About this book

A nostalgic story about hockey, brothers, and the Montreal Canadiens breakout star — Maurice "Rocket" Richard!

Andre lives in Montreal and loves to play hockey. But he's always being compared to his older brother, whose game is much better than his own. Resigned to living in Marcel's shadow, Andre finds solace when he he meets another boy, who also gets razzed for not playing like his brother. Meanwhile, Canadiens fans are excitedly watching their beloved team climb to the top with the help of a new young star, Maurice Richard.

Andre's father works at the plant where Richard works during the day. One day, he comes home with tickets to the playoff series between Montreal and Toronto, one of which is on March 23, 1944 — the night Richard ends up scoring five goals and being named all three stars of the game! Andre is thrilled to be there, and is surprised when he notices the boy he played against at the rink is also at the game — and even more surprised when he learns this boy's identity and that of the older brother who keeps outshining him!

In The Rocket, Mike Leonetti brings young hockey fans to a special time and place in hockey, while telling some universal truths about brothers, competition, and a desire to make one's own mark.