The book Wingman on Ice, written by Matt Christopher, describes a wonderful world of sport. The setting of the story takes place at Tods home, at his school, and on a skating rink, where the hockey games between the junior teams are hold.
The main character of the book is Tod Baker. He is a young hockey player, but he is far from showing a perfect playing. He is eager to improve his playing abilities. Buck Fillis is a coach of the hockey team in which Tod plays. He is a true enthusiast of his business. He tries to do his best in order to impart all his experience to his pupils and to promote love for the sport in their hearts. Tod also has many friends; Skip, and Jane are among them.
The conflict of the story lies in the contradiction between Tods enthusiasm for the sport and his practical skills in hockey playing. Having received on Christmas Day a beautiful ice hockey stick as a present from his parents, Tod decides that this perfect stick deserves perfect playing.
The resolution of the conflict takes place during the final game of the hockey season in which Tods team wins the championship. In this game, Tod uses his stick presented by his parents and shows beautiful playing.
The main themes of the story are self-belief and practice that makes perfect. From the very beginning, Tod believes that this ice hockey stick will help him in his playing, but he does not realize the fact that it is not the tool, but a player who makes a game.
From the very beginning of the story, Tod is not good at hockey, but in a process of training, he becomes a good player. The ice hockey stick serves for Tod as an additional mean of motivation. Tod decides that only a skilled player has a right to use it and he does his best in order to become such a good sportsman. As well as many other books of this author, Wingman on Ice by Matt Christopher encourages love for sport and promotes healthy lifestyle. On the example of Tod we can see how due to his sport activity he becomes a reliable and strong person.