Iceman

The other guys on Eric's hockey team call him the Iceman, because he's a heartless player, cold as ice. Only Eric knows the truth -- he's not cold, he's on fire, burning with a need he just can't explain. Least of all to his fanily -- not to his dad, whose only joy in life id watching Eric smash other hockey players to a pulp. Or his mom, who starts every conversation with "Your problem is..." Or even his brother, Duane, once a star athlete, now a star slacker.

Can Eric find a way to make them understand how he feels -- before the fire inside consumes him completely?

"At 14, Eric still loves his parents, but knows they are incapable of giving him the warmth and honest emotion he seeks. He slams out his anger and suffering in the hockey rink, where he's the Iceman, 'the animal,' so out of control even his own teammates shun him. Only time spent at the local mortuary—with the taciturn recluse who works there—gives him some measure of comfort. . . . Much better than the usual sports novel . . . a thought provoking book guaranteed to compel and touch a teenage audience."—BL. "Eric's narrative voice is clear and distinctive. . . . Iceman will leave readers smiling and feeling good." —SLJ.

1995 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1995 Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (ALA)
1995 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
Books for Youth Editors' Choices 1994 (BL)
English Journal Young Adult Literature 1994 Honor List