SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Carey Price
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.catherinerondina.com/
CITY: Richmond Hill
STATE: ON
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME: SATA 306
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; married; husband’s name George; children: Matthew, Nella, Jude.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, teacher, and librarian. Toronto Public Library, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, member of staff, beginning 1984; former journalist. Teacher of writing at George Brown College, Toronto, beginning 2007; presenter at schools.
AVOCATIONS:Reading, gardening, bicycle riding, walking, shoveling snow.
MEMBER:International Board on Books for Young People, Writer’s Union of Canada, Canadian Children’s Book Centre, Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators & Performers (program chair, 2015-16), Professional Writer’s Association of Canada, Ontario Library Association.
AWARDS:Silver Birch Nonfiction Award and Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, both 2012, both for Don’t Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You.
WRITINGS
Contributor to educational materials published by Nelson Education. Contributor to periodicals, including Canadian Living, City Parents, Cottage Life, Good Times, Now Magazine, Toronto Star, and Toronto Sun. Work represented in anthologies.
SIDELIGHTS
A former librarian based in Canada, Catherine Rondina has written several nonfiction works for young readers, including Don’t Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You, Lighting Our World: A Year of Celebrations, and Carey Price: How a First Nations Kid Became a Superstar Goaltender. On her website, Rondina remarked that her favorite thing about working as a writer is that “it teaches you about the world and about yourself. I never say never when it comes to writing about a something I don’t know anything about. I know that by researching, I can find out what I need to know and become somewhat of a expert on the subject—if only for a little while,”
In Don’t Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You, Rondina explores the veracity of age-old nuggets of parental wisdom. “Gleefully providing ammunition for snarky readers eager to second-guess misguided beliefs and commands of grown-ups,” a writer stated in Kirkus Reviews, Rondina dispels the notion that cracking one’s knuckles will cause arthritis, discusses whether swallowed bubble gum takes seven years to digest, and debunks the idea that playing outside with wet hair can result in a child coming down with a head cold. In the words of Quill & Quire reviewer Kara Smith, “Rondina tackles her subject with matter-of-fact language that speaks directly and without pretension to her younger audience.”
Lighting Our World provides “an informative, month-by-month look at global holidays, both religious and secular,” according to a critic in Publishers Weekly. In the volume, Rondina introduces children to thirty-one international celebrations that involve fireworks, candles, bonfires, and other types of illumination. During Up Helly Aa, for instance, Scots honor their Viking heritage by constructing and then burning a wooden ship, and each June, Peruvians pay homage to the sun during Inti Raymi. Cynthia O’Brien, writing in Quill & Quire, explained that the book’s “child’s-eye view lends a friendly tone, helps to make the celebrations relevant, and encourages an appreciation for the wealth of cultures and traditions that surround us.”
A famed hockey player takes center stage in Carey Price, a biography aimed at elementary-school audiences. A goaltender for the Montreal Canadians of the National Hockey League, Price grew up in Anahim Lake, British Columbia, where he learned to skate on a frozen creek. Price’s father, who also played professional hockey, and his mother, a former chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation, made numerous sacrifices to nurture their son’s talent, and he confirmed their faith by helping Team Canada win Olympic gold in 2014. Booklist contributor Kathleen McBroom observed that Rondina “manages to convey an awful lot of information through engaging, brief chapters and breezy vocabulary.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 1, 2018, Kathleen McBroom, review of Carey Price: How a First Nations Kid Became a Superstar Goaltender, p. 102.
Canadian Review of Materials, November 23, 2012, Gillian Green, review of Lighting Our World: A Year of Celebrations.
Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2010, review of Don’t Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You; August 1, 2012, review of Lighting Our World: A Year of Celebrations; June 1, 2018, review of Carey Price: How a First Nations Kid Became a Superstar Goaltender.
Publishers Weekly, September 17, 2012, review of Lighting Our World, p. 53.
Quill & Quire, September, 2010, Kara Smith, review of Don’t Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You; September, 2012, Cynthia O’Brien, review of Lighting Our World.
Resource Links, October, 2006, Claire Hazzard, review of Lying: Deal with It Straight Up, p. 41.
School Library Journal, September, 2012, Stacy Dillon, review of Lighting Our World, p. 133.
ONLINE
Catherine Rodina website, http://www.catherinerondina.com (October 1, 2018).
Society for International Hockey Research website, https://sihrhockey.org/main.cfm/ (June 19, 2018), Greg Oliver, “The Price Is Right” (profile of Rondina).
Biography
My world has always been filled with books and words, and I have been fortunate to have worked as a writer, researcher, instructor and library assistant for most of my adult life.
From the time I was little girl I knew I wanted to be a writer. I’ve always loved writing, but reading wasn’t something I always enjoyed. In fact, when I was an elementary school student, I hated reading! I really didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I think it was because I wasn’t a very good reader. In today’s world I probably would have been labeled a reluctant reader. So, I chose to dislike it, instead of embracing it. It wasn’t until my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. D, gave me a copy of Charlotte’s Web, that I fell in love with reading! From that moment on I was hooked. E.B. White’s novel took me to a wondrous world, where a pig, a spider and a little girl could be friends. At last, I had become a reader and I’ve been reading and writing ever since.
