Topic: Sports

Lupe Wong Won’t Dance

Lupe Wong wants to be the first female pitcher in the Major Leagues.   

She’s also championed causes her whole young life. Some worthy . . . like expanding the options for race on school tests beyond just a few bubbles. And some not so much . . . like complaining to the BBC about the length between Doctor Who seasons.

Lupe needs an A in all her classes in order to meet her favorite pitcher, Fu Li Hernandez, who’s Chinacan/Mexinese just like her. So when the horror that is square dancing rears its head in gym? Obviously, she’s not gonna let that slide.  

Lupe Wong Won’t Dance examines middle school drama by focusing on Lupe’s struggles. Middle-grade readers will empathize with Lupe as she tries to navigate the complexities of a middle school’s social hierarchy. Even though Lupe doesn’t mean to make enemies, she often does because she doesn’t always think about the consequences of her actions. For instance, Lupe gets upset and makes hurtful comments to her best friend, Andy. In response, Andy begins hanging out with the popular soccer girls and stops talking to Lupe. The two eventually work out their differences, and Lupe learns that she needs to “try to listen to people more instead of worrying about myself and my own goals.” 

Lupe’s family life is an integral part of the story. Lupe misses her father, who died in an accident. She also questions her father’s decision to quit playing baseball to care for his family. Lupe is desperate to meet Fu Li Hernandez because he reminds Lupe of her father, and many of Lupe’s actions are based on her need to earn straight A’s in order to meet Fu Li Hernandez. However, Lupe Wong Won’t Dance doesn’t include any baseball action other than one short practice and when Lupe finally meets Fu Li Hernandez. Still, meeting Fu Li Hernandez makes Lupe realize, “My dad was no quitter. Fu Li’s smile was like Dad’s the first time I whistled. The same smile when I finger-painted my entire face and body. . . And it’s the same smile he had when I hit my first baseball.”  

Lupe Wong Won’t Dance uses humor and middle school drama to highlight the importance of being inclusive. While the story explores the discrimination of the past, it does so in a nonjudgmental way that reminds readers that it’s important to take this advice: “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” Another important lesson the story imparts is the importance of self-acceptance. As Lupe’s friend says, “I shouldn’t change just so people will like me.” 

Lupe’s story is perfect for middle schoolers, especially those who often feel out of place. Lupe Wong Won’t Dance acknowledges that others can be cruel while challenging readers to overcome their difficulties. In the end, the story encourages readers to be kind and inclusive to others, even those who are different than you. For more middle school reads featuring a protagonist who feels out of place, read Out of Place by Jennifer Blecher, Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros, and A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi. 

Sexual Content  

  • In order to get out of square dancing, Lupe researches the song “Cotton-Eyed Joe” and discovers the song’s origins. A YouTube video explains that the song refers “to a man making his rounds with the ladies. . . Why are his eyes white as cotton?. . . if one listens carefully to the words, poor ol’ Cotton-Eyed Joe’s eyes were whited out by chlamydia or syphilis—”  
  • After watching the YouTube video, Lupe looks up chlamydia and discovers it’s “a widespread, often asymptomatic sexually transmitted disease caused by chlamydia trachomatis” and syphilis is “a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete bacterium treponema pallidum.” 
  • Lupe’s mom asks her if she’s gay. Lupe replies, “I don’t know. I’m only twelve. I thought I’d figure it out in a few years.” 
  • On an online forum discussing students being forced to learn how to square dance, someone writes, “Outrageous! Should we bring back petticoats and chastity belts?”  

Violence  

  • When Lupe was in second grade, she saw her classmate Zola picking her nose. Lupe began calling Zola “the Green Goblin” and the name stuck. “She eventually found out I was the one who started the Green Goblin nickname and hasn’t spoken a word to me since.” 
  • While practicing her pitching, Lupe’s brother Paolo “takes me out at the knees. The wind is knocked out of me a little. He hoisted me back up by the waist of my jeans, giving me a wedgie.”  
  • When Paolo learned how to square dance, he was partnered with a popular girl. And at the time, his mom was making the kids take “Crock-Pot leftovers for lunch” which caused Paolo to fart a lot. “It’s hard to hide a fart when you do-si-do and spin around. . . between hand sweats and farting. . . she told everyone. . . It’s taken two years for everyone to stop calling me Flutterbutt.” 
  • In the PE locker room, Lupe finds her locker decorated in shaving cream that reads Guadapoopy. When Coach Solden sees it, she goes to wipe it off the locker. “Coach spins back around and one foot slips on remnant shaving cream. Her foot flies up in the air, and she tries to catch herself with one arm. She falls to the floor with a thump and a small crack. Lips pursed together, noises burble from her mouth that sound like cusswords in an alien language.” The coach broke her arm in the fall. 
  • Lupe’s mom tells her about Coach Becky Solden’s square dancing experience. “One by one, as a joke, the boys approached her and then passed her by for other girls. She was the only girl left. . . Just like the rest, [Bruce] walked up to her, but he stopped and bowed. . . Just before Becky touched his hand, Bruce jumped back and ran towards the boys’ locker room screaming. . . For the entire two weeks, we danced, every time a boy danced with Becky, he made monkey noises under his breath. . . Even some of the girls made monkey noises and pretended to scratch their armpits.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • When researching the song Cotton-Eyed Joe, one article says “he could have gotten his cloudy eyes from alcohol poisoning.”  

