What do you think?
Rate this book
The Jessie Mac Series #1
Power Plays
Jessie McIntyre, 14, is new to Estevan Junior High, and she’s having trouble fitting in. By signing her up with the local girls hockey team, her parents hope to give her a fresh start and help her make new friends, but bullies can be found everywhere—including the dressing room. Power Plays, a gritty tale about the problems facing today’s teens, is sprinkled with humour, heart-pounding hockey action, life lessons, and positive female role models.
- GenresYoung AdultSports
188 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2007
1 person is currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Maureen Ulrich
14 books30 followersHaving spent 25 years in the classroom with junior and senior high school students, I love to write for teens. I have my feet firmly planted in two worlds -- the arts and sports. When I'm not writing, there's nothing I'd rather be doing than watching football, baseball, or hockey, travelling, riding my motorcycle, or going to plays. I hope you enjoy meeting my characters as much as I've enjoyed bringing them to life.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 22, 2020
Having trouble fitting into her new school after moving from Saskatoon to Estevan, Jessie McIntyre finds herself in a serious dilemma when she becomes the target of bullies, both in school and out. It is only after her mother signs her up for the local girls' ice hockey team, that Jessie finally begins to make some friends, and to develop the strength to defend herself.
An exciting, fast-paced sports-novel for young readers, Power Plays successfully addresses a number of common adolescent problems, from bullying and peer pressure, to friendship and first romance. Ulrich can be proud of this debut novel, which manages to be relevant and entertaining at the same time.
Knowing very little of ice hockey, I picked this up because it was published by the excellent Coteau Books, an independent Saskatchewan publisher whose children's catalogue tends to be excellent. I am certainly glad I did, as this was no exception. The author's thoughtful afterword on the nature of bullying, and what victims can do to protect themselves, would make this an excellent book to recommend to anyone trying to cope with the issue.
An exciting, fast-paced sports-novel for young readers, Power Plays successfully addresses a number of common adolescent problems, from bullying and peer pressure, to friendship and first romance. Ulrich can be proud of this debut novel, which manages to be relevant and entertaining at the same time.
Knowing very little of ice hockey, I picked this up because it was published by the excellent Coteau Books, an independent Saskatchewan publisher whose children's catalogue tends to be excellent. I am certainly glad I did, as this was no exception. The author's thoughtful afterword on the nature of bullying, and what victims can do to protect themselves, would make this an excellent book to recommend to anyone trying to cope with the issue.
April 30, 2022
First - where was this book when I was in highschool?
Second - you and your kids should read this book!
As someone who knows nothing about hockey I was a unsure if I would connect with this book, however Maureen does a fantastic job of weaving hockey into this book without it feeling overwhelming. I could visualize the hockey scenes which is pretty amazing when you have watched like 3 games in your entire life.
The characters are fantastic. I immediately fell in love with them. Each one had such unique personalities and I could connect them with people I knew or experienced in highschool.
There is a bullying theme throughout the book that quite honestly threw me right back into highschool days and had me feeling all the emotions while reading this book. Don't even get me started on the love triangle drama.... 😍
Overall I couldn't put this book down and am looking forward to the rest of the series. I can't wait to interview Maureen on May 31st for our writer series! I hope you will check out this series and join us!
4.5/5 ⭐
- Caval (33/75 📚)
#powerplays #jessemacseries #maureenulrich #girlshockey #estevan #skwriters
#bookgram #bookdivas #bookstagram #bookreviews #bookdivas #wastedpages
Second - you and your kids should read this book!
As someone who knows nothing about hockey I was a unsure if I would connect with this book, however Maureen does a fantastic job of weaving hockey into this book without it feeling overwhelming. I could visualize the hockey scenes which is pretty amazing when you have watched like 3 games in your entire life.
The characters are fantastic. I immediately fell in love with them. Each one had such unique personalities and I could connect them with people I knew or experienced in highschool.
There is a bullying theme throughout the book that quite honestly threw me right back into highschool days and had me feeling all the emotions while reading this book. Don't even get me started on the love triangle drama.... 😍
Overall I couldn't put this book down and am looking forward to the rest of the series. I can't wait to interview Maureen on May 31st for our writer series! I hope you will check out this series and join us!
4.5/5 ⭐
- Caval (33/75 📚)
#powerplays #jessemacseries #maureenulrich #girlshockey #estevan #skwriters
#bookgram #bookdivas #bookstagram #bookreviews #bookdivas #wastedpages
August 4, 2020
Great read, I'm not personally a hockey fan but this book was just descriptive enough to create a visual of the game in my mind as I read and was very enjoyable ! Touching on the subject of bullying was well done and I plan to have my own teenage kids read this book as well , I look forward to reading the next book in the series and would recommend to all.
February 10, 2008
A great read, about girls' hockey, and other girls' power plays, in the dressing room and beyond!
March 2, 2008
One of the best books to deal, realistically, with the trials of being a teen girl in todays volatile enviroment. Every girl ( and her Mom) should read it.
September 25, 2010
Not really my genre but it was good.
April 15, 2016
Power Plays, by Maureen Ulrich, is a lovely read. I finally got around to finishing it last evening. It's the first of a trilogy. I cared about her main character, Jessie. Small town life alienates Jessie when her dad's career forces a move from Saskatoon to Estevan. Small-town teenage shenanigans alienate her to the point where a fledgling girls' hockey team is her only outlet. Even Jessie isn't sure how her hockey debut is going to work out. The hockey team, too, is on shaky ground. The players aren't sure the team is worth the investment.
The action includes fairly realistic depictions of teen culture. There is drinking, drug use, and allusions to other teen issues. But it doesn't wallow in that culture. The descriptions of Saskatchewan hockey culture, not that I'm an expert, are spot on. It probably helped that I'd been to many of the venues the main character visits in her stories. It speaks directly to womens' sport, womens' issues, rural living, even touches lightly on gender identity.
Sport-minded readers will love the story. It would probably appeal more strongly to female readers, though the issues are a concern to both genders. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books!
The action includes fairly realistic depictions of teen culture. There is drinking, drug use, and allusions to other teen issues. But it doesn't wallow in that culture. The descriptions of Saskatchewan hockey culture, not that I'm an expert, are spot on. It probably helped that I'd been to many of the venues the main character visits in her stories. It speaks directly to womens' sport, womens' issues, rural living, even touches lightly on gender identity.
Sport-minded readers will love the story. It would probably appeal more strongly to female readers, though the issues are a concern to both genders. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books!
May 4, 2013
A very solid book. Jessie's reactions to everything difficult - the bullying, her loneliness, etc. - by covering up and pretending to be ok is very realistic. Some of the secondary characters were a little flat but at least many of them were active, strong girls - Kathy Parker was my favorite, probably because she has an immense temper and plays rough and I certainly relate to that in a sporting context. Ulrich does a great job in describing hockey plays accurately but without drawing them out too long, which is a fine balance I'm in the process of learning. I'm looking forward to the other two books in the series!
October 19, 2020
Great read! Jessie Mac is the new girl in a small town, and she finds "her team" in girls' hockey. She's a realistic 14-year-old and her small town life is rendered with a loving eye for detail. A unique perspective on the world of teen girls -- and an important topic for everyone. I had an advanced reader's copy of the book and thoroughly enjoyed it.
February 19, 2025
Review for Power Plays can be found on Hockey Blog In Canada.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews