Sports Books

Maniac Magee

Jerry Spinelli

List Price: $15.95 By: Pharaoh Audiobooks Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $14.87

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Classics by Age -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Social Issues -> Prejudice & Racism -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 715 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Maniac Magee 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

As with any book, there are people that LOVE this book and people who hate this book. Teachers are often critized for assigning books because they are on "some list" instead of assigning books students will actually read. I am a teacher. Let me assure you, that at least in my case, I did not choose to assign this book becuase it was on a list or it won an award. In fact I read this book after a student suggested I read it [I have a section where students can recommend books to other]. After reading the book, noticing it's content and genre I started asking around. I found that many 5th and 6th graders liked this book. This is what started our teachers to consider this book as assigned reading - not because it ended up on a list.

Critiques made by others:

1. Confusion

Some students have difficulty undertanding parts of the book. The book is very detailed which has different effects on different students. Some get confused and bored because of the details while others like the details because it helps them understand where Maniac is coming from. I start this book off talking about Tall tales and exaggeration. Then we read the intro which reads like a Tall-tale : "Some say...". This clear some of the confusion.

2. Language

I am VERY cautious of language. I get very frustrated when authors (be it books or screen plays) add in language. I think it takes more craft to allude to language without actually using it. I have read many reviews concerned with the language. I do not feel that this is a concern in this book. The book does mention trash-talking. And although there are some examples (very mild by any standard), the majority was alluded to ("they cursed" or "trash-talking" instead of using the actual words].

3. Racism

I noticed that a few people critized the author for making very racist statements when he described the different colors of black and white people. I think that these people read too much into this. I have friends of many different colors, countries, and cultures. We have had MANY discussions talking about our true colors. We laughed at the terms black and white, because they truly do not describe us.

Also, I know there is concern that the town is racist. Unfortunately, there are still places like this in the U.S. I have found that this has started some really good discussions in the classroom.

Editorial Review:

When 12-year-old Jeffrey Lionel Magee wanders into Two Mills, Pennsylvania, alegend is in the making. 2 cassettes.

The Power of One (Young Readersý Condensed Edition)

Bryce Courtenay

Amazon Price: $17.99 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 1 to 3 weeks By: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $10.95

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> History & Historical Fiction -> Fiction -> Africa
Subjects -> Children's Books -> History & Historical Fiction -> Fiction -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> History & Historical Fiction -> United States -> Fiction -> 1900s

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 369 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I Usually Don't Write Reviews ... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

However, this book is WELL worth every minute it may take you read it. I've had the book for several months and finally opened it last week.

After reading "The Power of One", if you don't laugh, cry, tremble, smile, hit something, or hug something, you are inhuman. This is by far one of the most heartwarming and heartwrenchingly beautiful books I have ever read.

By the way, if you are thinking about getting the movie after reading this book, this is what the movie description says:

"The Power of One is an intriguing story of a young English boy named P.K. and his passion for changing the world. Growing up he suffered as the only English boy in an Afrikaans school. Soon orphaned, he was placed in the care of a German national named Professor von Vollensteen (a.k.a. "Doc"), a friend of his grandfather. Doc develops P.K.'s piano talent and P.K. becomes "assistant gardener" in Doc's cactus garden. It is not long after WWII begins that Doc is placed in prison for failure to register with the English government as a foreigner. P.K. makes frequent visits and meets Geel Piet, an inmate, who teaches him to box. Geel Piet spreads the myth of the Rainmaker, the one who brings peace to all of the tribes. P.K. is cast in the light of this myth. After the war P.K. attends an English private school where he continues to box. He meets a young girl, Maria, with whom he falls in love. Her father, Professor Daniel Marais, is a leader of the Nationalist Party of South Africa. The two fight to teach the natives English as P.K.'s popularity grows via the myth. Maria is killed. P.K. looses focus until he sees the success of his language school among the tribes. He and Guideon Duma continue the work in hopes of building a better future for Africa."

WHAT?!? P.K? Orphaned? The Rainmaker? Where is the Judge? Or Grandpa Chook? Where is the Crystal Cave? Where is Morrie? Where are the mines? Where is the dream of "Welterweight Champion of the World", not to mention Hoppie?

I suppose you can't blame Hollywood for making such a botchery of a book like this. There is no possible way it could EVER be felt on screen the way it is with words. However, it is unforgivable that PEEKAY (Not P.K.) was not known as the Tadpole Angel.

I suppose that if you've never read the book, the movie would be standard Hollywood fluff, with all the political, cutsie, hero-that-changes-the-world, love story type stuff that people seem to go for.

Which is also the reason I prefer to read and this is one book I will read again and again and again.

Editorial Review:

In 1939, hatred took root in South Africa, where the seeds of apartheid were newly sown. There a boy called Peekay was born. He spoke the wrong language–English. He was nursed by a woman of the wrong color–black. His childhood was marked by humiliation and abandonment. Yet he vowed to survive–he would become welterweight champion of the world, he would dream heroic dreams.
But his dreams were nothing compared to what awaited him. For he embarked on an epic journey, where he would learn the power of words, the power to transform lives, and the mystical power that would sustain him even when it appeared that villainy would rule the world: The Power of One.


From the Hardcover edition.

Heat

Mike Lupica

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Puffin Amazon Marketplace: 93 new & used starting at $2.64

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Family Life -> Orphans & Foster Homes
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Multicultural Stories -> Hispanic & Latino
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Sports -> Baseball -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 68 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An Awesome Baseball Book! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Heat is one of the most enjoyable, interesting books I've ever read. Michael, a typical boy with a great right arm is the main character. He lives with his brother Carlos. His dad is supposedly caring for a sick relitive in Florida. Michael faces hardships and problems, but keeps himself going with friends and Carlos.
Baseball helps Michael with his life problems as well. It makes him feel ike all of his problems can disappear. But things in Michael's life aren't always so picture-perfect.
One boy in Michaels baseball league thinks Michael is too old for little league baseball. He is jealous of Michael because is right arm is so powerful. He and his father(the coach of his son's little league team) demand a birth certificate for Michael's ability to play. Michael was born in Cuba so he has a very hard time trying to find his birth certificate.
Michael has a best friend named Manny. I think he is te perfect so called "side-kick" for Michael. He is funny and keeps Michael's spirit up through out the book. Over all I give Heat five stars!
Gretchen - Grade 5

Editorial Review:

Michael Arroyo has a pitching arm that throws serious heat. But his firepower is nothing compared to the heat Michael faces in his day-to-day life. Newly orphaned after his father led the family’s escape from Cuba, Michael’s only family is his seventeen-yearold brother Carlos. If Social Services hears of their situation, they will be separated in the foster-care system—or worse, sent back to Cuba. Together, the boys carry on alone, dodging bills and anyone who asks too many questions. But then someone wonders how a twelve-year-old boy could possibly throw with as much power as Michael Arroyo throws. With no way to prove his age, no birth certificate, and no parent to fight for his cause, Michael’s secret world is blown wide open, and he discovers that family can come from the most unexpected sources.

Go Long! (Kickoff)

Ronde Barber, Tiki Barber

Amazon Price: $10.87 List Price: $15.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $9.19

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Family Life -> Siblings -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Sports -> Football -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

It's Tiki and Ronde's second year on their junior high school football team, the Hidden Valley Eagles. The eighth-grade season is here, and the boys have come together as a team. Now key starters, Tiki and Ronde are ready for a great season, and with hard work and determination, maybe they will even go all the way to the State Championship!

But when Coach Spangler announces that he has been asked to move up to the high school team, and Mr. Wheeler, the science teacher, is tapped for the head coaching job, the season seems over before it begins. Sure, Coach Wheeler played college football until he was benched by an injury, but it just isn't the same. Tiki wants to give Coach Wheeler a chance, yet the team's loyalties are divided. What does a science teacher know about the game of football? Can the team work together, get behind their new coach, and play smart?

Inspired by the childhood of NFL superstars Tiki and Ronde Barber, Go Long! is a story of teamwork, perseverance, and what it takes to be a champion.

Simon's Hook; A Story About Teases and Put-downs

Karen Gedig Burnett

Amazon Price: $8.95 List Price: $8.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: GR Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $4.94

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Fish -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Sports -> Miscellaneous -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Book for Kids and Adults!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Yes, adults, too. There are some pretty mean adults around, and you can use these same technics!! This book writes it in a way that kids will get it, that they shouldn't react to teases and put-downs. Excellent book. A+

Don't Take The Bait 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is a book that every child should read or have read to them before going into school to get a good perspective of how not to take the bait. My copy is ragged from reading it with my 3 children.Another book that parents should have in their library way before school starts is Bully-Proofing Children: A Practical, Hands-On Guide to Stop Bullying. This is an invaluable resource and tool for parents from a proactive and intervention standpoint.The tips, strategies... if used will prevent your child from being a victim or a bully. A must-read for parents.

Editorial Review:

Simon is having a bad day; a bad hair day. First his sister gives him a strange hair cut, then his friends tease him. Simon doesn't know what to do. Lucky for him he runs into Grandma Rose. After listening to his sorrowful story she helps him learn an important life lesson; how to handle teases and put-downs. By comparing teases to fishing hooks she tells him a tale of how fish learned not to bite. With fanciful characters such as Harmony Hippy Fish, Freddie Fang, Max the Mouse Fish and more, Simon learns that he, too, can swim free from the teasing hooks that people toss his way.