Language  

  • Variations of crap are used frequently. 
  • Heck is used occasionally.  
  • There is frequent name-calling such as jerk, dorks, doofus, idiot, nimrod, whiner, klutz, and others. 
  • When Lupe shows the school principal pictures of a “cropped, magged-up version” of an eye, the principal says, “Oh, gawd.” 
  • Samantha, a mean girl, calls Lupe “Guadaloopy.” Samantha also calls Lupe’s friend Andy, “Anda-loser.” In return, Lupe calls Samantha “Sam-o-nella.” 
  • During PE, Samantha whispers loudly, “Word is [Lupe’s] parents found her at the dump. That’s why she smells like a blowout diaper.” 
  • Lupe comments on “Skanky Potato Head.” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • Before dinner, Lupe’s family prays. Her brother says, “Thank you God, for all that we have. Bless this interesting food to our bodies. And please help Lupe with her cleanliness so she can be next to you . . .” 
  • Before dinner, Paolo prays, “God, thank you for our grandparents who can cook. . . And thank you for giving Mr. Montgomery pinkeye so my algebra test is postponed. And help Lupe through puberty and bless this food.”  
  • Lupe thinks about her father. During Qingming, “the Chinese version of Dia de los Muertos . . . Grandma Wong takes us to the cemetery to burn paper things that represent what she thinks Dad needs in the afterlife. This year she burned a paper house and fake money. [Lupe] snuck in a paper baseball and bat.” 

The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field

Prasit Hemmin and his friends love soccer. However, because of the limited space in their fishing village of Koh Panyee, Thailand, the boys are forced to play on a temporary sandbar when the tide recedes. Yet, when the opportunity for an upcoming tournament reaches Prasit and his friends, they realize that a real soccer team needs an actual field. Determined to participate and succeed in the soccer tournament, the boys embark on a riveting adventure to build a floating field and win a championship for Koh Panyee. 

Set in Thailand in 1986, the book follows the perspective of Prasit Hemmin, a young boy who dreams of playing professional soccer. Despite the difficult circumstances of his seaside home, Prasit exudes a strong determination to accomplish what he loves. Prasit’s passion for the game influences his friends to tackle the tough task of building a field. Prasit’s joyful energy permeates throughout the book, and his fortitude in adversity makes him an admirable character. 

The story presents the heartwarming tale of the real-life floating field of Koh Panyee, where Prasit and his friends’ hard work earns them a spot in the mainland soccer tournament. From the start, the plot flourishes with positivity on every page, and the story that unravels will leave the readers empowered to tackle their next big challenge. Although the book may idealize Prasit and his friends’ journey and neglect the challenges that occurred, the story’s core rests in its lessons of hard work and determination. Because of Prasit’s persistence in accomplishing his dream, he and his friends “had their own floating field where they could play the game they loved, whenever they wanted.” This lesson can ultimately inspire readers to chase after their own dreams and work together to overcome their obstacles. 

The short story features colorful, full-page illustrations that enhance the plot and keep readers invested with a simple yet detailed art style. However, the advanced vocabulary and longer sentences may be challenging for younger readers to comprehend. At the end of the book, an “Author’s Note” also provides an in-depth look at the real-life story of Prasit Hemmin, and the inclusion of pictures helps make the story feel authentic. Overall, The Floating Field is an exciting story for all soccer fans, and its encouraging message will leave its readers reaching for the stars. For more soccer action, The Floating Field can be paired with the fiction book, The Academy by T.Z. Layton.  

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence 

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Language 

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None 

Final Season

Sixth-grader Ben Redd is the star quarterback for his middle school football team in Skaneateles, New York. Coached by his father and his two older brothers, Rich and Raymond, Ben wants to lead his team to a championship over their rival school in Penn Yan. 

However, Ben’s life is completely changed when his father is diagnosed with ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerves and spinal cord. After his dad’s diagnosis, which connected to all those hard hits and tackles he took on the field, Ben’s mom becomes more determined than ever to get Ben to quit football. As his father’s condition worsens, Ben is struck with fear, anger, and despair at his circumstances. Will Ben learn to accept these changes with the championship on the line? Or will this be his final season in the sport? 

