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Ice Magic (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) by Matt Christopher
ICE MAGIC A strange power is at work in the rink... Pie Pennelli loves to play ice hockey, but he's got some his hand-me-down skates are too big for him, and one of his teammates is always giving him a hard time. But Pie's troubles really begin when his next-door neighbors find an antique hockey game. They swear the game is magic and can predict every play Pie's team will make! When the magic game shows Pie immobilized in midgame, what does it mean for Pie on the ice?
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First published January 1, 1973
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About the author
Matt Christopher
435 books141 followersMatt Christopher is the writer young readers turn to when they're looking for fast-paced, action-packed sports novels. He is the best-selling author of more than one hundred sports books for young readers.
Matt Christopher is America's bestselling sports writer for children, with more than 100 books and sales approaching six million copies. In 1992, Matt Christopher talked about being a children's book author.
"I became interested in writing when I was 14, a freshman in high school. I was selling magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post, Country Gentleman, and Liberty, and I would read the stories, particularly the adventure and mystery stories, and think how wonderful it would be to be able to write stories and make a living at it. I also read detective, horror, aviation, and sports stories and decided I would try writing them myself.
Determined to sell, I wrote a detective story a week for 40 weeks, finding the time to marry, work, and play baseball and basketball before I sold my first story in 1941, "The Missing Finger Points," for $50 to Detective Story magazine.
After writing and selling children's sports stories to magazines, I decided to write a baseball book for children. I was living in Syracuse, New York at the time, working at General Electric. I spoke about my idea to the branch librarian. She was immediately interested and told me that they needed sports stories badly. So I came up with my first children's book, The Lucky Baseball Bat. I submitted it to Little, Brown, and the book was published in 1954.
I'm sure that playing sandlot baseball and then semiprofessional baseball with a Class C club in the Canadian-American League influenced my writing. I had my own personal experiences, and I saw how other players reacted to plays, to teammates' and fans' remarks and innuendoes, to managers' orders, etc. All these had a great influence on my writing. My love of the game helped a lot, too, of course.
Out of all the books I've written, my favorite is The Kid Who Only Hit Homers. It's a fantasy, but the main character in it could be real. There are a lot of boys who would love to play baseball but, for some reason, cannot. The only difference between a real-life boy and Sylvester Coddmyer III is the appearance of a character named George Baruth, whom only Sylvester can see and who helps Sylvester become a good ballplayer.
I've written many short stories and books for both children and adults, and find that writing for children is really my niche. Being the eldest of nine children (seven boys and two girls), I've lived through a lot of problems many children live through, and I find these problems excellent examples to include in my books.
Sports have made it possible for me to meet many people with all sorts of life stories, on and off the field, and these are grist for this writer's mill. I'm far beyond playing age now, but I manage to go to both kids' and adult games just to keep up with them, and keep them fresh in my mind.Very few things make me happier than receiving fan letters from boys and girls who write that they had never cared for reading until they started to read my books. That is just about the ultimate in writing for children. I would never trade it for another profession."
Matt Christopher died on September 27, 1997. His legacy is now being carried on by his sons, Duane and Dale Christopher.
Matt Christopher is America's bestselling sports writer for children, with more than 100 books and sales approaching six million copies. In 1992, Matt Christopher talked about being a children's book author.
"I became interested in writing when I was 14, a freshman in high school. I was selling magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post, Country Gentleman, and Liberty, and I would read the stories, particularly the adventure and mystery stories, and think how wonderful it would be to be able to write stories and make a living at it. I also read detective, horror, aviation, and sports stories and decided I would try writing them myself.
Determined to sell, I wrote a detective story a week for 40 weeks, finding the time to marry, work, and play baseball and basketball before I sold my first story in 1941, "The Missing Finger Points," for $50 to Detective Story magazine.
After writing and selling children's sports stories to magazines, I decided to write a baseball book for children. I was living in Syracuse, New York at the time, working at General Electric. I spoke about my idea to the branch librarian. She was immediately interested and told me that they needed sports stories badly. So I came up with my first children's book, The Lucky Baseball Bat. I submitted it to Little, Brown, and the book was published in 1954.
