Yours Truly, Skye O'Shea ANNOTATION
Eleven-year-old hockey sensation Skye O'Shea deals with boys, sisters, math tests, team tryouts, and other ups and downs of middle school.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Wendy Glenn
Eleven-year-old Skye O'Shea, hockey sensation and middle school student, relates her experiences as a pre-teen in an honest, first person narrative form. She talks readers through her frustrations in math class, life with her two elder sisters (who also happen to be hockey stars), love of a boy who she does not think even knows her, and the trials and tribulations in the sport she loves. Seeking someone who might be able to relate to her worries, Skye sends a letter to women's ice hockey Olympian, Haley Bryce. Their correspondence offers Skye friendship and support, even while she feels everyone hates her when she scores a goal for the opposing team during her first game of league play or when she learns that the boy who is sending her mysterious notes is not the love of her life. Shull does an admirable job of capturing the voice of this young girl. Her inclusion of non-traditional textsﾽa letter home from her teacher on school stationary, a hockey team roster, a school report on Haley Bryce, e-mail conversations between Skye and Haley, and crumpled notes from her admirerﾽlends authenticity and a playfulness to the work and gives readers glimpses into Skye's daily life. Part of the "American Girl" intermediate fiction series, the novel presents a girl who is strong, smart, and capable, a model for any young female reader to emulate. Well-written and nicely priced. 2003, Pleasant Company Publications,
School Library Journal
Gr 4-6-Skye Beryl O'Shea, a hockey-playing sixth grader, is the first 11-year-old to make the Ithaca Comets' 15-and-under traveling team. In addition, Haley Bryce, a member of the U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team, is Skye's new pen pal, giving advice and encouragement to her biggest fan. School is not going as well for Skye, however. Her secret crush is seen kissing someone else and her math grades keep sinking. Life at home hasn't been great, either. She and her older twin sisters don't get along and her parents have laid down the law. She has to learn to live with them and pull up her math grades or she may have to give up hockey. Skye is a likable protagonist with typical teen issues and, by the end of the book, readers know her fairly well. Though the development of her family and friends is not as thorough, enough information is provided to give readers a sense of their personalities. The plot develops quickly and moves at a rapid pace, integrating lots of information about hockey. E-mail screens, crumpled and folded notes, newspaper clippings, and other bits are scattered throughout. Skye's voice is strong, humorous, and full of promise.-Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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