When I Was Young in the Mountains

Cynthia Rylant

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Dutton Juvenile Amazon Marketplace: 59 new & used starting at $2.13

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Family Life -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Sports -> Miscellaneous -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 4-8 -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

LOVE THIS LITTLE BOOK. 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This work is rather realistic. For anyone who grew up in similiar surroundings, it brings on waves of nostalgia. Growing up in the Ozark Mountains was quite similar to the setting of this story. These were simpler times, for good and bad, and it is good that we have something like this to pass on to our children. The illustrations in this book are soft and wonderful. The text is quite to the point and quite readable and understandable. The book leaves much room for open discussion, although it helps a lot if you actually grew up in these conditions, when discussing it with the young ones. I find that the simple fact there there was no electricity, no T.V., no radios, no running water, etc. quite difficult for children to understand and grasp. This book helps a lot. Recommend this one highly.

Editorial Review:

For twenty years, Cynthia Rylant's story of childhood in the Appalachian Mountains has been an enduring favorite. Growing up in the mountains is depicted with a spare, lyrical text and beautiful, tender illustrations by Diane Goode. The book was awarded a Caldecott Honor Medal.

To celebrate its twentieth anniversary, When I Was Young in the Mountains is being released with a commemorative copper-colored band.

Illustrated by Diane Goode

The Big Field

Mike Lupica

Amazon Price: $12.23 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Philomel Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $6.43

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Family Life -> General
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Family Life -> Parents -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Sports -> Baseball -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Courtesy of Teens Read Too 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Keith "Hutch" Hutchison, the hero of sportswriter Mike Lupica's latest young adult sports novel, loved playing shortstop for his baseball team in Florida. Then Darryl Williams came along and took over at short, forcing Hutch to move to second base.

Worse than the sting of losing his old position, though, is the hurt Hutch feels at the absence of his father from his games. A former baseball player who saw his dreams crushed, Hutch's dad can barely bring himself to watch his son play. So when Hutch sees his father giving Darryl some playing tips, he has a whole new reason to dislike his teammate.

During a summer when their team is fighting to win the state championship and the chance to play on TV, Hutch's rivalry with Darryl threatens the team's chances, and he must come to grips with his father and his teammate to be the team player he needs to be.

While THE BIG FIELD doesn't bring anything new to the sports genre, this is an engaging read. Mr. Lupica throws in plenty of references to current baseball players, which brings even more realism to the story. The characters seem very true-to-life, and anyone who's ever played a sport or just loves baseball can relate to it.

Reviewed by: Katie Hayes

Editorial Review:

Playing shortstop is a way of life for Hutch—not only is his hero, Derek Jeter, a shortstop, but so was his father, a former local legend turned pro. Which is why having to play second base feels like demotion to second team. Yet that’s where Hutch ends up after Darryl “D-Will” Williams, the best shortstop prospect since A-Rod, joins the team. But Hutch is nothing if not a team player, and he’s cool with playing in D-Will’s shadow—until, that is, the two shortstops in Hutch’s life betray him in a way he never could have imagined. With the league championship on the line, just how far is Hutch willing to bend to be a good teammate?

Tangerine

Edward Bloor

List Price: $5.99 By: Scholastic Paperbacks Amazon Marketplace: 101 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Literature -> Humorous
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Family Life -> Siblings -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Social Issues -> Special Needs -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 460 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Excellent book - especially for middle school boys 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

I'm a 46 year-old Mom and I bought this book because of the great reviews, but I didn't know which son to give it to. My 4th grader falls into the age-range mentioned here at amazon, but based on the plot synopses here I felt it was more a book my 7th grader would like.

So I read it myself first. I LOVED it. What a great, moving, inspiring, different book. As stay-with-you as Hoot, or Terabithia, or Stargirl, or... to date myself ... as The Outsiders.

It's well-written, it's gripping, it's multi-layered, and it manages to keep track of multiple story arcs within itself without dropping any or using any sort of deux ex machina to get out of any. It presents it's villains without caricature, and it's heroes without pandering. It surprises you at nearly every turn - but not in a forced we-need-a-plot-twist way.

I won't describe the plot as it as been so well-described here. I'll just reiterate that this is an amazing young adult novel that I thoroughly enjoyed for myself as well.

And I personally would not give this to my 4th grader. Not that the reading level is too difficult, but I think the content is too dark and the layers perhaps too subtle for a 10 year-old. I'm giving this book to my 7th grader tomorrow (I just finished it tonight!) and I know he'll devour it.

Editorial Review:

Paul Fisher¹s older brother has always been the football-playing hero of the family. But when the Fishers move to Tangerine, Florida, Paul enters a place where weird is normal. And suddenly the blind can see. TANGERINE as named a 1997 American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, an ALA Top-Ten Best Book, a Horn Book Fanfare Book, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, and an Edgar Award Nominee.

