Compiled by the Ross family (father Julian is the founder of Polestar Books, while sons Noah and Jesse are 12- and 15-year-old hockey experts), the Amazing Allstar Hockey Activity Book is a jam-packed compendium of every kind of hockey activity imaginable. There are enough word puzzles, trivia quizzes, and recognize-the-photo-of-the-superstar challenges to keep diehard young hockey fans, both boys and girls, occupied for hours. Especially rewarding is the annotated list of hockey-related web sites, each evaluated for content and kid appeal. The book is rounded out with illustrations and text passages about heroes of the game.

A slight warning, though: some long passages will almost certainly stump most readers under nine years old. There’s also a tremendous amount of presupposed hockey knowledge in many of the anecdotes and quizzes. But then again, to paraphrase H.L. Mencken, nobody ever went wrong overestimating the hockey expertise of young Canadian hockey fans.

Barbara Stewart’s She Shoots … She Scores is everything the book’s subtitle suggests: a complete guide to the growing world of girls’ and women’s hockey. A revised edition of Stewart’s 1993 work, this version takes advantage of the tremendous boom in the game for women in the last few years. As hockey books for boys have done for decades, She Shoots … She Scores uses adult hockey heroes – like Angela James, Manon Rhéaume, and Cassie Campbell – to spice up instructional material on skating, stickhandling, and playing goal.

There are also extensive profiles of the Canadian and American teams at the Nagano Olympics, a comprehensive section on women’s hockey around the world, and listings (with addresses and phone numbers) of national and provincial hockey organizations for women. Stewart, a B.C. writer and frequent contributor to CBC Radio, does a fine job of identifying the women’s game within the context of Canadian sports history. The only drawback lies in the book’s design – a nice splash of colour on the inside every now and again wouldn’t have hurt. The real value of She Shoots … She Scores lies in the wealth of instructional material for coaches, parents, and young players. Segments on rules, equipment, skating techniques, coaching strategy, and technical skill-building are accentuated by “pro files” on important players and coaches, along with line illustrations, checklists, and photos that eliminate the potential dryness that can accompany such instructional material. The entire package will appeal to a wide age range, and there’s a lot in here for adults and young adults alike. She Shoots … She Scores is an invaluable book for any budding player or interested adult, and an excellent investment for anyone attempting to engender a love of the game in a young woman.