league and that they don't call him the Rocket for nothing! Another problem is that almost all the rosters in AAA are full and no one seems to be willing to give him a shot.
Will Rocket make it on another team even though he is small for his age? Will Rocket remain friends with TY and Adam if they don't play on the same team together anymore? Will Rocket give up his lifelong dream of being an NHL hockey player, just because a coach told him he was cut from the Huskies? Is it too late for Brian to make it on another hockey team? Read the book to find out!
FAVOURITE PART
My favourite part of this book is when Rocket was being bullied by a neighbourhood gang and after all their name calling, they broke one of his sticks and stole his shoulder pads. The reason I liked this part was because I think that the average kid would have told the coach that he was unable to make the tryout that night due to the stress of the attack and lack of equipment on that day, but not Rocket. He went upstairs and got a bunch of sweatshirts and towels, along with duct tape, and created himself some new shoulder pads because he was so committed to make this new team, the Beaumont Blues. That showed me what good character he has towards the game of hockey and the passion Rocket has to play that he wouldn't miss a tryout for anything! He is also a good problem solver by figuring out what to do in this situation, and not let a bit of a disturbance ruin his opportunity to join a new team.
READING A PASSAGE
page no. 205-206
I have selected this passage to read because it describes an important hockey game. I like the fast paced action and I can totally relate to the game plays as I read.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
I would recommend this book to all kids from 10 to 14, boys and girls, who have a passion for hockey or any competitive sport. It is such an all around amazing book and I have learned so much by reading it. I would also encourage this book to kids who don't know anything about hockey because you can learn so much about hockey and you will learn strategies on what to do when your life gets tough, like asking for help, believing in yourself, and taking risks even when you are scared. This book is also not only meant for boys. There are girl characters who are important to the plot, like Maddy and Coach Sonia, who keep the story interesting and full of excitement. Without them, Rocket would have had a different experience and would be missing their support. This book is also an Offical Silver Birch Awards Selection contender for this year and the author is Canadian. Bryan is a real hero that all kids can look up to and I strongly encourage you to read this text!
Thank you for listening to my presentation.