Ben is the exciting young protagonist of the story. His kind personality, love for others, and determination to succeed in the face of adversity make him an admirable character. Ben also displays a mature attitude toward his reality, acknowledging that bad things, like ALS, can and will happen in life. His wrestling with these unfortunate truths will feel relatable and authentic to readers, especially those who have gone through tough times in their own lives. 

Final Season’s main theme—the importance of love and family—explores Ben’s love for his father and how his family handles his father’s deteriorating condition. Although Ben and his family love football, they recognize that their love for each other is far more important than fame and glory. Even with the championship game on the line, Ben tells his father, “I love you too, Dad,” before heading into the big game. Other themes include leading others with love and treating them with respect. 

Throughout the book, Ben develops from someone who sees football as the greatest goal in life to someone who values the importance of love and family. Many supporting characters, such as his brothers and the lone girl on the football team, Thea, encourage this outlook on life. Of course, there’s also plenty of football action throughout the book. The story features multiple, in-depth action scenes of football games. For example, “[Ben] took the snap, rolled high, and hit Damon on a corner route.” Although some details can be too technical for non-football enthusiasts, the fast-paced action will keep readers engaged nonetheless. 

Overall, Final Season tells the powerful story of Ben’s life as a rising leader of his football team and as a loving son to his sickly father. Although the book explores the topic of ALS, which might be difficult for some readers, it offers a reassuring message that love will overcome these struggles. And while the explosive football scenes are enjoyable, the heart of the story lies in Ben’s interactions with his family—and more importantly—with his dad. Final Season is more than a story about football; it’s about love, family, and cherishing one’s time in life. 

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence 

  • Ben and his friends throw rotten eggs at Mrs. Wimple’s house; he is a well-known grouch who hands out detentions at their middle school. The boys explain, “We want to hit the windows if we can, but don’t worry if you miss. Either way, the Wimp and the Weirdo are gonna have a lot of stink on their hands.” 
  • Ben talks about CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, and remembers that “a college teammate and friend of their father’s had killed himself because of” CTE. 
  • On a boating trip, Ben’s boat encounters rough waves and Ben’s father “collapsed” and “[hit] his head on the corner of the windshield and [collapsed] on the floor.” When he stood up, “blood gushed from a cut in his scalp” and “[soaked] his gray polo shirt.” Ben’s father is okay and doesn’t need medical attention. 
  • Thea, a girl on Ben’s football team, knocks Damon, another football player, “down like a bowling pin. Damon stayed down, moaning and thrashing and holding his right knee.” He returns to his feet after a few moments. 
  • Ben’s father falls out of his SUV, hits his face, and “blood gushed from his nose, spattering [Ben’s] older brothers’ bare arms with fat red dots.” Ben’s father is helped back to his feet and requires no medical attention. 
  • Ben’s teammate, Woody, and the rest of the football team play a prank on Thea by cutting off one of her braids. Before Ben can  stop Woody, he approaches Woody and sees “scissors used to cut small branches and stems” and “half of one of Thea’s blonde braids” in Woody’s hand. 
  • During the championship game, Ben breaks his pinkie finger when a big brute slams him out of bounds. His finger was “snapped in half, and the top half hung limp at a ninety-degree angle.” Ben receives medication attention and is okay. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • During a trip to the lake, Ben sees his father holding “one of those unusual-sounding German beers.”  
  • During dinner, Ben’s father has “a glass of wine with his mom.”  
  • Ben’s father took a “sip of red wine” during dinner at home. 
  • Before his big football game, Ben thinks about using “sleeping pills” to fall asleep. 

Language 

  • Ben calls multiple people idiots. 
  • Ben calls his friend Woody a “stinky egg” because of Woody’s rambunctious attitude. 
  • Ben’s mother repeatedly utters “oh my God” during incidents of fear, especially toward her husband’s worsening condition. 
  • There is some name calling including jerk, string bean, and stupid.  
  • When she sees that another teammate has shaved his head, Thea utters “Gosh.”  
  • When Ben breaks his pinkie finger, he says, “It hurts like heck.” 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • One night at dinner, Ben blesses his family’s food by saying, “Dear God, thank you for this food, thank you for this family, and thank you for our . . . our . . . our good health. Amen.” 
  • Ben and his dad attend church and “opened a hymn, held it between them, and pointed to the words as he croaked out the hymn.” 
  • When Ben asks his dad why his brothers don’t go to church, his dad replies, “Jesus said, ‘Judge not, lest ye be judged.’” They then talk about loving God and others because “Jesus only asked us to do two things, love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves.” 
  • When Ben’s father is interviewed by 60 Minutes, he tells them he’s never been happier because of his “faith and my family around me. I’m blessed.” 
  • When Thea learns that Ben’s father is in the hospital, she tells Ben that “[she’s] praying for him.” 
  • When Raymond, one of Ben’s older brothers, asks his mom what he could do to help his father, his mom replies that they “could maybe pray.” 