I'm sure that playing sandlot baseball and then semiprofessional baseball with a Class C club in the Canadian-American League influenced my writing. I had my own personal experiences, and I saw how other players reacted to plays, to teammates' and fans' remarks and innuendoes, to managers' orders, etc. All these had a great influence on my writing. My love of the game helped a lot, too, of course.
Out of all the books I've written, my favorite is The Kid Who Only Hit Homers. It's a fantasy, but the main character in it could be real. There are a lot of boys who would love to play baseball but, for some reason, cannot. The only difference between a real-life boy and Sylvester Coddmyer III is the appearance of a character named George Baruth, whom only Sylvester can see and who helps Sylvester become a good ballplayer.
I've written many short stories and books for both children and adults, and find that writing for children is really my niche. Being the eldest of nine children (seven boys and two girls), I've lived through a lot of problems many children live through, and I find these problems excellent examples to include in my books.
Sports have made it possible for me to meet many people with all sorts of life stories, on and off the field, and these are grist for this writer's mill. I'm far beyond playing age now, but I manage to go to both kids' and adult games just to keep up with them, and keep them fresh in my mind.Very few things make me happier than receiving fan letters from boys and girls who write that they had never cared for reading until they started to read my books. That is just about the ultimate in writing for children. I would never trade it for another profession."
Matt Christopher died on September 27, 1997. His legacy is now being carried on by his sons, Duane and Dale Christopher.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 5, 2016
Hockey isn't as common a subject as baseball, football, or basketball in Matt Christopher's junior novels, but he writes the game action competently even as he adds his signature sprinkling of the paranormal. Young Pie Pennelli is an adequate right winger for the Penguins of his Fly League hockey team. He isn't their top scorer—that would be Terry "the terrible" Mason, an outspoken defenseman who's always heckled Pie for his blunders on the ice but has ridden him especially hard lately—and he isn't their best player—that's probably goalkeeper Ed Courtney, who steals a tilt or two for the Penguins with his stellar saves—but Pie plays hard and doesn't quit on his teammates.
After defeating the Bears by a single goal one December Saturday morning, Pie's younger next-door neighbors, twins Jody and Joliette, approach him after the game. They recently found an old-fashioned miniature hockey game with plywood cutout players in their attic, and pretended yesterday they were playing as Pie's Penguins versus the Bears. Incredibly, the real game today played out exactly as their simulated one did the night before, down to the smallest reproducible detail. Could magic be at work? Hesitant to accept the connection at first, Pie gradually changes his mind as game after game for the Penguins goes precisely the way Jody and Joliette's toy predicts, even when it comes to injuries and penalties. But how much information does Pie wish to know about the future? Being aware of the outcome ahead of time doesn't make him a better player, so Terry "the terrible" still yells at him every game, but when Terry overhears Pie and the twins discussing the magic of their mini game, his curiosity is piqued, too. He wouldn't steal their game, would he? More importantly, what significance will two Penguins players being aware of the magic have on the way games unfold? And what is the mechanism for the toy's predictive powers? As Pie examines the strange toy more closely, some answers come to light and others don't, destined to remain hidden forever. That's the nature of magic, but maybe this magic can also bring a pair of teammates to better understand each other, if not be friends. That's better than being able to divine one's gaming future from a dozen plywood figures twirling on a toy rink.
Ice Magic isn't Matt Christopher's best novel, but I appreciate that he didn't neglect to write something for young hockey fans. Juvenile sports fiction abounds for fans of other sports, but not so much ice hockey, at least not in the United States. Like every sport, hockey teaches players of any age or skill level how to cope with winning and losing, through repetition if nothing else. When one wins a hundred games and loses just as many, the emotional upheaval after a hard-fought contest becomes easier to keep in check. As Ice Magic observes, "They had learned to accept losses without crying over them. There would be other games, other chances for victory." Even for players with no hope of progressing to play at higher levels, that lesson is indispensable, and being on a sports team is a good way to learn it.
Matt Christopher's storytelling isn't as richly detailed or emotionally satisfying as that of some kids' sports authors—Mike Lupica, for example—but his writing is competently paced and will appeal to young sports fans. If you want some hockey-based fun during the season, try this book. I think you'll have a good time.
