Checked

Checked by Cynthia Kadohata, 408 pages

When Conor finds out that his dog, Sinbad, has cancer, he realizes that he may have to choose between his dog and hockey.  Sinbad is his soulmate, so it really isn’t a choice, but Hockey is his life.  Luckily, although he has to cut back on some lessons for a while, he doesn’t have to quit completely.  Conor has a lot going on his mind, worry about his dog and his dad, hockey, figuring out the rest of his family, and his place in the world.  This book was really about relationships and growing up, but the hockey is a big part of that for Conor and I really enjoyed every part of the book.  Kids who like realistic fiction, sports stories, family stories, or dog stories will probably all love this book, unless they are bothered by the length.  I would highly recommend it.