Mice Skating

Like most mice, Mona, Millie, and Marcella are no fans of winter. During these cold months, they dig a burrow for themselves deep underground to keep warm until spring. Their friend Lucy is not like most mice. Winter is her favorite time of year. She spends these days outside, making snow angels, snow mice, and catching snowflakes with her tongue. When she returns to the burrow with dripping fur and snow-covered paws, her friends are none too pleased.  

Mona, Millie, and Marcella do not understand the appeal of winter, but this hasn’t stopped Lucy from trying to sway them. She has made snow cones for her friends and gifted them giant icicles from outside. Once, she even brought in heaps of snow for an indoor snowball fight. Hard as Lucy tries, each attempt always ends the same. Her friends stay averse to winter, and Lucy continues to play outside alone.  

One day, after slipping on a patch of ice, Lucy discovers a new activity – ice skating! Crafting a pair of ice skates from pine needles, Lucy commits to the new hobby. No matter how many times she slips or loses balance, she is determined to keep trying until she gets it right. It doesn’t take long for Mona, Millie, and Marcella to notice that Lucy is spending less time pestering them and more time by herself outside. Has Lucy finally given up on convincing them? Or has she found a winter activity that all her friends can enjoy? 

Mice Skating is a fun and cheerful picture book that will show young readers the many ways that they can enjoy winter. The story also shows spending time alone and spending time with friends can be equally rewarding. With one to seven short sentences per page, Mice Skating is an easy read. Teagan White’s illustrations give the book a distinct warmth, placing modern, streamlined characters in desaturated vignette drawings to give the book a nostalgic and timeless feel. These illustrations will be particularly fun for the many detail-oriented readers, who will enjoy the many background gags that White hides in every other page (among these gags, you will find that cases of cheese are hung about the burrow as decorations, while bits of litter serve as the mice’s furniture and kitchen supplies). 

If you are looking for a funny and clever story to entertain young readers this winter season, Mice Skating is the book for you. If you enjoy this book, make sure to check out its sequel, Sugar and Spice and Everything Mice, where a snowstorm forces Lucy to adapt to life indoors. For more ice-skating fun, check out Tallulah’s Ice Skates by Marilyn Singer. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None 

Language  

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

Hoops

Judi Wilson, a senior in high school, loves basketball. It’s been her childhood dream to play on a basketball team. However, Judi doesn’t have a lot of options because it’s 1975. When her high school announces they’re creating their first-ever women’s basketball team, Judi joins seven other girls to begin their rookie season. However, Judi quickly learns that the girls’ team is very different from the boys’ team. They have no jerseys, transportation, or gym to host home games. Their school’s athletic director refuses to treat them as equals to the boys’ team unless they can fill the gym with fans. Can Judi and her teammates bring a championship to their school and prove that they are just as important as the boys’ team? 

Hoops is an exciting graphic novel based on the true story of the 1976 Warsaw High School girls’ basketball team. It focuses on the life of Judi Wilson, the story’s main protagonist, whose encouraging and kind personality brings her basketball team together despite the inequality in the sport. Many readers will admire Judi’s ability to see the positive side of her team’s circumstances. For example, when one of her teammates, Lisa Vincent, thinks about quitting, Judi tells her “We might as well play, right?” Judi’s conflict is relatable because Judi and her team struggle due to inequality. Despite this, Judi advocates for change by proving her worth on the basketball court. 

Hoops brings history to life in a delightful graphic novel format. The panels and characters feature a simple art style with lots of colors and shapes. The simplicity of the art enhances the action sequences during basketball games, where each panel recreates the intensity and skill of each player with clear, fluid transitions. Meanwhile, the text appears in a large, capitalized format, and the big quote bubbles help easily identify speakers. Easy vocabulary and short sentences allow seamless movement between panels and pages. Hoops will appeal to reluctant readers because of the format and easy vocabulary. In addition, each page only has three to ten sentences with the occasional paragraph mixed in. Several pages also feature no words and let the illustrations tell the story instead.  

The story highlights the historical aspects of women’s inequality in sports. Although the characters aren’t very complex, they experience dramatic development by learning that their advocacy for equality does create change in their community. Judi’s teammate, Lisa Vincent, epitomizes this lesson when she realizes that she’s “sick of being treated like I don’t matter just because I’m a girl,” and joins the team’s effort to create change by succeeding on the basketball court. 

The end of the book features a small two-page section that connects the fictional tale with its historical inspirations. The author explains that each character is based on real-life people and reiterates their story about “regular kids who play hard and stand up for what they believe is right.” With the combination of exciting characters, a heartwarming story, and engaging art, Hoops is the perfect story for basketball fans who appreciate young people fighting for equality. Readers looking for more basketball stories should also read The Fifth Quarter by Mike Dawson and Zayd Saleem Chasing the Dream by Hena Khan. However, if you’d like to learn more about women’s fight for equality, check out She Persisted: Claudette Colvin by Lesa Cline-Ransome. 

Sexual Content 

  • Cindy Randall, Judi Wilson’s friend on the basketball team, kisses her boyfriend, Mark, in front of the basketball team. 

Violence 

  • Judi’s friend, Lisa Vincent, tells a story about her time sledding on the neighborhood boys’ hill. She explains that she “made it about halfway down and then a bunch of boys knocked me off my sled and broke it.” Lisa wasn’t hurt. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Language 

  • Judi Wilson calls a customer at the hardware store a “jerk.” Judi also utters “jeez” at an obnoxious customer. 
  • Judi and her teammate, Cindy, say “holy moly” multiple times. 
  • Judi and Cindy repeatedly say, “Oh my god” when surprised or excited. 
  • Heck is used twice.  
  • A spectator watching a basketball game says darn. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • None 

The Academy

Young Leo Doyle is the best soccer player in his small town of Middleton, Ohio. He dominates his YMCA soccer league and dreams of becoming a professional soccer player for the Premier League in England. His dream becomes a reality when Philip Niles, a London Dragons FC scout, invites him to try out for the Academy: the Dragon’s prestigious professional youth development program. With an opportunity to achieve his dream, Leo agrees to go to London for the summer. But he quickly learns one thing: he isn’t the only soccer star at the Academy Camp. 

Things grow dicey when Leo learns that only the best eleven players from the camp’s group of 220 join the Academy. With the pressure mounting, Leo struggles to perform up to expectations, and he fears being cut before the summer ends. Can Leo overcome the odds, the intense workouts, and the mean bullies to prove he’s worthy of being a London Dragon? 

The Academy is an exciting novel about a young boy working to become a professional soccer player. The book focuses on the life of the main protagonist, Leo Doyle, and follows a journal-like style where Leo’s first-person narration is told as journal entries. Leo is an exciting and energetic character to follow. The in-depth descriptions of his changing feelings toward the camp are vivid and genuine, and many readers will relate to Leo’s challenging experience in a new place with new faces. However, the book does recognize that Leo is also a middle-school boy, and it makes Leo’s personality very authentic by highlighting not only his strengths but also his weaknesses, such as his ignorance, quick temper, and childish passions. Leo’s scene with the bully Brock during their one-on-one soccer duel emphasizes his temper when he rashly states, “I’ll quit and go home, whether I make the World Cup or not.” 

The story’s plot and surrounding characters also enhance Leo’s character development. Many of them point out Leo’s weaknesses and encourage him to rise above the summer camp challenges. As a result, the book teaches the valuable lesson of trusting in one’s strengths and not allowing competition to ruin the fun. Leo learns to relieve himself of the pressure of perfection during soccer games and understands “in order to succeed, I had to be myself.”  

The Academy includes plenty of high-paced soccer scenes, where concrete descriptions and detailed play-by-plays will keep the readers hooked during each game, scrimmage, or drill. Although some game descriptions and plays can become too complex for those with little soccer knowledge, the story keeps things interesting by incorporating plenty of internal reflections, blossoming friendships, and courageous victories during its game-time sequences. Overall, The Academy presents an engaging tale about a young kid seeking to overcome the odds to join a prestigious youth development program. With its combination of a compelling protagonist, lovable side characters, and a moving lesson about trusting in one’s talents, The Academy is the perfect book for young and old soccer fans. 

Sexual Content 

  • None 

Violence 

  • A soccer player on the Columbus Tigers, Ronnie Lewis, trips Leo during a soccer game. Leo falls hard “and gets a face full of grass. It was a dirty, dirty play. My knees and elbows were bleeding.” Leo was not hurt badly. 
  • Brock, a burly kid with a blond crew cut, bullies Leo by making fun of his clothes and his favorite MLS league. Brock says “How lame [his] trackies are” and “We call it Major League Suck over here.” This scene is described over four pages. 
  • Brock jeers at Leo during a soccer game by taunting, “Why don’t you go back to America? That’s where the amateurs play.” 
  • Julian and Brock bully Leo during a soccer drill where Julian “offered [Leo] a hand” and then “retracted it” while Brock sneers, “Loser Yank. Your turn in the pot.” 
  • During a soccer drill, Brock smacked Leo in the stomach as a mean joke by “hitting [Leo] so hard with his hips that it knocked the wind out of [him].” Leo wasn’t hurt. 
  • Brock nearly drowns Leo at a local pool. Brock “yanked [Leo] down from behind and held [him] underwater with a hand on [his] neck.” Although Leo wasn’t hurt, it caused other boys, like Leo’s friend Alejandro, to “shove Brock hard in the chest, causing him to fall on his back in the water.” This scene is described over five pages. 
  • Brock trips Leo during a soccer scrimmage, and “the fall knocked the breath out of [him] and left [his] mouth full of grass.” 
  • When Brock finds himself on the losing side of a soccer match with Leo, he shouts, “I’m gonna kill you, Yank,” toward Leo. 
  • Brock and Leo engage in a soccer match where there’s constant shoving, tripping, shirt tugging, teasing, and slide tackling. At one point, Leo acknowledges that he didn’t “know how long we fought for that last goal. It seemed like hours. Both of us heaved with exertion, bleeding in half a dozen places from hard falls.” This scene is described over eleven pages. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Robbie, Leo’s roommate at the soccer academy, gives Leo some ointment called “Icy Hot” for his cramps to “rub on [his] legs tonight and in the morning.” Leo uses Icy Hot repeatedly throughout the story. 

Language 

  • There is some name calling including idiots, jerks, doofus, and loser. For example, Leo calls the kids on the Columbus Tigers soccer team “rich jerks.” 
  • On three occasions, someone is told to shut up. For example, Leo tells his sister, Ginny, to “shut up” when she gives him a command. In addition, Brock tells his friend Julian to “shut up” after his rude remark toward Leo.  
  • Leo’s friend, Carlos, utters “what the crap” and calls Leo a “fart-breath.”  
  • Leo mutters, “geez” because of Robbie’s poor attitude. 
  • Brock calls Leo a “Yank” throughout the story because Leo is from the United States. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • When Leo gets to participate in a FIFA tournament, he exclaims, “Have I died and gone to heaven?” 

Tallulah’s Toe Shoes

Tallulah is back in ballet class and now she wants to go en pointe—to dance up on the tips of her toes in pink satin toe shoes, like a real ballerina. But going en pointe is not good for growing feet, and her ballet teacher says her feet aren’t ready yet. “Oh, yes, they are,” Tallulah thinks. “And so am I.” Not only is she ready, but she is also determined. And nothing stops Tallulah when her mind is made up!

When Tallulah sees the Lilac Fairy throw away her toe shoes, Tallulah sneaks them out of the trash. Once she’s home, she tries to stand on pointe, but she “didn’t look much like the Lilac Fairy. She looked more like a rat.” Tallulah asks her brother, Beckett, to help her by pretending to be a prince. With Beckett’s help, Tallulah is able to stand on pointe, but afterwards her toes are “hot and red.” Tallulah doesn’t think she will able to be able to dance on pointe, but with a little encouragement from the Lilac Fairy, Tallulah realizes that even though she can’t dance on pointe today, someday she will get her own toe shoes and will be able to dance on pointe.

Tallulah’s Toe Shoes highlights Tallulah’s desire to be able to dance on pointe like the older ballet students. Throughout the story, Tallulah uses her imagination, which comes to life as part of the illustrations. In this installment of the Tallulah Series, Beckett plays a larger role which adds cuteness to the story and shows that boys can also love ballet. Another positive aspect of the illustrations is that the other students in Tallulah’s ballet class have different skin tones and the class includes a boy. 

Tallulah’s Toe Shoes will appeal to readers who are interested in dance; in class, Tallulah learns different types of positions that are illustrated in the front and back of the book. In order to help readers distinguish the narration from Tallulah’s thoughts, her thoughts are written in large, bold letters. Since each page has two to seven sentences, parents will need to read the picture book to their kids.

The Tallulah picture book series is a wonderful series that will appeal to many young readers, especially those who dream of becoming a ballerina. Tallulah is a likable protagonist with a relatable conflict, and even though Tallulah doesn’t get her pointe shoes, she learns the importance of patience and hard work. Tallulah’s dance dilemma comes to life in beautiful illustrations that show Tallulah’s wide range of emotions. The illustrations show several scenes of dancers performing Sleeping Beauty, which adds a fairytale quality to the book. Tallulah’s Toe Shoes will delight young readers and have them imagining themselves as beautiful ballerinas. 

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Squad Goals

Energetic seventh-grader Magic Poindexter wants nothing more than to join the cheerleading squad for the Valentine Middle School Honeybees. After all, cheerleading runs deep in her family’s blood, and Magic wants to continue her family’s legacy, especially since her Grammy Mae was the first Black cheerleader on the Honeybees squad.  

But Magic is different. She isn’t coordinated, has zero athletic ability, and she struggles to stay on beat. Her only chance lies with Planet Pom-Poms, the summer cheer camp where she’ll audition for a spot on the cheerleading squad. However, cheer camp brings more than strenuous practice routines, and Magic struggles to balance the interweaving plotlines of summer romances, friendship trouble, and mean bullies. Can Magic survive Planet Pom-Poms and earn herself a spot on the Valentine Middle School Honeybees? 

From the start, Magic’s bubbly, quirky personality enriches the story’s plot and surrounding characters. Readers will enjoy experiencing Planet Pom-Poms through Magic’s point of view, and her mixture of excitement and anxiety for the cheerleading audition makes her a very relatable character. Yet, Magic’s strength lies in her positive view of herself and others. Despite what others say about her, Magic remains upbeat and optimistic which is why she becomes an admirable figure for both the readers and the other characters. 

Magic is a dynamic character, who shows personal growth; at first, she fears her lack of cheerleading talent but she learns to love herself. This change highlights the book’s message of loving and believing in yourself. This message extends past Magic to her friends, who find beauty in their differences. Magic exemplifies this by saying, “With all of our differences . . . we’re like a cool bag of Skittles. Each of us has our own unique flavor. Without one of us, the rest of the bag would be boring.” While Squad Goals primarily focuses on Magic’s development, the book also includes plenty of cheerleading action. Readers can expect many action sequences with in-depth descriptions of real cheerleading moves. 

Overall, Squad Goals is a heartfelt story about a young girl learning to love herself and her differences. The combination of fast cheerleading scenes with slower introspection scenes mix well and provide an authentic experience for the characters to learn and grow from. The book pleasantly wraps up the different plotlines and leaves the readers with a satisfying conclusion. Although the characters may act overly cheesy, the book explodes with enough charm that it will elicit a smile from all readers who love positivity and cheerleading. Readers who want more cheerleading action should also read The Tryout by Christina Soontornvat. 

Sexual Content 

  • When Magic talks to her crush, Dallas Chase, Dallas’ “cheeks turn red when he smiles this time.” 
  • Whenever Magic thinks about Dallas, it “makes her heart turn into a drum major and beat against my chest. Then my hands get sweaty and I don’t want to touch anything.” 
  • When Magic talks about Dallas, she “swipe[s] at my brows and try to shake off the red. But when I glance in the mirror, my entire face is still flushed. I shake my head. Now it’s even redder. But that’s my story and I’m sticking to it . . . even though I can’t deny that he makes me feel like a hot cup of cocoa topped with squishy marshmallows, all caramel excitement and chocolate nerves.” 
  • Magic’s and Dallas’ eyes lock, and Magic loses “all focus, my mouth opening and closing like a fish as I try to figure out what to say.” 
  • Magic watches Dallas and Gia, the captain of the cheerleading squad, interact from afar, and she “can feel [her] legs turning to limp taffy” out of fear and disgust. This scene is described over three pages. 
  • Magic sees Dallas in a crowd and her “palms go sticky and I start losing my grip on my pom-poms.” 
  • Dallas meets up with Magic outside her cabin. Magic explains, “he looks up at me and a powerful surge of mushy feelings rushes through my nervous system, making me . . . nervous. They start in my toes and sizzle up to the ends of my big, long braids.” 
  • Magic and Dallas hold hands as they walk. “We turn to head back to the dorm, hand in hand, and I’m so content that I don’t even bother to count the Mississippis.” 
  • When Dallas invites Magic to a birthday party, she “can’t hold back the mega-blush that’s turning my face a solid Crayola red.” 

Violence 

  • Magic falls off the steps of the bus, and “an obnoxiously loud thud echoes behind my fall and everyone turns to look right at me and my face, which is now buried in the dirt.” Magic hurts her arm and has to go to the nurse’s station later on. 
  • Magic’s friend, Brooklyn, explains that the cheerleader captains “will be covered in that chalky calamine lotion” after she spreads poison ivy on Gia and Yves’ pillows. 
  • Gia and Yves, the two cheerleading captains, sabotage Magic’s introduction video during the Midsummer performances. They switch out Magic’s original video with a video of her professing her love for Dallas Chase for the entire audience to see: “The audio skips. I try to keep dancing to my background music, mainly because Coach force-fed us that the show must always go on, even if disaster strikes. The audio skips again. ‘—and I’m in love with Dallas Chase. And I’m in love with Dallas Chase. I’m—I’m—I’m in love with Dallas Chase.’” This scene is described over three pages. 
  • Gia and Yves sabotage Magic and her friends’ performance at the Finale by dropping a bucket of water on Magic’s friends during their performance. Magic decides to “cut the string” to save her friends’ performance, “but the bucket is still teetering back and forth, and while I’m looking up at the rafter, watching the bucket with my mouth wide open, I feel a few droplets just before the entire bucket of water splatters right over my head. And I’m soaked.” Magic sacrifices herself to allow her friends to finish their performance. This scene is described over three pages. 
  • Magic and her friends cover Gia and Yves bedsheets with poison ivy in revenge for the Midsummer disaster: “’I’ll do the honors,’ I say to Winnie, taking the tissue with the poison ivy in it from her. I lean over the other bed and follow Winnie’s fingertip as it guides me across and then down the pillowcase.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Magic mentions that her grandfather “takes medication” when his “heart is beating dangerously fast.” 
  • Magic’s mom mentions that “children’s Motrin will help” with Magic’s throbbing head. 

