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Slapshots #1
The Stars From Mars
The newest players in the Waterloo Junior Hockey League are the Martians -- the kids from a nearby town called Mars. With a wacky coach named "Boom Boom" Bolitsky, the stars from Mars have their work cut out for them.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
6 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Korman
251 books4,440 followersGordon Korman is a Canadian author of children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appeared at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 5, 2020
A classic Cinderella sports story. These never get old.
This book reminds me of the Mighty Ducks movie. A ragtag team of hockey players that inherit a strange coach and a star player who used to play the rival team.
They start out rough, but with some help and determination they get better. Of course it all comes down to the final game against the best team in the league. Will they work out all their problems and win?
This is by far the best hockey book I've read for kids. There are all kinds of players, so easy to relate to at least someone even if you are not a hockey player. There is a lot of actual hockey action, which seems to be missing from other 'hockey' books. And, the story moves along at a good pace to keep you reading...it might be predictable, but there are some twists along the way.
If you want a copy, or you want the entire series you can get it on Amazon - https://amzn.to/2GwB1DM
This book reminds me of the Mighty Ducks movie. A ragtag team of hockey players that inherit a strange coach and a star player who used to play the rival team.
They start out rough, but with some help and determination they get better. Of course it all comes down to the final game against the best team in the league. Will they work out all their problems and win?
This is by far the best hockey book I've read for kids. There are all kinds of players, so easy to relate to at least someone even if you are not a hockey player. There is a lot of actual hockey action, which seems to be missing from other 'hockey' books. And, the story moves along at a good pace to keep you reading...it might be predictable, but there are some twists along the way.
If you want a copy, or you want the entire series you can get it on Amazon - https://amzn.to/2GwB1DM
May 25, 2022
A great hockey underdog story wherein a small poor community gets the chance to finally join the local little league but the championship coach isn’t too pleased and is determined to get them kicked off the league. All told through the eyes of an eleven year-old school reporter who is addicted to jawbreakers.
November 19, 2020
Read to the kids. Fun and zany. Long live Boom Boom Bolitsky.
November 21, 2019
I enjoyed the book in some ways and I didn't like it in others. The book deserved a 4* rating from me because the book was very humorous, It had many laughing points and some cliffhangers that made you want to read more. The reason it is missing 1* is because I found many errors in the words and some lines didn't make sense. I would recommend this book to hockey players and to people into hockey. The book is about a boy named Clarence "Chipmunk" Adelman, he has always had a jawbreaker in his mouth so he looked like a chipmunk. He is also the sports reporter for his school and he is watching the Stars play, but they didn't play they fell. Then everyone has to work together to win games and stay in the league.
June 11, 2025
This was the 69th book I have read from the masterful pen of Gordon Korman. I did not read much when young because of a dual form of dyslexia, because of that I have a great fondness for Middle Grade books, and books for tween and teens. Korman is one of the masters. I set the goal of reading all his books about 2020.And with the reading of this I have read books in all his series, and all of the standalone stories. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. But I really did not get into them until my son’s teacher gave everyone a book with a note in it at the ends of the school year. Since then my son and I have read many of his books together.
Not counting omnibus editions I believe that as of the summer of 2025 Korman has published 109 books. And one coming out in a few weeks and one planned for release early next year. As of the reading of this volume I am down to 42 unread books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged.
This book and series was released in 1999, they were rebranded and French editions were released in 2206/07. The description of this volume states:
“The newest players in the Waterloo Junior Hockey League are the Martians -- the kids from a nearby town called Mars. With a wacky coach named "Boom Boom" Bolitsky, the stars from Mars have their work cut out for them.”
The description on the back of the edition I read states:
“School sportswriter "Chipmunk" Adelman knows he's got a scoop when he finds out that his hometown will play in the Waterloo Slapshot league. The Marsers have never had their own team, but with an ex-NHL player for a coach, they're headed for stardom.
But the Stars are in for a big surprise when they hit the ice and suddenly realize they stink! They've got a defenseman who only skates backwards, a star player who wants to be on another team, and a coach who calls everything a whatchamacallit. If they don't get their game in gear soon, they'll be booted from the league.
This new series by veteran writer Gordon Korman will have kids cheering for the Marsers as they scramble to improve their game and stay in the league!”
The about the author in this edition states:
“When asked about his inspiration for The Stars from Mars, Gordon Korman says, "I started playing hockey when I was seven years old. I loved it, but I always ended up on teams with humiliating sponsors, like Stay Fresh Cleaning Service and Fish Buoy Restaurant. I remember one year we had a lot of bigger players, so we figured we could be the 'tough guys' of the league. Then we got our jerseys — Pretty Polly Paint and Wallpaper Inc."
Gordon Korman has written more than twenty books for middle-grade and young adult readers, among them Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire-, The Chicken Doesn't Skate-, Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road?) The Toilet Paper Tigers; and seven books in the popular Bruno and Boots series, all published by Scholastic. He lives with his wife in New York City and Toronto, Canada.”
It has been interesting starting the older sports themed series by Korman. They are fun reads, and I am surprised they are out of print, and that there have never been eBook editions released.
This is a fun story about kid’s hockey, and specifically a small community just outside town that gets their own team. About the conflict that creates and the trials the players and coach face. The story is written as if narrated by a fellow classmate that wants to be a sports reporter. I enjoyed the coach being a former NHL goon and loved the appearance of Bobby Orr.
It’s a great pity this one is out of print! I really enjoyed this volume and look forward to reading the rest of the series. A great beginning to what should be a really fun series.
Not counting omnibus editions I believe that as of the summer of 2025 Korman has published 109 books. And one coming out in a few weeks and one planned for release early next year. As of the reading of this volume I am down to 42 unread books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged.
