Young Adult Genre

“Rabbit” Labelle loves football, but the tiny, rural Maine town where he lives isn't big enough to support a team. After his father moves the family to the big, bad city, Rabbit finally gets his chance to play the sport he loves the most, but he must also confront the dangers of “Lynn, Lynn, City of Sin.” Since it's 1967 and cities are torn by racial turmoil, this includes his father's greatest fear: “the Negroes.”

Rabbit, who'd been the most popular kid in Plainfield, Maine, struggles to make friends and wonders if he'll even survive. Only football can save him.

“This coming-of-age tale of a young country boy from Maine who must adapt to a new life in the city is a perfect choice for high school students of all reading abilities. The quick pace of the story keeps the reader springing after ‘Rabbit’ Labelle as he encounters all kinds of people in his new environment.

“Especially meaningful to us as a school are the book’s themes of bullying, alienation, friendship, and family, as these offer much to talk about in discussion groups.”
-- Anastasia Mower, ELA Chair, Lynn English High School

“David H. Hendrickson is one of my favorite writers.”
-- USA Today bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch

In 1968, at the height of the Civil Rights struggle, Jessie Stackhouse leaves home to break the color line at an elite, all-white prep school. He arrives filled with dreams of winning championships and eventually playing in the NHL, but soon finds that the coach doesn't want him there and neither do most of his teammates. They'll go to almost any extreme to make him leave.

Jessie must overcome not only the team in the other locker room, but the even more dangerous one in his own.

“Hendrickson’s debut novel paints a gripping account of a courageous young man rising above evil.” -- Booklist

“Cracking the Ice scores the literary equivalent of a hat-trick: funny, harrowing and finally, heartfelt. This book is a winner.” --Greg Neri, author of Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty, a 2011 Coretta Scott King Honor book

“I started reading Cracking the Ice and could not put it down. Jessie Stackhouse’s generosity, hope, and intelligence touched my heart.... Usually I go to bed early; however, I kept reading Cracking the Ice until I turned to the last page.” --Joyce Carol Thomas, National Book Award and American Book Award winner.

“A compelling, civil rights tale of a young man’s coming of age on the ice. Hendrickson personalizes history with unforgettable characters.” --Jewell Parker Rhodes, author of Ninth Ward, a 2011 Coretta Scott King Honor book

Pentucket Publishing

Fiction You Want to Read

Young Adult Genre