On the surface, this book appears to be about girls hockey and the competitive spirit that fuels the sport. But Face Off digs much deeper and examines current issues that influence teens today. (SaskBooks)

Ulrich gives young readers a superb novel with something to pique every interest. Undercurrents of sex and alcohol run through the book along with adolescents learning both about themselves and about their relationships with their peers. Teenage girls will enjoy the sports action of the novel as well as the personal intrigues and will quite likely meet themselves or their friends in its pages. (CM Magazine)

The hockey plot is compelling throughout, and we never get any of those irritating, unrealistic dream-come-true moments so common in sports-dramas, both on the page and on the screen. The team works hard for some very satisfying moments, and they swallow their disappointments, not always with good grace. (Catherine Egan, author of Julia Vanishes)

So much can be weighed on one wrong moment. While everything seems to go the young hockey player's way in most aspects, she soon finds that one wrong move can shatter her pristine life. Face Off is a charming tale that will relate with many teens. (Midwest Book Review)

Teen girls who enjoy hockey will like this book. The author includes many other themes of interest to middle teens: teenage problems with alcohol, including binge drinking; self-mutilation (cutting); internet and school bullying; overcontrolling parents; teen violence; and having a parent who is gay. (Prairie Fire Review)

This well-paced and detailed book appeals to the reluctant reader. Canadian venues and language make this book appropriate for newer Canadians as well as solid pleasure reading. The author's straightforward character development and theme exploration would support a fun novel study. (Resources Links Review)