About the Author

Maureen Ulrich was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan but grew up in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta. She started writing horse stories when she was eleven and historical fiction during her high school years. In 1976, she returned to Saskatoon to attend university and graduated in 1980 with an education degree. Her first teaching assignment was in Lampman, Saskatchewan, and she has pretty much lived there ever since. She has been writing plays for young people since 1997. Two titles - Sam Spud: Private Eye (2007) and The Banes of Darkwood (2010) are available through www.samuelfrench.com. Maureen has also written and produced several professional adult productions - Snowbirds (2015), Diamond Girls (2016-2018), and Lords of Sceptre (2018-2019). Souris Valley Theatre in Estevan SK produced her full-length musical Pirate Heart (2018), scored by the incomparable Ben Redant. In her free time - of which there is not a great deal - Maureen loves to read and write, travel, knit, hang out at rinks and ball diamonds, golf, ski, and ride her motorcycle. Please visit her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or maureenulrich.ca.

Reviews

Breakaway is more than a hockey story. It's a story of growing up and making decisions about staying in your comfort zone or challenging yourself with new opportunities. It's about listening to the little voice that tries to help you recognize the reality of situations and the extent of your fears and desires. Breakaway demonstrates that, if you go beyond playing the game of life and instead direct it to work for you (not letting fate be a scapegoat), you're more likely to be happy with the outcome, even if you don't always win. - CanadaLit for LittleCanadians Breakaway has a gritty and realistic tension which will appeal to a variety of young adult female readers. There is hockey action, interpersonal drama, and romance. Jessie Mac not only steps up to lead her team but steps up in her own life to deal with personal issues and set her future course. Like its predecessors, Breakaway has all of the attributes of a prize winner and is a 'must have' for the shelves of any classroom or library catering to readers in the intermediate young adult age group. - CM Magazine Ulrich understands the sub culture of small town hockey and how it keeps prairie communities alive and connected during the long, cold, winter months. Her many references to familiar Saskatchewan landmarks add a personal touch that make it easy for many readers to connect with the characters and locales described in the book. Breakaway is a fast moving, action packed novel that teenage girls will relate to at many different levels. The author's observations on how teens cope in today's contemporary society is refreshing and realistic.- SaskBooks