Once I’d finished school I knew I wanted to work somewhere that I could be surrounded by books, art, and music. Somewhere with people who enjoyed the arts as much as I did. I began my career with the Toronto Public Library in 1984. It was the perfect place for a writer to work and be inspired.
Around the same time, my writing career began in the newspaper and magazine industry as a journalist. My work has appeared in numerous publications across North America. I’ve written over 2,000 columns and articles for periodicals such as Canadian Living, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, Cottage Life, City Parent, Good Times, Now Magazine and many others.
Something I discovered about myself very early on in my writing career was that I loved to find out how things worked. I wanted to know the who, what, where, when, and how of the world around me. I began to do research work for educational publishers. Before long, I was being asked to write short stories and articles for educational anthologies. Soon, I was writing for children from grade 2 to grade 12! I wrote about all kinds of subjects, from the world’s best roller-coasters, to how to handle your parents divorce, to crime solving. It was great fun and I learned a lot. That’s the wonderful thing about writing: it teaches you about the world and about yourself. I never say never when it comes to writing about a something I don’t know anything about. I know that by researching, I can find out what I need to know and become somewhat of a expert on the subject – if only for a little while. It’s great to learn right along with your readers!
During this time I kept developing my own ideas for books I’d like to write one day. Eventually, I published my first book for adults in 1996 and soon found my niche in the children’s trade market. My first children’s book was published in 2004. Today I have 10 titles to my credit and my work has been translated into 5 different languages.
In addition to my writing, I teach an adult writing course, “Creating Non-fiction for Children”, at George Brown College in Toronto. I also keep a very busy author visit schedule throughout the year. My visits take me across Canada, to audiences in classrooms from elementary to high school age.
My home, where I do most of my writing, is in Richmond Hill, Ontario. I live there with my husband and our three children, along with numerous pets including a Jack Russell terrier named Dorothy, two African frogs called Bauer and Easton, and a cat named Einstein.
The Price is right
Posted June 19, 2018
Viewed 458 times
Carey Price: How a First Nations kid became a superstar goaltender
There is no question that Carey Price is one of the top five goaltenders currently in the world. He’s celebrated in Montreal and abroad for his amazing saves and calm under pressure. It’s fitting that there is finally a book on him: Carey Price: How a First Nations kid became a superstar goaltender.
It’s aimed at middle-grade readers, ages 12+, and has a decidedly different approach to telling his remarkable story. For one, author Catherine Rondina chose to really spotlight Price’s Indigenous background.
“Most Canadians don’t seem to be aware of his First Nations heritage,” said Rondina in an email. “It was the key aspect of his story that I wanted to cover from the initial proposal I submitted. I knew that his story and his support of Indigenous kids, like him, were the hallmark of his story. I not sure why his incredible professional hockey career didn’t profile that aspect more, but I’m certainly happy that our book is putting it in the forefront for kids.”
The pocketbook from Lorimer’s RecordBooks series crams a lot into its 150 pages, from Price’s early days in the remote Anahim Lake, B.C., to leading Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. The RecordBooks series has plenty of other hockey books, including profiles of players (Bobby Clarke, Willie O’Ree, Jarome Iginla, Jordin Tootoo, Lionel Conacher), historical in nature (Winnipeg Falcons, Kenora Thistles, Summit Series), and nationalistic (Paralympic Gold medal hockey in 2006, Canadian women Olympic gold in 2002).
Rondina met the children’s editor at Lorimer, Kat Mototsune, at an event and she was encouraged to pitch an idea. It helped that Rondina and Mototsune had worked together previously in the educational market.
“The series is a wonderful avenue for reluctant readers and I’ve done a lot of writing for that market,” said Rondina. “The idea of getting young boys to read, especially during the crucial years, 9-12, when they seem to fall away from reading, is an important aspect of my writing career.”
With an impressive resume full of awarding-winning books, like 2009’s Don't Touch That Toad and Other Strange Things Adults Tell You and The 10 Worst Things About the Internet, it’s worth noting that this is Rondina's first hockey book, and second sporting one. “Funny enough, the first book I had published, after years as a magazine and newspaper writer, was a book for adults about baseball. Ladies Day - One Woman’s Guide to Pro Baseball, which was co-authored with Joseph Romain. My Dad was big baseball fan so it seemed like a good fit,” she said. Up next for Rondina? Another RecordBooks entry, on NHL defenceman and philanthropic hero P.K. Subban.
A Toronto native, Rondina and her husband, George, raised three athletic kids, including two boys who were goalies. “I think it’s the toughest position in sport. My youngest son Jude is still playing, so my husband and I spend five to six days a week in arenas, watching games, practices or goalie training,” she said. “All my children grew up playing sports with the boys excelling in hockey and my daughter playing well into her university years.”
