Busted by Jean Mills

Sport Fiction anyone? Today's read heads into the realm of hockey and comes from a row of books aimed at weaker readers. Not everyone has confident word skills, and the Orca Anchor books try to fill the gab for older readers, who need a little more depth to their reads but are overwhelmed by full fledged novels and more difficult levels.

This one caught my attention because of the hockey twist. I went to a hockey college, was a member of the Bleacher Creatures, and still remember the atmosphere that filled the rink. I'm betting readers will enjoy hitting the ice, too. So, I'm taking a peek.

BUSTED

by Jean Mills

Orca Anchor

Middle Grade Sports Fiction

96 pages

ages 12 and up

COMING...

FEBRUARY 17th, 2026!!!

Jonah knows the culture in the hockey dressing room needs to change.

Play fights after practice are one thing, but when Jonah sees a player get seriously hurt and accidentally films the fight, he's put in a tough position. While he’s thinking about how to handle it, his sister finds the video on his phone and sends it to Drake, the team’s most volatile player, and the one who enjoys the locker room fights the most. Now Jonah is panicking. What happens if the coach or the players’ parents see the video and recognize anyone? Will it jeopardize the team’s participation in a big inter-city tournament coming up next month? Plus, Drake is furious and is threatening to punish the person who filmed the fight.

As the team continues to practice and play, everyone feels the tension, on and off the ice.
This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!

GOODREADS     /    PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Hockey and team dynamics come to life in this engaging, yet quick read.

Jonah is the DJ on the hockey team, which means that whenever they're done with practice or a game, he's in charge of the playlist in the locker room. Sometimes, the guys' emotions run high and can turn into light, pushing fun. Although rough-housing in the locker room isn't allowed, Coach isn't always watching like he should be. When two teammates want to blow off steam with a few punches, Jonah wants to take a pre-picture but ends up accidentally filming the entire encounter instead. Considering one of the two players ends up in the hospital with broken ribs, this could mean trouble, especially since the other player would do anything to make sure he's not tossed from the team. When it's discovered Jonah has the incident on video, the threats begin.

Hockey and even fans of other team sports are sure to enjoy this read because while it centers around a hockey team, it steers more in the team dynamics direction than the game itself. I could easily see baseball players, football teams, and the like slide right into the same predicaments these hockey characters face. That said, this book centers around the problem of being true to the team and steering situations, which might demand outside attention. Plus, this hits the issue of modern social media usage and the damage posted videos can cause. So, there are some very timely and important messages in these pages.

The read flows quickly and keeps the pacing going throughout. The words are in slightly larger print and nicely spaced to provide easy reading conditions. The sentences are kept short and the word choice also stays, mostly, at a lower level to help readers along. The entire thing, though, never comes across as talking down to the audience and works well for the intended reading level...which I'm not quite sure what that is. I say that because it's sold on sites as a YA novel, but in the description, the middle grade audience is mentioned. Not that this matters, since both levels work fine with the topic and material.

It's no problem to sink into the situation and the characters. Jonah's problem is one that many people can identify with, and his uncertainty of how to deal with it is understandable. The interactions between the characters comes across naturally and even the sibling moments hit a familiar tone. I was confused about the resolution, however, since the problem didn't really seem to be resolved and nothing was truly addressed. But it's still an interesting read and is sure to be enjoyed by sport fans...and especially those who aren't reading fans.