Shutout

by Jeff Ross

Alex Paterson is the number-one goalie on his high-school  hockey team. And he's thrilled that his team has made the playoffs. But when graffiti that apparently can be traced back to Alex is found on the walls of the school, and a photo of Alex at a party with a beer in his hand starts making the rounds, he is suspended from the team, and his reputation as a good kid is put in doubt. Alex knows he's innocent. The problem is, he cannot figure out who would want to frame him. Or why. Is it the other goalie who wants all the glory for himself? Or someone from a rival team looking for an advantage? With everyone assuming the worst about him, it's up to Alex to find out who is behind it all, not only to clear his name, but to save the season.

Genres: Sports

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 29, 2019

About the author

Jeff Ross is an award-winning author of thirteen novels for young adults.

Reviews

[Taylor (Books&Beanies)]

This book is a quick and easy read, only 100 or so pages, I read it in one sitting. I enjoyed it and the only reason I gave this book three stars is because it was just an okay story. It wasn’t bad, but nothing really excited happened that made me say, “Wow, what a great book!” The part I enjoyed most about this book was the loyalty of Alex’s girlfriend, Chloe, and his best friend, Luke. Neither of them thought for one second that Alex was guilty because they knew he’d never do something like that. I also really liked how even though the principal was being kind of a jerk and not giving Alex the benefit of the doubt, Alex kept his cool and handled it respectfully.



I have read several books from Orca Book Publishers and I continue to be pleased. Thank you, NetGalley and Orca for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sinamile]

ARC Review: Received for free via Netgalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

CW: ableist slurs

That was intense, wow.

This book had me wanting to fight the entire time, lmao. I was so in it that every time did something to frame Alex I wanted to fight them! (metaphorically coz these are babies and I'm way too old to be out fighting 16-17 year olds, lol)

I honestly would've been so hurt if the Thunders hadn't won, I was so invested in Alex's team, wow.

I think the only thing that was dodge was the reveal of who was trying to ruin Alex's life and why. It sounded almost silly after everything. But it didn't take away from the story, at least.

This was actually really fun to read and I'm hoping I get even more books like this.

[Anne]

Alex is one of the best goalies for his hockey team that is just several games away from going to the finals. However, when someone starts vandalizing the school, the principal blames Alex for it and he is benched from the games. Alex needs to figure out who is framing him so he can play and help take his team to the finals.
A good hi-lo book with a combination of both sports and mystery plus even a tiny bit of mystery and even a cute puppy thrown in for good measure.
3.5 stars

[Lara Lillibridge]

This is a short but enjoyable story of a high school goalie falsely accused of misconduct off the ice and his attempt to clear his name.

Note: It showed up in my list as middle grade, but I think it is miscategorized. I think it is much more appropriate for a high schooler than a middle schooler. (Drinking, graffiti, skipping school)

That being said, it's a nice dramatic whodunnit with enough hockey in it to please the young sports fan. As a parent, I liked that the main character was very solid on his values and didn't waiver. It's an engaging book that held my interest the whole way through. There is a lot of action (sports) but not so much to drag the book down.