The Third Period Comeback

By E.K. Johnston

New York Times bestseller E. K. Johnston's middle-grade debut is an utterly charming, witty, and gloriously inclusive magic-tinged caper in the Canadian wilderness.

Hayley Rilko was born to play hockey--and cursed to ruin whatever team she plays for. As long as she's still a kid, the curse's magic doesn't stick, but everyone knows her time is running out. The two things Hayley has on her side are her family--four generations of it, all carrying the same curse she does--and one last summer vacation in the Ontario Northwoods, where her great grandfather disappeared and the curse began.

As the clock runs down and the magical mysteries pile up, Hayley realizes that just following the evidence isn't going to be enough. She's going to have to talk to someone who has the information she needs--even if it means raising the dead. With her cousins on her team, Hayley sets out to do what no one else has been able to: find her great grandfather's body and break the curse, no matter what it takes.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0G1WY4TLQ
• ISBN13: 9798217110421
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
• Length: 176 Pages
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher