Check, Please!: #Hockey, Vol. 1 by Ngozi UkazuMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I'm so glad I stumbled upon this absolutely delightful gem of a web-comic-turned-graphic-novel! Bitty is such a fun protagonist, easy to love and to cheer for. Knowing Check, Please! started as a creative escape for Ukazu and ended up as a quickly successful Kickstarter makes it even more enjoyable. We have the original (and loyal) readers of the Check, Please! webcomic to thank for this book (and the upcoming sequel)!
The story follows Bitty (Eric Bittle), a new hockey recruit at Samwell University who loves baking (pie, mostly) and shares his thoughts via vlogs to his followers. Through his vlog, we learn about the rest of the hockey team (including Bitty's crush on Jack, the team captain), Bitty's school life, and how he fares out on the ice (not well - Bitty was originally a figure skater, and got on the hockey team thanks to a scholarship and a highlight reel of his skating).
What makes this graphic work so well, besides Bitty's absolute charm, are the relationships he forms with his hockey team, and their 100% accurate and hilarious personalities. The dialogue, the nonverbal language, every interaction is authentic while also being completely over-the-top. There's a lot to notice on each page, and it's easy to see how much thought Ukazu put into developing Bitty's story.
Extras: Middle Grades Graphics, Middle Grades and Teen Graphics, More LGBTQ Reads, or View All My Reviews
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