After defeating the Bears by a single goal one December Saturday morning, Pie's younger next-door neighbors, twins Jody and Joliette, approach him after the game. They recently found an old-fashioned miniature hockey game with plywood cutout players in their attic, and pretended yesterday they were playing as Pie's Penguins versus the Bears. Incredibly, the real game today played out exactly as their simulated one did the night before, down to the smallest reproducible detail. Could magic be at work? Hesitant to accept the connection at first, Pie gradually changes his mind as game after game for the Penguins goes precisely the way Jody and Joliette's toy predicts, even when it comes to injuries and penalties. But how much information does Pie wish to know about the future? Being aware of the outcome ahead of time doesn't make him a better player, so Terry "the terrible" still yells at him every game, but when Terry overhears Pie and the twins discussing the magic of their mini game, his curiosity is piqued, too. He wouldn't steal their game, would he? More importantly, what significance will two Penguins players being aware of the magic have on the way games unfold? And what is the mechanism for the toy's predictive powers? As Pie examines the strange toy more closely, some answers come to light and others don't, destined to remain hidden forever. That's the nature of magic, but maybe this magic can also bring a pair of teammates to better understand each other, if not be friends. That's better than being able to divine one's gaming future from a dozen plywood figures twirling on a toy rink.
Ice Magic isn't Matt Christopher's best novel, but I appreciate that he didn't neglect to write something for young hockey fans. Juvenile sports fiction abounds for fans of other sports, but not so much ice hockey, at least not in the United States. Like every sport, hockey teaches players of any age or skill level how to cope with winning and losing, through repetition if nothing else. When one wins a hundred games and loses just as many, the emotional upheaval after a hard-fought contest becomes easier to keep in check. As Ice Magic observes, "They had learned to accept losses without crying over them. There would be other games, other chances for victory." Even for players with no hope of progressing to play at higher levels, that lesson is indispensable, and being on a sports team is a good way to learn it.
Matt Christopher's storytelling isn't as richly detailed or emotionally satisfying as that of some kids' sports authors—Mike Lupica, for example—but his writing is competently paced and will appeal to young sports fans. If you want some hockey-based fun during the season, try this book. I think you'll have a good time.
September 11, 2023
Welllll that was one of the worst books I’ve ever read, even by 6th grade standards! I already don’t love reading play-by-plays of any sport, and mixing in magic with no explanation or backstory? NO THANKS DAWG.
December 18, 2012
I do not recommend this book. It was very hard to understand. J. N.
October 26, 2013
It was a pretty good book I didn't like terry because he was mean.
July 10, 2014
Kinda weird. Ok.
January 23, 2024
Wow. What a piece of shit.
Read for local Battle of the Books.
Read for local Battle of the Books.
April 12, 2019
The #1 story is about the hockey and main character is Pie who have a papa. one morning the Pie wake up early because he like hockey, so every day he woke up early and practice every day. When he finish practice the hockey, he come to home and ask his dad” can I play play hockey with other team?” But father disagree for playing the hockey. Pie feel sad, so he cry in the room.
Next day The father come to Pie room and said” does you Willy want to go?” And Pie said” yes! I want father” so father and Pie went to the hockey game, and father ask the team teachers” can Pie join the team” and teachers said” does he know how to play hockey?” And father said” he know, also he practice on the home every day, so coach said” ok, you are my team!” And when hockey game is start his father watch what pie game, but coach surprised because Pie goal a many time, also other hockey team were scared to.
my opinion: I think this story is about sport, also I like this story
Conclusion
When hockey finish the coaches tell to father” he is a good player! Can he stay like this?” And father said” ok” so every day Pie feel happy because he is a hockey player.
Next day the father said to Pie” wake up! You need to go to hockey game” when pie wake up he have a fear, so father call to coach and said” the Pie is sick so he can’t not go”. And when hockey game is over, Pie’s team lose the game.
Next day The father come to Pie room and said” does you Willy want to go?” And Pie said” yes! I want father” so father and Pie went to the hockey game, and father ask the team teachers” can Pie join the team” and teachers said” does he know how to play hockey?” And father said” he know, also he practice on the home every day, so coach said” ok, you are my team!” And when hockey game is start his father watch what pie game, but coach surprised because Pie goal a many time, also other hockey team were scared to.
my opinion: I think this story is about sport, also I like this story
Conclusion
When hockey finish the coaches tell to father” he is a good player! Can he stay like this?” And father said” ok” so every day Pie feel happy because he is a hockey player.
