Waiting to Score

by J.E. MacLeod

Quirky, smart, and good looking, Zack Chase is a book-loving, talented hockey player. But he doesn't want to turn pro like his late dad, despite his mom's hopes. New in town, Zack's pitted against... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 193481301X
• ISBN13: 9781934813010
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: West Side Books
• Length: 199 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

You don't have to be a hockey fan to love this book!

Hockey fans will, of course, enjoy the backdrop--competition on and off the ice. But you don't have to be a sports fan to love this book. The main character, Zach, is a rare breed (at least in novels), a jock that's in touch with his feelings. Though he isn't perfect, I absolutely loved everything about him. If he were real, I'd ask him on a date. But there is so much more here than sports and romance. The story is about commitment, and what it means to be a true friend. The details are authentic. It touches upon a serious issue, too, which I won't go into because I hate spoilers. If you're looking for a story with beautiful characters and a deeper theme that both educates and entertains, pick up this book!

SCORE!!

As a serious hockey fan who just had her team win the STANLEY CUP (woo hoo Penguins!), I have to say that this book was exactly what I needed. I loved it and I couldn't have picked a better time to read it. Zack Chase has got serious skills on the ice. It's in his blood, after all. His father was a famous hockey player who met an untimely demise, leaving Zack to continue his legacy. But that isn't all there is to him. He loves to read, he plays the guitar and he's also just a normal teenage boy. When he and his mother move to a new town he finds himself facing with a whole new set of problems. The Captain of his new hockey team is a pompous bully who is jealous of Zacks talent and a war seems to be brewing between them. Zack also has problems off the ice. He has to deal with a mother who thinks that the most important thing in life is making it to the NHL, a teammate who drinks too much, hockey-chick groupies and his own doubts about what he really wants to do with his life. Not only that, but he has just met the most amazing girl who probably wont give him the time of day. Her name is Jane, and she is a gorgeous Goth-girl who hates hockey players. Zack is determined to get her attention, but will his own hormones betray him as he is tempted by other willing females who practically worship him? As the year and hockey season draws to a close, Zack will find out that everyone has secrets and insecurities. Some will surface with devastating and life altering consequences. It's time for decisions to be made. Pass or shoot, Zack? Perhaps there is more than one way to score. I just loved this book. It's not just about hockey. It's about life, the choices we make and the hardships we may face along the way. I can honestly say that I could relate to almost every character in the book in some way. Mostly Zack's best friend Sheila, who knows hockey better than half of the team and is the perpetual "friend", and *gulp* Zack's mother. Yeah, I can absolutely see where she is coming from. Plus, she's a tiny lady who tries to fight a giant man. Hmm....maybe I shouldn't say any more about that part. She wants the best for her son, but she also seems to want him to be like his father. I could also see a little of me in Zack. He's really good at something, but he isn't sure that it's what he wants to do with his life. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but he should be the one to decide. Aw, heck. This book was great. And hockey rocks! GO PENGUINS!!

More, Ms. MacLeod, MORE!

"Waiting to Score" is a novel that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, even if the main characters are teens. From the beginning, the reader is rooting for "Zack" because the author is so descriptive in developing his character. The author draws you in and keeps you turning the pages. Throughout the book, different scenarios of peer pressure, parent pressure and drama are presented and the reader becomes hungry for the outcomes! Young people can relate to these dramas, while experiencing through Ms. MacLeod's words, the rewards of becoming grounded and focused on the right things. Parents can also relate, and can learn how important it is to be non-judgemental when some kids choose to express themselves in a different way. And we all can learn how vital it is to support our young folks through their struggles of growing up and finding their way. Ms. MacLeod is an extremely talented writer and this book serves as a first-rate introduction to her publications. More, Ms. MacLeod, MORE!

Richie's Picks: WAITING TO SCORE

"'She's really sad, and just trying to figure out how to fit into this messed-up world of ours.' I looked around at all of us. We were all trying to do the same thing in our own way." Zachary Chase is the new kid in town. A high school junior "with good hair and smoking hockey skills," he has just completed tryouts for the team in Haletown Montana, and is heading for the arena concession stand in search of a soda when he bumps into a girl. Literally: "'Ouch! Hey, watch it,' a female voice yelped. "It caught me off guard for a second, until I looked up. I'd crashed straight into a girl. She held a book open and obviously hadn't been paying attention either. She almost pierced my skin with the expression in her eyes. "I couldn't help smiling. She looked scrappy. She wasn't tiny, maybe five six, but in spite of her height, she appeared small. Thin. Maybe 110 pounds on a bloated day. Her clothes hung on her, like she'd raided her big sister's closet. Her much bigger sister. She wore a long black skirt, black Doc Martens, and a black sweater that hung on her thin shoulders, where her black hair, obviously straight from a bottle, rested. "Everything about her reeked rebel. I looked at her eyes. They glared, flashing with distaste, but they were a crazy pale blue color, kind of shiny, almost gentle, even with all the thick black eyeliner around each eye. Not a pothead, I guessed; just making a fashion statement, maybe? Even her harsh clothes, hair, and makeup couldn't disguise the good looks this girl had been born with. "She clutched a thick novel, the fold about half way through it. I tried to see the title but I couldn't make it out." Why this Goth-looking, attitudinal female who hates hockey players is regularly seen reading in the bleachers of the ice arena is one of the many things that Zack comes to learn about Jane Parker. Meanwhile, Zack has already gotten the message -- delivered on the ice during tryouts -- that the team's captain Trevor (Mac) MacDonald Jr. has it out for him. It turns out that Zack's reputation has preceded him: Zack is the player Mac will never be. Zack's father was a National Hockey League star who was drunk behind the wheel of a car loaded with players and hockey pucks (groupies) when it crashed -- killing all of the occupants -- just before Zack was born. Zack mother has brought him up well and Zack can talk with her about nearly anything. She has moved him around in order to pursue her professional career while raising him as a single mom. She has high hopes for Zack's gaining the notice of a good college, where he can play hockey and get a degree on his way to the NHL. He's got his fair share of testosterone, but he worries about doing the right thing. In contrast, Mac is not at all a nice person, and by time we get a few doses of his belligerent father, we understand where Mac has acquired his bullying nature, his complete lack of fair play, and his appalling (to say the l

An Excellent Debut!

J. E. MacLeod's debut novel is a well-written, genuinely suspenseful tome on living, losing, and loving. From page one, the author dives straight into the world of high school, hockey practices, and parties and explores the complex relationships of contemporary adolescence with an authentic teen voice. You will find genuine characters and portrayals of Zack, his enemies, his friends, and his "more than" friends until the very last page. Waiting to Score will have you riding a roller coaster of emotion: you will be laughing out loud one minute and gasping in shock in the next. You don't have to be a guy, hockey fan, or young adult to love this book! Waiting to Score definitely *scores.*