Book Reviews and More: Cup Crazy - Gordon Korman

Cup Crazy

Slapshots Book 4

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9780590706308

ISBN 0590706306

This was the 88th book I have read from Gordon Korman’s masterful. I did not read much when young because of a dual form of dyslexia, because of that I have a great fondness for Middle Grade books, and books for tween and teens. Korman is one of the all-time masters. I set the goal of reading all his books about 2020. And with the reading of this I have read books in all his series, and all of the standalone stories. I really got into Korman’s books when my son’s teacher gave everyone a book with a note in it at the ends of the school year, Restart, in 2019. Since then my son and I have read many of his books together.

I believe that as of the summer of 2025 Korman has published 109 books, not counting omnibus editions. One of which came out in the summer of 2025 and one is scheduled for release early next year. As of the reading of this volume I am down to 21 unread books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged. They are good, clean reads. Great to read to younger children, or have older children read to you. In our house they have been enjoyed all the way up to my 87 year old Mother-in-law, who listed to one being read on a family road trip.

This book and series was released in 2000, they were rebranded and French editions were released in 2006/07. The description on line of this volume states:

“Korman and hockey ― two of Canada's favourites make for one hilarious comedy series!

When Happer Feldman ― one of the slimiest kids in the Waterloo Slapshot League ― predicts that the Mars team will never touch the league trophy cup, everything starts to go wrong for the Stars. The league president enforces a rule banning Alexia, the team's captain, from playing. To replace her, league officials dump the slowest, smallest, least experienced wanna-be in the entire league on the Stars just days before the playoffs.

With their Cinderella-story season already facing overwhelming odds, is there any way the Stars can pull together and win even their first play-off game? They'd sure better hope so, or the Mars team will probably be sunk without a trace!”

The description on the back of the rebranded edition states:

“Prophecies and predictions mean nothing to a sports reporter like Chipmunk Adelman. No way could Harper Feldman – one of the slimiest kids in the Waterloo Slapshot League – know that “the stars will never touch the league cup.”

Get Real.

But why are things suddenly going all wrong for the Mars team? The league president just enforced some silly rule banning Alexia, the Stars’ captain, from playing. And with their best winger off the ioce, the Martians don’t have much of a chance at the number one spot.

Is the team really destined to go trophy-less? Or can they skate their way to a better fate? In the biggest game of the season, it’s more than a league title the Martians are fighting for … it’s their destiny!”

The about the author in this edition states:

““"I've always been a sports nut/' says Gordon Korman. "And growing up in Montreal and Toronto, hockey was the biggest game in town. My mother insists that I was named after Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe, who was her favorite player when she was a teenager."

Gordon Korman has written more than twenty books for middle-grade and young adult readers, among them Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire; The Chicken Doesn't Skate; Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road?; The Toilet Paper Tigers; and seven books in the popular Bruno and Boots series, all published by Scholastic. He lives with his wife and son in Long Island, New York.”

It has been interesting reading the older sports themed series by Korman. They are real;y fun reads, and I am surprised they are out of print, and that there have never been eBook editions released. And this book and series were read in Waterloo, Ontario, but we do not have a Mars across a canal. One passage really struck me when reading this volume:

“The room was crowded with players, parents, and league officials. A buzz arose when Boom Boom led us inside.

There were a number of reasons for this. For starters, our coach wasn't the handsomest guy in town. I know beauty is only skin deep. But Boom Boom resembled a six-foot praying mantis, complete with bulging eyes and bent-over posture. He was totally bald in front, but the back of his head sported a bushy ponytail that stood straight out when he got excited.”

This is another fun story about kid’s hockey, and specifically a small community just outside town that gets their own team. It is the conclusion to a wonderful series. About the conflict between the players from the small town and the rest of league based in Waterloo. The team faces new trials, and all the way up to the league president it seems like they are out to do everything the can to prevent the Stars from Mars from winning the cup. The story is written as if narrated by a fellow classmate that wants to be a sports reporter. In this one the reporter pushes his luck one to many times. He even pushes so hard that he is kicked from the bench. How can a reporter get benched and sent to the locker room. To find out read this fascinating conclusion to this Cinderella story.

I really believe it is a great pity this book and series are out of print! I really enjoyed this volume and the whole series about the Stars from Mars. A great read in a really fun series.