Next day the father said to Pie” wake up! You need to go to hockey game” when pie wake up he have a fear, so father call to coach and said” the Pie is sick so he can’t not go”. And when hockey game is over, Pie’s team lose the game.
June 11, 2024
Not sure how to rate this book. It is written for young readers (maybe 8 to 12-year-olds) who enjoy sports. I was previewing it to give to our younger two children as our oldest had read it when he was their age.
Yeah...as a fan of ice hockey, I found the book confusing and not overly enjoyable. I don't think that the author's favorite sport is hockey. The play-by-play commentary was difficult to follow at times and there were some odd choices for expressing what was happening. One specific instance that still sticks out was the description of a penalty kill. He discussed the team serving the penalty as having five men on the ice and the team with the power play as having six men on the ice. While this is true, the goalie does not usually get counted in those numbers. So I was very confused.
The heart of the story is about a toy hockey game (think foosball table) that predicts the outcome of the cames if it is played the day before the game. So the main character of the game and his two friends play the game and discover how many goals will be scored and some other vague details.
Hockey and paranormal activity? These two do not seem like a natural fit.
I haven't read any other works from the series so I don't know if the other sports are given the same treatment but this was a disappointment. Not sure I'll be sharing it with our two younger children.
Yeah...as a fan of ice hockey, I found the book confusing and not overly enjoyable. I don't think that the author's favorite sport is hockey. The play-by-play commentary was difficult to follow at times and there were some odd choices for expressing what was happening. One specific instance that still sticks out was the description of a penalty kill. He discussed the team serving the penalty as having five men on the ice and the team with the power play as having six men on the ice. While this is true, the goalie does not usually get counted in those numbers. So I was very confused.
The heart of the story is about a toy hockey game (think foosball table) that predicts the outcome of the cames if it is played the day before the game. So the main character of the game and his two friends play the game and discover how many goals will be scored and some other vague details.
Hockey and paranormal activity? These two do not seem like a natural fit.
I haven't read any other works from the series so I don't know if the other sports are given the same treatment but this was a disappointment. Not sure I'll be sharing it with our two younger children.
July 11, 2017
Oh brother. I would not have read this if wasn't on the Battle of the Book list for next year. I do not know why they choose some the books they choose. I couldn't see anything in this book that made it stand out in children's lit. I suppose they chose it because it's about "sports" and they wanted a variety of books.
I don't like sports. I'll occasionally go to a baseball or sports game with a friend but that's it. I don't like talking or hearing about sports. I really don't like reading about them. Luckily this was a short book so I made it through. And, to be fair, the MULTIPLE hockey scenes did make sense, so the author is good at describing sports action.
The "magic" hockey table was super weird and I didn't understand the point. I think the story would've been much better if it had focused on Pie and his relationship with the team bully, Terry. Pie was a likable enough character.
This is the first BOB book I've read for next year. I stated with this one so I could get the irritating sports book out of the way. It was a toss-up to start with this one or Redwall because I also greatly dislike animal books.
I don't like sports. I'll occasionally go to a baseball or sports game with a friend but that's it. I don't like talking or hearing about sports. I really don't like reading about them. Luckily this was a short book so I made it through. And, to be fair, the MULTIPLE hockey scenes did make sense, so the author is good at describing sports action.
The "magic" hockey table was super weird and I didn't understand the point. I think the story would've been much better if it had focused on Pie and his relationship with the team bully, Terry. Pie was a likable enough character.
This is the first BOB book I've read for next year. I stated with this one so I could get the irritating sports book out of the way. It was a toss-up to start with this one or Redwall because I also greatly dislike animal books.
June 26, 2025
Pie Penneli is playing hockey games with the Penguins, but finds something weird when his friends, Jody and Joliette, insist that their tabletop hockey game had the same results as Pie's actual game. The magic rises as Pie attempts to score for his team. Will he become a colossal failure or not?
Not quite. The magic is gone at the end of the book when Pie's teammate's cat, Tipper, jumps onto the game. The reason for Terry acting rude to Pie was because of his older brother making it onto a team, and the former's sibling didn't. But yeah, this is an actual Christopher book, and it is different from the others. 4 stars.
Not quite. The magic is gone at the end of the book when Pie's teammate's cat, Tipper, jumps onto the game. The reason for Terry acting rude to Pie was because of his older brother making it onto a team, and the former's sibling didn't. But yeah, this is an actual Christopher book, and it is different from the others. 4 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2018
The book entitled “ Ice Magic” by Matt Christopher is a good book that I read because I like hockey. The book is not the most descriptive but it is probably a ⅗ on description. The strength of the book is that there so many characters and that it tells you what is going on well. The weakness is the description because it’s not letting me get the most clear vision of what’s going on. I would recommend this book to a person who is very into hockey. I believe this book is part of a series so maybe I’ll read it for fun. To some audiences it is a lower level reading book.
May 19, 2017
I enjoyed reading this book for multiple reasons. I love the author Matt Christopher's books. The action was constant. There was a lot of description. To me hockey is a very entertaining sport to watch and I soon realized after reading this book that it's fun to even read.
January 18, 2021
5th/6th battle of the books. Not my favorite. If you don't like sports this book won't make you like them. It doesn't really take the time to explain anything so if you know nothing about hockey and have never been to a game its probably confusing. But if you do like sports (hockey or any sport as there are a TON of different sports in this authors series) maybe this book will help you enjoy reading. (And by "you" I mean a 10-12 year old). I could definitely hear that puck smacking around in my mind.
June 28, 2023
The hockey is written well, my fourth grader followed along with the game action. Story line was okay but a fun book considering it was written 50 years ago. Good for fourth and fifth graders (we read it for battle of the books).
November 5, 2024
the book is the best hockey book i'v ever read. I think you should read it if your in to hockey. if your not in to hockey you should still read it. my favorite part is when the twins have the magic ice. i think all sport players would like this book.
April 8, 2018
If it wasn't on the battle of the books list I would not have read it. It was very boring and honestly did not have much of a storyline, I do not recommend.
September 29, 2020
2020 Grade 6 Battle of the Books
February 3, 2022
horrible
April 6, 2024
For a kids book it was fine. I read it with my 5th grader.
March 23, 2021
Pie what is my favorite character,he is the main character.
What surprised me the most was when the metal part of his skate fell off.
I would not change the ending because the cat jumped on the ice rink.
What surprised me the most was when the metal part of his skate fell off.
I would not change the ending because the cat jumped on the ice rink.
March 24, 2024
Fun, cute, quick read for battle of the books!
March 10, 2014
The main character in ice hockey was Pie. He had a bad life at home living up to the expectations his parents have for him that his brother set. He also got some old skates from his brother that he just can't skate in that hold him back. I feel bad for Pie for the way he is treated by teammates too I thought Matt Christopher did a very good job with the book.
Pie is a hockey player with very bad luck with skates and the teammates he has to deal with. His bad luck soon washes off when his neighbors get a hockey game in there basement. The game they got makes every play that happens in there basement come true on the ice. Even though pie is winning the games for there team now by the magic game in his neighbors basement. He is still getting ripped on there team will not give him a break even though they are winning. Pie skates are also still giving him problems which is another reason that they are ripping on him for.
I recommend this book I thought it was a very good and interesting read I hope to read it again some time. I think this book is more for boys and you would really like this book if you were into hockey and sports. I liked the play by play writing that Matt Christopher put into this book that really wanted to keep me reading even know I I knew they were going to win Matt Christopher made the games exciting and close. I thought it was a good all around book there wasn't much about it that I didn't like.
Pie is a hockey player with very bad luck with skates and the teammates he has to deal with. His bad luck soon washes off when his neighbors get a hockey game in there basement. The game they got makes every play that happens in there basement come true on the ice. Even though pie is winning the games for there team now by the magic game in his neighbors basement. He is still getting ripped on there team will not give him a break even though they are winning. Pie skates are also still giving him problems which is another reason that they are ripping on him for.
