Eyes on the Ice

by Anna Rosner

Overview

In 1963, under the brutal Communist regime, two hockey-loving brothers must throw a game in a Soviet-Czech tournament to help their imprisoned father.

Ten-year-old Lukas and his brother Denys want nothing more than to play hockey, but it’s 1963, and they live in Czechoslovakia, where the secret police (the “Eye”) are constantly on the lookout for anyone committing crimes against the state — whether that be reading a magazine about the NHL or saying anything negative about the Communist regime. Lukas’s father works for a newspaper, and printing the truth is a dangerous activity.

The family is poor, but hockey is the one bright light for the boys. They learn to skate on a bumpy outdoor rink in a city park. And when their talent is noticed, they are encouraged to try out for a local youth league, where they are thrilled to play in a real arena for the first time.

Then the boys’ father is arrested. No one knows where he has been taken or when he might be coming home. Lukas and Denys soon realize they are being watched, too, and when the secret police promise them information about their father if they help throw a game against a visiting Soviet team, Lukas must make some difficult decisions that may endanger his family and his friends, as he faces some tough questions about what loyalty really means.

Key Text Features

author’s note

biographical information

chapters

dialogue

glossary

historical note

 

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3

Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6

Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.7

Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they "see" and "hear" when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773067377
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

ANNA ROSNER is a teacher and writer who holds a PhD in French literature. She is the award-winning author of two hockey biographies for young readers — Journeyman: The Story of NHL Right Winger Jamie Leach and My Left Skate: The Extraordinary Story of Eliezer Sherbatov. Anna is the director of Books with Wings, which provides new, quality picture books for Indigenous children living in isolated communities. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Read an Excerpt

For one month, we skate twice a week in the dim light from the street, though on clear nights we play by moonlight. I can feel where Denys and Andrej are in the shadows, hear the movement of the puck and know how fast it’s going and how far it will travel. Sometimes I even pass the puck to them blind.

For one long month, this is our only hockey life. And for one long month, Alex asks every day where our father is and when he’s coming home.

What People are Saying About This

Frieda Wishinsky

Eyes on the Ice is engaging historical fiction. Its timely themes of politics, standing up to a repressive regime and hockey will keep readers turning the page and cheering for brothers Lukas and Denys and their family.

Jamie Leach

Eyes on the Ice is a great story for young readers. It teaches about honoring family and standing up for what you believe to be right while sharing the excitement of sport and doing something you love.

Marty Klinkenberg

A splendid read and amazing page-turner. I could not put it down. ... Five stars!

Marsha Skrypuch

A well-written and engaging hockey novel. Rosner's hockey overlay will appeal to reluctant readers and her Cold War intrigue may hook them into branching out.

Sam Laskaris

In her latest book Eyes on the Ice, Anna Rosner brings a fresh, new perspective to the introduction of hockey to a pair of young brothers. Lukas and Denys are growing up in the former Communist country of Czechoslovakia in the early 1960s. Besides detailing the barriers the youngsters encounter just to play the sport, Rosner cleverly weaves in a story of how they face a difficult decision early on in their careers and how their infinite love for a family member cements their choice.

Lorna Schultz Nicholson

With skilled pacing and characters that are fully developed, Eyes on the Ice is a beautiful story of family loyalty. Rosner has used the sport of hockey as a vehicle to tell her story, but the family dynamics, angst, and tension are so skillfully written that the gripping story of the three brothers will appeal to any middle grade reader. This is a book that should be in every public and school library.

Editorial Reviews

Hockey fans and any reader who enjoys a good adventure story will like this historical fiction ... An exciting read.

Winnipeg Free Press

This riveting story about sorting truth from lies and when to blur the lines between, will appeal to young sports fans and historians alike.

Historical Novel Society

This excellent book for young readers provides much historical information about the time of Soviet rule in Eastern Europe, as well as fun descriptions of hockey skills.

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database

[Rosner] seamlessly integrates facts into the narrative ... giving the basic information needed to understand the historical context without losing the thread of the story.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

09/01/2024

Gr 4–7—In 1960s Czechoslovakia, a boy's love for hockey becomes a threat to his and his family's freedom. Lukas, 10, lives in Prague with his family under the Communist regime. The family scrapes by and endures the oppression and misery of Soviet rule with small pockets of pleasure when ice hockey is discussed and watched. When Lukas's dad presents him and his older brother Denys with hand-me-down skates, the boys thrive on the ice. One of the rare times they experience joy, the siblings, along with their youngest brother Alex, pour themselves into practicing every day. Suffering long and tedious Soviet teachings at school, the boys are only truly happy at the rink. Yet the threat of the StB (state police) is always looming, and now the family fears their home has been wired, on account of Lukas's father working at a newspaper. Can the boys continue practicing despite the oppressive regime they are enduring? Based on true events, this novel is sad and hopeful. The day-to-day injustices and repression the Soviets inflicted in Czechoslovakia permeate the story, and the way hockey is an escape for Lukas is well portrayed. The plot moves along quickly, especially in passages where games are taking place. Readers will cheer for Lukas and Denys, fear for their safety, and rejoice when the siblings get to play hockey. VERDICT A book sure to delight sports and historical fiction fans. Highly recommended for upper elementary and middle school collections, and where sports and historical fiction are in high demand.—Carol Youssif

School Library Journal

2024-07-04
A young boy living in Soviet-era Czechoslovakia finds his loyalty tested when he must choose between his father and the game he loves.

Set in 1963, the novel follows 10-year-old Lukas and his poor but happy and close-knit family. Lukas loves reading contraband hockey publications and dreaming of the NHL. When Lukas’ family gives him and his brothers ice skates and hockey sticks, the boys eagerly learn how to play hockey at the nearby outdoor rink. Lukas’ and older brother Denys’ skills on the ice are quickly noticed, and they’re recruited by a local youth league. Life under the watchful eye of the secret police is stressful, even more so when Lukas discovers that his father is hiding something. Then the worst happens—Lukas’ dad is arrested for crimes against the state. Under pressure by the secret police to throw a hockey game, Lukas and Denys make a difficult decision that affects everyone around them. Rosner strikes just the right balance, weaving in historical context in manageable tidbits that never feel dense or overwhelming. She maintains suspense through strategic pacing as Lukas encounters peril. Though this is a work of fiction, an author’s note reveals an interesting historical parallel.

An absorbing window into recent history. (historical note, map of Europe in 1963, glossary, discussion questions)(Historical fiction. 8-13)

Kirkus Reviews