The Third Period Comeback by E.K. Johnston

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The Third Period Comeback

Name: The Third Period Comeback
Price: 17.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: E.K. Johnston
ISBN: 9798217110421

Hardcover $17.99

Published on Aug 11, 2026 | 176 Pages

Buy from Other Retailers:

$17.99

Published on Aug 11, 2026 | 176 Pages

Buy from Other Retailers:

New York Times bestseller E. K. Johnston’s middle-grade debut is an utterly charming, witty, and gloriously inclusive magic-tinged caper in the Canadian wilderness.

Hayley Rilko was born to play hockey—and cursed to ruin whatever team she plays for. As long as she’s still a kid, the curse’s magic doesn’t stick, but everyone knows her time is running out. The two things Hayley has on her side are her family–four generations of it, all carrying the same curse she does–and one last summer vacation in the Ontario Northwoods, where her great grandfather disappeared and the curse began.

As the clock runs down and the magical mysteries pile up, Hayley realizes that just following the evidence isn’t going to be enough. She’s going to have to talk to someone who has the information she needs—even if it means raising the dead. With her cousins on her team, Hayley sets out to do what no one else has been able to: find her great grandfather’s body and break the curse, no matter what it takes.

“A thrilling mystery, a decades-long curse, and the delightful magic of hockey!”—Ngozi Ukazu, New York Times bestselling author of Check, Please!

“The Third Period comeback is a perfect coming-of-age blend of spooky and sports. With wit and charm, E.K. Johnston brings us a starting lineup of delightful characters and page-turning stakes—and skates. It’s so good that even lifelong hockey nuts like myself will almost want to root for the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Almost.)—Mike Chen, New York Times bestselling author of Of Sorcery and Science and former NHL journalist.

“I loved the humor, the honesty, and of course the mystery and the magic. E.K. Johnston is so skilled at creating likeable characters and supportive friendships, and it was a pleasure to get to know this group of curse-breaking cousins on vacation together in northern Ontario.”—Robin Stevenson, Stonewall Honor winning author of The Book of Jupiter

“The sports story hockey girls are waiting for: period drama, curses, and the enduring closeness of extended family.”—SLJ

“Snappy dialogue moves the narrative along at a fast clip…. A witty and fun tale.”—Kirkus

“A jovial, boisterous family story.”—Publishers Weekly

ISBN9798217110421

Published onAug 11, 2026

Published byDutton Books for Young Readers

Pages176

Dimensions5-1/2 x 8-1/4

Age Range10 and up

GradeGrade 5 & Up

Reading LevelFountas/Pinnell: Y

Author

E.K. Johnston

E.K. JOHNSTON is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several YA novels, including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist The Story of Owen and Star Wars: Ahsoka. Her novel A Thousand Nights was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award. The New York Times called The Story of Owen “a clever first step in the career of a novelist who, like her troubadour heroine, has many more songs to sing” and in its review of Exit, Pursued by a Bear, the Globe & Mail called Johnston “the Meryl Streep of YA,” with “limitless range.” E.K. Johnston lives in southwestern Ontario.

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