Between the Pipes

by Albert McLeod, Alice Rl (illustrator), Elaine Mordoch (Contributor)

Thirteen-year-old Chase’s life and identity should be simple. He’s the goalie for his hockey team, the Eagles. He’s a friend to Kevin and Jade. He's Kookum's youngest grandchild. He’s a boy. He should like girls.

But it’s not that simple. Chase doesn’t like girls the way that the other boys do. It’s scary being so different from his peers. Scarier still is the feeling that his teammates can tell who he is—and that they hate him for it. If he pretends hard enough, maybe he can hide the truth.

Real strength and change can’t come from a place of shame. Chase’s dreams are troubled by visions of a bear spirit, and the more he tries to hide, the more everything falls apart. With the help of an Elder, and a Two-Spirit mentor, can Chase find the strength to be proud of who he is?

"Between the Pipes" explores toxic masculinity in hockey through the experiences of an Indigenous teen.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Sports, Young Adult, LGBT, Comics, Indigenous, Queer

56 pages, Paperback

Published September 10, 2024

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short but powerful YA graphic novel about an Indigenous hockey player and his experience with homophobia and toxic masculinity and the journey he goes on to self-acceptance. Helped by his grandmother and elders in his community, he comes to a better understanding of the natural history of two spirit peoples. Moving but so needed. The illustrations in the book were great too!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first graphic novel I read for the Tropes and Trifles Bingo challenge. The message was great, but it felt rushed, and the transitions could have used some attention.

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really loved the message 🥰 …. but the artwork and execution was quite clumsy.

2.5/5

[Bret Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awww! What a cute comic. I loved the message of community and support. I really wish we got a lot more with this book, though, it is rather succinct and felt quite rushed. But still an enjoyable quick read!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, but I liked what it did with the few pages it has.

[Michael]

My interview with Elaine Mordoch discussing the book here:
https://umfm.com/programming/broadcas...

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ I really loved this book. It was a story of an indigenous boy that is gay. He is being somewhat bullied/teased by his hockey teammates. He has to learn about who he is and how to stick up for himself. He has two best friends that help along the way. This is a great middle school age book for any child wanting to find their way in the LGBT world. The illustrations are gorgeous and I really like the vibrant colors used. The illustrations really capture what the author is saying!!! Good job!!! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very very quick read. The art is lovely, but something is just missing here for me to make this a really *powerful* read. This easily could have been stretched out into a more impactful story. At this length, it felt more like an overview of something much larger.

I would love to see something like this, on a grander scale. This, unfortunately, didn't hit the right spots for me. Some younger than me, who maybe a reluctant reader but would appreciate the topic, might get more out of this for me. As an adult, a hockey fan, and an avid reader...meh.

[SarahElizabeth Greenmyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another middle school summer read of 2025.

I love the real life imagery of this graphic novel. A modern coming of age that touches on the subjects of consent, peer pressure, knowing yourself, and exploring your own culture. It was an extremely quick read and really could have been turned into a whole series. I want to see where this character's life goes from here. I was very excited to see First Nations representation, LGBTQIA+ representation, and 2 Spirit representation.

[Katy]

I wish that I could rate this higher, but this just fell flat for me. There are a lot of themes and topics to cover in this book, but they chose to do so in less than 60 pages. I wasn't given enough time to connect with the characters or see growth or an in depth discussion on any topic. I also found the panels confusing to follow. I think if they had chosen to even add 45 to 50 more pages to this story it would have felt more fleshed out.

[Sesana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad giving this only two stars. The author's heart is in the right place, and there are parts of this book that are very poignant. The parts that are about Chase connecting to his heritage in connection with his exploration of his sexuality are quite thoughtful. But this is a really short book, which makes it all feel kind of rushed. I would have loved to have spent more time on this journey with Chase. I also didn't like the art very much.

[suvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between the Pipes is a story about an indigenous hockey player dealing with homophobia and the whole toxic masculinity thing is still unfortunately very strong in the hockey world. Though most importantly, it's about his journey to self-acceptance. I did really enjoy the story but it is very, very short which makes it feel quite rushed. The art style isn't what I usually prefer but I think it fit this story really well and the use of colours is just stunning in my opinion.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid middle grade graphic normal about the struggles to accept who you are. Chase is two spirited but he’s also gay, and the journey to say that out loud is tough in the face of hate and division. This is a really great book for those who are struggling to find their own identity.

Thank you Highwater Press for the gifted copy.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I don't really understand hockey culture, but I did not find this graphic novel had a very strong message for me. I had expected more from the facing of the Bear Spirit, so I was disappointed. I admire the way two-spirit people are represented and shown to really support one another, but I don't feel Chase's struggles were portrayed with enough detail.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is decent, but far too short to actually convey meaning. Everything moves a little too fast, even for a graphic novel, and even though the ideas are solid there just isn't enough time to fully extrapolate on them. I wish I could give this higher, but it just needed more time to flesh itself out.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this story and the narrative is definitely important--indigenous, LGBTQ+, and hockey. Unfortunately the whole story felt so rushed! Each section seemed to jump and the flow was off. This is the beginning of a great graphic novel, but it definitely needs fleshed out more.

[Eli Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really wanted to like this more than I did! It’s a really cool idea and if it was fleshed out more, could’ve turned into an amazing story - I felt like everything happened wayyyyy too quickly. Still, I’m happy that there are queer Indigenous books out there!

[GemDeLaCreme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet with an important message. Wish there were more books like this when I was growing up! Would love to see a sequel.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this coming of age and lgbtqia acceptance story and graphic novel. It was a quick read. Glad to see indigenous peoples represented. Awesome story.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving and hopeful. This short graphic novel focuses on an indigenous teen as he comes to term with his identity. His indigenous community and cultural connections are given high importance.

[Yolotzin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. It was shorter than I thought it would be, but it hits the points it wants to make. I thought they did a good job with Chase's story.

[Kip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great premise, but missing a few pages of context so it felt very choppy and fast.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Lavabearian (Jessica) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could have been so much longer. I want more of the story. Reminds me of Check Please! I want to see how Chase does at the next level. I hope this story gets more volumes.

[Chelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the art and the message, but the storytelling could’ve benefited from being fleshed out more.

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25

[Jo-Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this, but it would be better long to flesh everything out. It was too fast to enjoy each moment and scene.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The message was good, however it felt like something was missing. i wanted more character development with Chase's friends.

[The_J · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Pathetic piece of Canadian Government propaganda