This book and series was released in 1999, they were rebranded and French editions were released in 2206/07. The description of this volume states:
“The newest players in the Waterloo Junior Hockey League are the Martians -- the kids from a nearby town called Mars. With a wacky coach named "Boom Boom" Bolitsky, the stars from Mars have their work cut out for them.”
The description on the back of the edition I read states:
“School sportswriter "Chipmunk" Adelman knows he's got a scoop when he finds out that his hometown will play in the Waterloo Slapshot league. The Marsers have never had their own team, but with an ex-NHL player for a coach, they're headed for stardom.
But the Stars are in for a big surprise when they hit the ice and suddenly realize they stink! They've got a defenseman who only skates backwards, a star player who wants to be on another team, and a coach who calls everything a whatchamacallit. If they don't get their game in gear soon, they'll be booted from the league.
This new series by veteran writer Gordon Korman will have kids cheering for the Marsers as they scramble to improve their game and stay in the league!”
The about the author in this edition states:
“When asked about his inspiration for The Stars from Mars, Gordon Korman says, "I started playing hockey when I was seven years old. I loved it, but I always ended up on teams with humiliating sponsors, like Stay Fresh Cleaning Service and Fish Buoy Restaurant. I remember one year we had a lot of bigger players, so we figured we could be the 'tough guys' of the league. Then we got our jerseys — Pretty Polly Paint and Wallpaper Inc."
Gordon Korman has written more than twenty books for middle-grade and young adult readers, among them Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire-, The Chicken Doesn't Skate-, Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road?) The Toilet Paper Tigers; and seven books in the popular Bruno and Boots series, all published by Scholastic. He lives with his wife in New York City and Toronto, Canada.”
It has been interesting starting the older sports themed series by Korman. They are fun reads, and I am surprised they are out of print, and that there have never been eBook editions released.
This is a fun story about kid’s hockey, and specifically a small community just outside town that gets their own team. About the conflict that creates and the trials the players and coach face. The story is written as if narrated by a fellow classmate that wants to be a sports reporter. I enjoyed the coach being a former NHL goon and loved the appearance of Bobby Orr.
It’s a great pity this one is out of print! I really enjoyed this volume and look forward to reading the rest of the series. A great beginning to what should be a really fun series.
January 16, 2024
I read this book growing up when I was around 10-11. This book is now considered nostalgic to me as now I am 23 years of age. One of the best books I can remember reading, as an adolescent.
January 10, 2010
Brian Kulunk english 205
I thought the book was about a kid wanting to play hockey and become a star player after making a winning goal. I thought of this because the book title is Slapshots also because the name represents hockey.
The characters were realistic and it was not some thing you can not do. Like for example he shoots the puck and scores, and I would love to meet them because there coach is a retired hockey player from Chicago.
My favorite part/scene of the book was when the hockey team met with the coach.
Especially if he’s a retired hockey player .
I knew everything about the book it self except that retired hockey players can be coaches for little kids.
If I had to cast this movie I would use the actual hockey player as the coach in the book
and Nathan cress as Brian Azevdo.
The actions of the characters did seem pretty plausible . Because they had a coach come in and do the work a normal coach does and play hockey. Like a normal team.
I enjoyed the book because I thought it was cool like getting a real hockey player come in and coach and get a ride in a truck with no seats to sit on.
If the book took place in a different place I guess the coach would not have been a hockey player and it probably would have been just some everyday guy coaching.
There is only one personality I can identify and its Brian’s because he has thoughts going through his mind and you cant tell if he is thinking or telling the truth.
February 14, 2014
Gordon Korman’s sense of humour is literally a laugh-out-loud one. That’s a phrase that’s lost a lot of meaning since the invention of texting, but it really is true. There are times when you will quite literally laugh out loud at some of the antics the characters get up to, especially Chipmunk. Even though these books are for 10-13 year olds, I still re-read them every year and still laugh out loud in some parts. Now that is the mark of a good book!
Given that The Stars from Mars sort of has a cliché premise, the characters are surprisingly well fleshed out. Well, the kids are. Alexia, Chipmunk and Trent are all three dimensional and very sympathetic. Boom Boom Bolitsky, the coach, is mostly their for comic relief and he serves his purpose very well. You may not understand all of what he says, but Gordon Korman sets things up so you can at least get the gist of things and why it’s so funny.
The Stars from Mars is definitely a good light-hearted, fast read. At only 145 pages, it’s a quick read, but more importantly, it’s very enjoyable. This is the kind of book you should read if you’re feeling miserable one day. I guarantee it will cheer you up.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Given that The Stars from Mars sort of has a cliché premise, the characters are surprisingly well fleshed out. Well, the kids are. Alexia, Chipmunk and Trent are all three dimensional and very sympathetic. Boom Boom Bolitsky, the coach, is mostly their for comic relief and he serves his purpose very well. You may not understand all of what he says, but Gordon Korman sets things up so you can at least get the gist of things and why it’s so funny.
The Stars from Mars is definitely a good light-hearted, fast read. At only 145 pages, it’s a quick read, but more importantly, it’s very enjoyable. This is the kind of book you should read if you’re feeling miserable one day. I guarantee it will cheer you up.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
October 25, 2014
I read this one mainly to see if it's appropriate or accessible to an intermediate audience, and indeed it is. It's a fairly straightforward and well paced "getting the team together and making them good" narrative. Although it is missing some of the madcap nature of Korman's other books (aside from a couple incidents and details) this would be a perfectly good "sports book" to recommend to younger readers.
-Angela
-Angela
April 18, 2013
the main people in this book are Chikmunk,Trent,and Alexa my favorite part was when they all meet boom boom, and when they meet bobbey orr.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2016
good hockey story about underdogs for elementary level readers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews