TBC: Stand Out

I don't make resolutions for the new calendar year because I generally find that people simply revert back to their old ways. If something has to be changed, I tend to just change it. In saying that, I am aiming to read more books this year as I want to get back into that routine. Some of these books will be for older readers, but others, like our book today, will be for younger readers as Teebz's Book Club is proud to review Stand Out: The True Story of Hockey Hero Ajay Baines, written by Ajay Baines and Sean Campbell, illustrated by Lana Lee, and published by Sean Campbell. This is the story of a young man finding out he has a life-altering disease, but finding a way to not only live with this disease, but thrive with it while playing hockey! This is the story of Ajay Baines, a hockey player diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes, who went on to play in the WHL, ECHL and AHL during his illustrious career!

Ajay Baines is a former professional hockey player who scored the Calder Cup-winning goal for the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs in 2007 in Game Five between the Bulldogs and the Hershey Bears. Among some of his other highlights during his career, Baines skated in 282 WHL games with the Kamloops Blazers where he was captain in his final three seasons and a WHL West Second All-Star Team in 1999, scored 55 points in 67 ECHL games with Greenville Grrrowl, and scored 253 points in 647 AHL games where he was the captain of the Norfolk Admirals, the Hamilton Bulldogs, and the Iowa Chops over nine season. Today, the retired diabetic hockey star is a realtor in Kamloops, British Columbia where he lives with his family.

Sean Campbell is a long-time friend of Ajay Baines, and he writes children's books! Among the titles that Sean has written are stories such as Arm Tale and Shoe Fly, and he's always looking for his next great story! His self-written biography reads, "Sean Campbell is a writer, publisher, speaker, and travel fanatic. He loves seeing stories and ideas come to life and working with all the amazing people in the publishing industry." Sean attended Simon Fraser University's Master of Publishing program before moving to Vancouver where he writes, hits the slopes, and lives with his family.

While most people write an autobiography or have a biography written about one's self, it should be noted that Ajay Baines never really wanted something like that done for his hockey career. While he was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes at the age of 16 prior which made him wonder about his hockey future, it was long-time friend Sean Campbell who convinced Baines that a book about his life and managing diabetes as an athlete would be better suited for children!

"We were both fathers at the time, and... it's a completely different perspective," Baines said on CBC's Daybreak Kamloops. "The more he talked about it, and read parts of the book to me, I was like, 'That sounds really cool, and let's do it.'"

Campbell got to work with illustrator Lana Lee, and the end result was a fun book that speaks about Baines childhood, his diagnosis, and finding success with the WHL's Kamloops Blazers and the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs. The story is written in coupled rhyme - the last word in every second line rhymes - which makes it easy to read, but the story doesn't get lost in the rhymes and Lee's illustrations bring the story to life! I wasn't fully aware of Baines' career prior to reading Stand Out, but I'm glad Stand Out prompted me to look up his career a little more!

There won't be any lines from Stand Out posted here due to its 25-page length, but this is a great book for children who might feel like an affliction affecting them may limit their potential. Ajay Baines proved that a medical condition can be managed successfully while playing at an elite level in hockey, and that any dreams he had before being diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes were just as achievable after learning to successfully manage his affliction.

Overall, Stand Out is a fun read thanks to the rhyming, and the story demonstrates perserverance, dedication, and hard work in the face of an unexpected twist of fate. While there isn't any in-depth exploration of Type-1 diabetes, there are enough moments highlighted in the story by Baines and Campbell that should get younger readers asking questions. Generating that curiosity will lead to normalizing any sort of stigma surrounding diabetes, and I feel that Baines and Campbell did a great job in creating those opportunities. Beautifully illustrated by Lana Lee, the underlying messages of following one's dreams and managing an unexpected change certainly allows Stand Out to be worthy of the Teebz's Book Club Seal of Approval!

I don't know if Stand Out has hit local libraries or bookstores near you, but make sure you inquire with your local book repository. If you'd like to acquire a copy, Barns & Noble has books in stock for your young hockey fan. And it shouldn't be a surprise, but Stand Out is suitable for all ages at all reading levels, so get yourself a copy of Stand Out online or at a local bookstore near you!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!