When not working on a book, Rondina is surrounded by them, as she has worked at Toronto Public Library, in various positions, for more than 30 years. She has taught the course, Creating Non-Fiction for Children, at George Brown College in Toronto since 2007. You’ll also see her name associated with the Canadian writing community and currently serves as the Programming Chair for The Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP).
All the credits to her name though didn't get her the key interview she wanted for her book—Carey Price himself. “I approached his agent, the Montreal Canadiens, his father and mother and even reached out to his maternal grandmother. But to no avail,” she recalled. “I didn’t let that discourage me from finding out all I could about Carey. In a great stroke of lucky I connected with Carey’s old school secretary and the current principal of his elementary school. They provide to be incredible resources for me. I’m indebted to them both. They and the culture teacher from Anahim Lake School loved the book, and critiqued it for me before it went to final revisions.” A trip to Anahim Lake is in Rondina's plans for next school year.
Wish lists don’t always come true. “I would have loved to talk with his immediate family. His father was such an integral part of Carey’s hockey life, his mother’s unique family history gave him a strong sense of who he is as a person and he had a very close relationship with his grandmother on his mother’s side. Of course any one for the Canadiens would have been a bonus! But I do feel all the excellent sports reporting in North America gave me lots of insight to who Carey is on and off the ice.”
Indeed, it’s not like Price has been a hermit, unavailable for interviews from an eager media. Rondina dove into the research with enthusiasm. “I like to dig for information. I want to feel that my readers are finding out all there is to know about the subject I’m writing about. I read all I can get my hands on. I watch interviews, listen to podcasts and read, read, read. I love to talk to people first hand, if I can,” she said. “I think hearing someone tell their story or talk about a subject that they are passionate about is the best part of relying information. It goes back to old fashioned oral history being passed along. I think everyone has a story to tell and I want to help tell all the stories I can.” Other help came from the the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, where Price played junior hockey, and the Williams Lake Minor Hockey Association.
Rondina thinks there will be a proper English-language biography, or autobiography, on Price down the road (Jean-François Chaumont's Raconte-moi Carey Price came out in 2015). “Carey’s story is a great Canadian hockey story. Beyond that it’s a fascinating look at following your dreams and believing in yourself—and in the end encouraging others to do the same,” she said. “I did, of course, leave out things that weren’t appropriate for the age level I’ll leave that to the biographer who writes the adult version.”
1. Catherine Rondina with a student from St. Gabriel Catholic School in Toronto, during an author visit in June 2018
Catherine Rondina with a student from St. Gabriel Catholic School in Toronto, during an author visit in June 2018
BOOK NEWS
The prolific Kevin Shea shared news of his new project: “Very proud to announce the publishing of my 17th hockey book, The Hall. The beautiful coffee table book chronicles the 75/25 anniversary of the Hockey Hall of Fame: 75 years since its inception and 25 years since moving into its current home at the corner of Yonge and Front Streets in Toronto. This is the second of three titles that are part of The Hall's National Treasure Series www.nationaltreasureseries.com. This book will be a premium for attendees at a very special gala at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday, June 25, and will be available more widely in September.
The Hall Book
Two hockey-specific books, and one with hockey in it, are coming out this fall from ECW Press: Cap in Hand: How Salary Caps are Killing Pro Sports and Why the Free Market Could Save Them by Bruce Dowbiggin will no doubt cover the NHL, as well as the other major sports;
Home Ice: Reflections of a Reluctant Hockey Mom sounds intriguing from Angie Abdou; and for the more numbers-minded comes Stat Shot: A Fan's Guide to Hockey Analytics, written by Rob Vollman.
Rondina, Catherine: CAREY PRICE
Kirkus Reviews. (June 1, 2018):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Rondina, Catherine CAREY PRICE Lorimer Press (Young Adult Informational) $8.99 8, 1 ISBN: 978-1-4594-1276-7
While playing hockey on backyard rinks in Anahim Lake, British Columbia, as a boy, Carey Price (Ulkatcho and Nuxalk) was readying himself to become a champion NHL player.
It was Carey's father, Jerry, once drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers himself, who sacrificed so that his son could play. Drives to practice took three hours each way, and as Carey improved, Jerry purchased a small plane to cut down on the transportation time. Between the ages of 9 and 15, Carey played on a Minor Hockey Association team, leading them to a provincial championship. By age 15, he had been drafted by the Tri-City Americans of Kennewick, Washington. This meant Carey had to leave home and stay with a host family. By age 20, he was playing for the NHL. Though he went through several years of injuries, Carey's tenacity always seemed to catapult him back into record-setting play, including a gold medal win for the Canadian team at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Carey Price is the story--enhanced by black-and-white photos and text boxes with hockey-related anecdotes and information--of a First Nations kid who continually pushed through obstacles to become the best hockey player he could be. Deeply rooted in his Indigenous heritage and devoted to First Nations youth, Carey now supports many community endeavors.
An inspiring story, especially for hockey fans--and not just for reluctant teen readers. (glossary, career highlights, index) (Biography. 12-18)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Rondina, Catherine: CAREY PRICE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A540723392/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=15489554. Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A540723392