The Clique Summer Collection #2: Dylan (Clique Series)

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Poppy Amazon Marketplace: 53 new & used starting at $2.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Where We Live -> City Life -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Girls & Women -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Sports -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

good 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

the book was a good book because i play tennis and i thought it was good researched and the author used the right terms

More of the same... 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My daughter loves these books- I think they do not qualify as a "good" book but they are pretty harmless as long as she reads other books in between.

this is an amazing book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

this is the best book ever. if you enjoyed reading the clique, then you will love this book.

A delicious guilty pleasure 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Pretty Committee member Dylan Marvil accompanies her TV-host mother on a private jet to an extravagant spa and tennis club in Hawaii in hopes of making a fresh start. She wants to put the heartache of being dumped behind her, relax in the spa, lounge on the beach and feast on rich tropical desserts --- while her mom is busy preparing for the "interview of the season" with hot-tempered tennis superstar and bad-girl Svetlana Slootskyia.

After checking in to the luxurious resort, Dylan and her mother head for the resort's boutique to "go native" and pick out some new clothes to wear at the Aloha Open VIP Party. Dylan --- who favors dark colors, especially black, to flatter her size-four (make that size-six) figure --- is not pleased with the wardrobe selection. She tells her mom she feels like she's been dropped into a "floral-scented snow globe" because everything there is white, which is the customary color for anyone attending the tennis events.

While looking for an appropriate outfit, Dylan melts at the sight of tanned and handsome J.T. Daley, whose father owns the resort. When she actually meets him, Dylan can barely control her burping. J.T. is a tennis-obsessed "hawtie" who is immediately impressed when he finds out that Dylan's mom is going to be interviewing Svetlana.

At the VIP party, to impress J.T. even more, Dylan tells him she also loves tennis, which is about as true as her being a size four and not having a burping problem. After hearing this, J.T. invites her to his family's box seats at a tennis match that will be held three days later.

Dylan quickly realizes she has to learn how to master the game of tennis in three days, or J.T. will know she's lying. She tries to come up with a plan to get the hot-tempered Svetlana to teach her to play tennis well enough to impress J.T. Can Dylan convince Svetlana to help her become an ace, or will her quest to win over J.T. end up out of bounds?

DYLAN is the second of five books that shine a spotlight on the summers of the Pretty Committee members. It is a breezy and light-hearted novel with an important message about knowing ourselves and being comfortable with who we are.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

Editorial Review:

Game, Set, Match... Dylan? Dylan and her TV-host mom are off to Hawaii's Aloha Tennis Open. While Merri-Lee interviews tennis's wild child Svetlana "Tennis the Menace" Slootskyia, Dylan lets the tropical sun melt away the memory of getting dumped by two guys at the end of seventh grade. But between avocado mud masks and poolside naps, she falls in love with a preppy, tennis- obsessed hawtie. Dylan soon realizes the only way to score a date with him is to master the game. Can she convince moody Svetlana to spill the secrets of her tennis success, or will she end up oh-for-three in summer love?

Kickoff!

Tiki Barber, Ronde Barber

Amazon Price: $5.99 List Price: $5.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Aladdin Amazon Marketplace: 30 new & used starting at $2.23

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> People & Places -> Family Life -> Siblings -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Sports & Activities -> Sports -> Football -> Fiction
Subjects -> Children's Books -> Ages 9-12 -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great story - Better message. 5 out of 5 stars.
18 of 18 people found this review helpful.

This is the first chapter book for kids by Tiki and Ronde Barber. I started getting Tiki and Ronde's fine picture books for my son because he saw Tiki and Ronde speaking about it on MNF. They are quality stories with excellent messages for kids. Tiki and Ronde are role models that a parent can embrace for their character, which is something I am always struggling with when I find sports related books for my son.

Editorial Review:

"Hut! Hut! Go long, Tiki!"

Tiki and Ronde's twelfth summer is winding down -- the nights are gettingshorter and the evenings cooler. That means two things: The first day of junior high is just a few days away, and it's almost the start of footballseason at last. With two championships and an 8-2 season last year, Tiki and Ronde are ready to graduate from the Peewee League and hit the field asstarting players for the Hidden Valley Eagles.

But junior high is a lot bigger than elementary school. The competition forstarting spots is stiff, and seniority rules. If Tiki and Ronde make itpast tryouts and cuts, will they get the chance to play, or will they haveto spend the season watching from the bench with the other seventh graders?

Inspired by the childhood of NFL superstars Tiki and Ronde Barber, Kickoff! is a story of teamwork, perseverance, and what it takes tobe a champion.