I recommend this book I thought it was a very good and interesting read I hope to read it again some time. I think this book is more for boys and you would really like this book if you were into hockey and sports. I liked the play by play writing that Matt Christopher put into this book that really wanted to keep me reading even know I I knew they were going to win Matt Christopher made the games exciting and close. I thought it was a good all around book there wasn't much about it that I didn't like.
Read
October 27, 2016The book Ice magic is written by an author named Matt Christopher. The book is about a boy who has troubles with another kid because he is not very good at hockey. His best friends finds something amazing that will help him become better at hockey. In this book there is 4 main characters Pie, Terry and the twins. Terry does not like Pie which forces a small rivalry between Terry and the twins. The twins and pie are very best friends that do everything together. One thing that I liked about this book was that it was involved with hockey and Magic. I love that there was magic because that means that you could not know what could happen. One thing that I did not like was that the coach of Pie’s team did not know he had oversized skated. The reason I did not like this is because the coach thinks Pie is bad, but it is not his fault. All in all I think this was a very good book because it had huge surprises. I would recommend this book to 4th through 6th graders. The reason is because you have to understand the book, but it could get boring after 6th grade. I would rate this book a 7 out of ten because it was not bad, but definitely not my favorite.
July 21, 2014
ICE MAGIC A strange power is at work in the rink... Pie Pennelli loves to play ice hockey, but he's got some problems: his hand-me-down skates are too big for him, and one of his teammates is always giving him a hard time. But Pie's troubles really begin when his next-door neighbors find an antique hockey game. They swear the game is magic and can predict every play Pie's team will make! When the magic game shows Pie immobilized in midgame, what does it mean for Pie on the ice?
Didn't love this book and glad it was short. I am not a hockey fan and doubt any of my kiddos have ever played hockey - ice or otherwise - so I am not sure they will enjoy this book as it consists of play-by-play hockey games and terms that may be foreign to them. The premise was cute but not as fleshed out as I would have liked. We shall see how it goes over next year.
Didn't love this book and glad it was short. I am not a hockey fan and doubt any of my kiddos have ever played hockey - ice or otherwise - so I am not sure they will enjoy this book as it consists of play-by-play hockey games and terms that may be foreign to them. The premise was cute but not as fleshed out as I would have liked. We shall see how it goes over next year.
October 10, 2014
Ice Magic, this book is about a regular boy who loves to play hockey. One day after one of his hockey game his two younger neighbors tell him that everything that happened in their stick hockey game came true in his real life game. Pie doesn't believe them, but they are trying to convince him that they are not lying. Is this a coincidence or is it MAGIC? This book was very interesting I liked it a lot because I enjoy mysteries and I play hockey, this book combined the two. I recommend this book to people who understand the game of hockey and under the age of 16.`
January 17, 2015
I was assigned to prepare review questions for this book last fall for our school district Battle of the Books endeavor. I was familiar with many of the titles on the proposed list, but not this one, and had to borrow it to fulfill my assignment. This is a niche book, good for the occasional boy who will only read sports books, but I did not enjoy it and thought, "What have I got myself into? If the other titles I am not familiar with are as bad as this how can I encourage kids to read them?"
July 14, 2015
This book is about hockey games and magic. As Indonesian, hockey games is almost never played in my country. So, while I was reading this book, I got many knowledges about hockey games and because of that should make me to search in google to explore about it. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It tells me that we shouldnt accusse someone. Then, we should have coinscience to having an apology if we know that we were wrong. :)
July 23, 2007
What if your sports competitions were not a product of your own sweat and tears, but instead the result of some kid's ice hockey table? That's what happens here, and it prepares kids for something they learn about later called point shaving (when the ref or other players give effort based on the point spread).
February 25, 2015
This book is super good. It is one of my favorites. Pie loves to play hockey. His old skates are too big for him so he always rolls his ankles. Him and his friends find an old antique hockey game and they think it's magic. They think it can control pies whole next game. Will it ruin his career or will it make him an all star?
March 21, 2017
It's been years but I can still remember sitting down and reading this book between the library shelves of my middle school. And while I can't remember them all, I know I ready a bunch of Matt Christopher books, with none being better in my mind than Ice Magic.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews