Hockey books for kids

Why hockey stories hook kids who would rather play

A lot of hockey kids already know the rink. They know what a shift feels like, why a tournament weekend is a big deal, and who on the team they ride with to the rink. A story that starts there does not have to talk a reader into caring.

Hockey also gives a plot a clock. There is a next game, a score, and a problem that has to be dealt with before warmups. That is useful for a reader who fades in the middle of a long chapter. I look for books that spend time with a team, not only with the rules of the sport.

What to look for in a kids hockey book

• An age range that matches the reader, from the publisher or a library record, not from the cover art.
• Chapters short enough to finish between practices. Beneath Silver Ridge Arena is 21 short chapters.
• Hockey that belongs in the story. Friendship, a mystery, or a tournament can carry a reader who is still learning the game.
• A team the reader can follow. Names, positions, and the long drive to a tournament make the sport feel like theirs.

Hockey books by age

Picture books and read-alouds

Z is for Zamboni: A Hockey Alphabet, by Matt Napier, illustrated by Melanie Rose. Sleeping Bear Press puts the interest level at preschool through grade 1. The rhymes walk a new hockey kid around the rink, and the sidebars give me something to read when the questions start. I use it as a lap book. The notes beside the rhymes are for the adult.

When the Moon Comes, by Paul Harbridge, illustrated by Matt James. Penguin Random House lists ages 4–8, preschool through grade 3. Kids wait for a full moon, then walk out to play on a frozen beaver flood. I read it aloud. The pictures do a lot of the work, and the language is a step up from a board book.

The Magic Hockey Stick, by Peter Maloney, illustrated by Felicia Zekauskas. Penguin Random House gives it ages 5–8, grades K–3. A girl plays with a stick that once belonged to Wayne Gretzky and has to decide what to do with it. I like it for a kid who does not play yet. The publisher quotes School Library Journal saying children who do not know hockey can still follow it.

The Hockey Sweater, by Roch Carrier, illustrated by Sheldon Cohen, translated by Sheila Fischman. Penguin Random House lists the Tundra paperback at ages 7–9. A boy in Quebec outgrows his Montreal Canadiens sweater, and the new one is a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater. It is still a picture book. I check which edition we have, because the anniversary edition is listed younger than this paperback.

Early chapter books, ages 5–8

The Hockey Rink Hunt, by Mike Lupica. Penguin Random House lists ages 6–9, grades 1–4, at 80 pages. Eight-year-old twins go to a Boston Bruins practice and look for a missing lucky necklace. I use it when a reader wants a mystery and is not ready for a full middle-grade novel. The publisher’s age runs to 9, so it sits at the top of this group.

Hockey Night in Kenya, by Eric Walters and Danson Mutinda, illustrated by Claudia Dávila. Orca Book Publishers lists it for ages 6–8. Two boys at an orphanage in Kenya find a book about hockey, then a pair of old rollerblades. It is a short illustrated chapter book about wanting to play, not about a league the reader already knows.

The Wicked Slapshot, by Irene Punt, illustrated by Bojan Redzic. Scholastic Canada gives it ages 7–9. Tom is not sure about hockey camp without his friends, then he helps a new friend with a slapshot, and they meet again in a tournament. Scholastic Canada later collected this story with The Funny Faceoff and Hockey Rules in Hat Trick. I start with this shorter book. The age I can verify is for The Wicked Slapshot, not a separate age for the bind-up.

Ages 8–12

Beneath Silver Ridge Arena, by B.D. Atherton. This is my book, Book 1 of Winterfield Wolves, a hockey mystery for ages 8–12. Five friends, a tournament weekend, a missing trophy, and 21 short chapters. Read Chapter One free. Available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle.

The Hockey Machine, by Matt Christopher. San Marco Books and More lists the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers paperback, ISBN 9780316140874, at ages 8–12, grades 3–7. A young center accepts a ride from a fan his own age and has to find a way off a junior team he never agreed to join. It is an older sports novel, quicker than it is cozy. I give it to a reader who already likes game action.

Hockey Rink Heroes, by Jake Maddox. The Bemis Public Library record, citing Capstone Press, lists ages 9–11 and grades 4–6. It binds two short hockey stories, Backup Goalie and Blue Line Breakaway. I reach for a Jake Maddox book when a reader wants hockey in short chapters and is not asking for a long mystery.

Mystery at Lake Placid, by Roy MacGregor. Book 1 of the Screech Owls. Penguin Random House gives the Tundra edition ages 9–12, grades 4–7. A peewee team goes to Lake Placid and realizes someone is trying to wreck the tournament. It is the closest cousin to my book on this list: hockey, friends, and a mystery that has to be solved before the last game.

The Chicken Doesn’t Skate, by Gordon Korman. A Scholastic teacher guide lists it at ages 9–12, and CM Magazine, a Canadian library review, puts the same paperback at grades 4–7, ages 9–12. A science-fair chick becomes the middle-school hockey team’s mascot. I tell parents what it is. This is a funny school story with a team in it, not a play-by-play hockey novel.

Ice Magic, by Matt Christopher. Booksource puts the interest level at grades 4–7 and names Hachette Book Group as the publisher. The Round Rock Public Library record shows Accelerated Reader interest level MG and book level 4.8, from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Twins find a toy hockey game that seems to play their real games before the puck drops. I pick it when a reader wants sports plus a strange puzzle and is ready for a full chapter book.

Bea Mullins Takes a Shot, by Emily Deibert. Penguin Random House gives it ages 8–12. A seventh grader who would rather stay off the ice ends up on her middle school’s first all-girls team. The publisher describes friendships and a first crush along with the hockey, and the book is 336 pages, so I save it for a reader who wants a longer contemporary novel.

Ages 10 and up

Off the Crossbar, by David Skuy. Book 1 of the Game Time series, published by Scholastic Canada. CM Magazine lists it at grades 6–8, ages 11–13. Charlie is 14 and new at a high school where hockey is the whole town. I keep this in the older group on purpose. A later Game Time book, Double Shift, is listed at ages 10–14. I do not hand Off the Crossbar to an 8-year-old.

Start with Beneath Silver Ridge Arena

If the reader is 8–12 and wants a kids hockey book that is also a mystery, start with mine. I am a hockey parent and coach in Colorado. The Wolves are a youth team, and the story stays with five friends through one tournament weekend.

The book page has the formats and the buy links. Coaches and team parents can ask about a set for the team. More questions about this book are on the FAQ.

What age are hockey chapter books for?

Short illustrated chapters usually start around ages 6 to 9. Penguin Random House lists Mike Lupica’s The Hockey Rink Hunt at ages 6–9, and Orca Book Publishers lists Hockey Night in Kenya at ages 6–8. The fuller middle-grade novels on this page mostly land at ages 8–12. I match the publisher or library age first, then the kid in front of me.

Are there hockey books for kids who don’t play hockey?

Yes. The Magic Hockey Stick is a picture book, and Penguin Random House quotes School Library Journal saying children who do not know hockey can still follow it. A mystery can do the same job. Mystery at Lake Placid and Beneath Silver Ridge Arena are as much about a team and a puzzle as they are about the rules.

What’s a good hockey mystery for kids?

For ages 8–12, I start with Beneath Silver Ridge Arena. It is a tournament weekend, a missing trophy, and 21 short chapters, and you can read Chapter One free. Mystery at Lake Placid, the first Screech Owls book, is the same kind of story for ages 9–12. For a younger reader, The Hockey Rink Hunt is a short mystery at ages 6–9.

What hockey book should we start with?

For a preschool or kindergarten lap, I start with Z is for Zamboni. For a winter read-aloud, I use When the Moon Comes. For ages 8–12 who want a mystery, I start with Beneath Silver Ridge Arena. If the reader is closer to 11 and wants a longer hockey novel, Off the Crossbar is the older end of this list.