Eric “Bitty” Bittle doesn’t quite seem like your typical college hockey player—he’s really short, he’s a former figure skater, and he can bake like no one’s business. But typical or not, he’s landed a place on Samwell University’s hockey team.
Bitty is using his popular vlog to chronicle his adventures in college—endless practices, the hockey bros who become his best friends, and all of the amazing treats he bakes. Oh, and the fact that he tends to faint when he’s about to get checked, which in hockey is kind of an issue. (One of his teammates is convinced they can make a play out of it, but the coaches don't seem to listen.)
He also talks about the team captain, Jack Zimmermann, son of a Canadian hockey legend. Jack is serious about hockey—sometimes to the point of being mean—but his teammates all worship him, none more than Bitty, who probably feels even a little stronger for him. Jack certainly feels the pressure of living up to a legendary father and figuring out what professional team he should play on after he graduates.
Coming from Georgia, Bitty found it difficult to be himself. But in college he’s going to live life on his own terms, and hopes his teammates and friends will accept that. (Lord knows they love Bitty’s baking!)
Check, Please! is honestly one of the best graphic novels I’ve read, both in plot and quality of illustration. (It's interesting: at first glance I thought this was going to be a more juvenile-oriented book but it's definitely not, and the artwork is much more complex than first meets the eye.) Ngozi Ukazu gave this book so much authenticity and so much heart—it really is a story about hockey, bros, baking, and self-acceptance. Can you beat that?
Book 2 comes out in April and I can’t wait. This is just so sweet and funny and heartwarming. Another book I'm grateful has found its way into the hands of the younger generation.
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