James C Pirrello

Hurricane James C Pirrello

School, sports, trouble... 12 year old Lana McKay is juggling and struggling. She is a bright 6th grader who plays hockey with the boys on the Maryville Bobcats Peewee team. She also has to deal with issues in school. Deedee and Michelle are her best friends. The boys on her team are fine with having a girl on the team but don't socialize with her much. Yet they value her excellent hockey skills. Suddenly she faces an unfamiliar role on the team. Lana is often misunderstood. She's pleasant but insecure and sometimes makes poor decisions. Her hockey coach Mr. Kirkham says "you never know which Lana is going to show up." Lana struggles in school, but doesn't make excuses. She has to learn who to turn to when the going gets rough. Her parents are supportive but their patience is wearing thin. They feel that hockey is a good thing for her but they will not tolerate low grades in school. It is the fall semester at Maryville Middle School. Lana brought home a poor report card. The hockey season is just starting to heat up. Hockey means more than anything to Lana, but if the next report card is not better she is told she will have to stop playing. Now, she must tackle these challenges and learn to use the support of family, friends and adults that care about her. This is the story of Hurricane.