Language 

  • Magic exclaims “ohmahgawd” multiple times. 
  • Two cheerleaders regularly call Magic, “Tragic Magic.” They also call another cheerleader, Capricorn, “Kettle Corn.”  
  • Magic’s friend, Lulu, screams “ohmygosh” once. 
  • Magic repeatedly exclaims “fan-fricking-tastic.”   
  • A mean cheerleader taunts Capricorn by telling her that she “sucks.” 
  • A mean cheerleader tells Magic that “she looks like a raccoon.” 

Supernatural 

  • When Magic holds her Grammy Mae’s pom-poms before the Finale, she sees Grammy Mae encouraging her. “It’s Grammy Mae’s voice, and I’m not sure if I’m imagining it, because it feels so real. And when I open my eyes, I can see her, smiling sweetly, even though I know she’s not there.” 
  • Grammy Mae’s initials on her pom-poms change to Magic’s initials at the end of the story. “And when I do, Grammy’s initials aren’t there anymore. Instead, that same golden glow is swirling around the initials MOP.” 

Spiritual Content 

  • Magic’s big sister, Fortune, compliments Magic by saying, “God was having a good day when he made [you].” 

Baseball Genius

Twelve-year-old Jalen DeLuca is an aspiring baseball player who dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. He knows he can jump-start his career by playing for the travel team Rockton Little League Rockets, but he runs into a massive problem: his father can’t afford the travel team expenses. Desperate to find the money, Jalen attempts to sell some stolen baseballs from famous Yankee ballplayer James Yager. However, when Yager catches Jalen with the baseballs their worlds collide. More importantly, they realize that they need each other when Yager learns that Jalen is more than just a misfit criminal—he’s a baseball genius. 

Just like Jalen, James Yager is in a tough situation. His job is on the line because of his poor performance, and he needs a miracle to prove that he deserves his spot on the Yankees roster. Luckily, Jalen’s ability to perfectly predict pitches from opposing pitchers offers a glimpse of hope, and he embarks on a riveting adventure to save not only his chances of playing baseball but Yager’s entire career. With many people counting on him, Jalen feels the pressure as he struggles to balance the travel team, friendships, his father’s business, and Yager’s career. Can Jalen’s genius save his family, friends, and Yager? 

Told from Jalen’s perspective, the story portrays the complex circumstances in Jalen’s life and explores how Jalen views and feels about these events. As a result, Jalen comes across as a realistic character with authentic joys, anxieties, and dreams. Many readers will relate to how Jalen reacts to the pressure of helping his family, friends, and Yager. Jalen’s brave demeanor leads him to frequently help others, trust the people he loves, and believe that things will work out in the end. They will also admire Jalen’s fortitude in the face of overwhelming adversities. After getting caught stealing, Jalen knows that “Even though he was alone, imprisoned in the Yankees manager’s office, he knew everything was going to work out.” 

Baseball Genius balances the interconnected plotlines within Jalen’s life and gives each storyline proper development with a distinct solution. The constant twists and turns will keep the pages turning and readers will enjoy the quirky side characters who surround Jalen. The story also features several action-packed baseball sequences, where readers will experience detailed play-by-play scenes of actual baseball games, complete with real-life players and settings. For example, during a Yankees game against the White Sox, Jalen watched as “Hutt struck out in four, and then Joe Ros knocked one in the 5-6 hole on his first pitch, putting runners on first and third. Quintana had thrown a total of eighteen pitches.” 

While Baseball Genius has an intriguing plot, it struggles to develop the many characters. Outside of Jalen, most of the supporting characters are flat and don’t show a massive shift in perspective or feelings. As a result, the story’s lesson of trusting in your talents at times feels half-baked and incomplete. Luckily, Baseball Genius’ action-packed narrative overshadows this flaw and presents an engaging story that will capture even the imagination of non-sports fans. With this combination of exciting baseball scenes and page-turning cliffhangers, Baseball Genius is a must-read for sports fanatics. 

Sexual Content 

  • After Jalen successfully predicts the next pitch from a Yankee baseball pitcher, Cat, Jalen’s friend, “kissed [Jalen’s] cheek” in celebration. 

Violence 

  • When Jalen grabs Cat by the arm to talk to her, she “dug her heels in and cuffed him in the back of the head.” Jalen wanted to talk with Cat privately because she was upset with him over his new baseball skills. 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None 

Language 

  • Throughout the story, Jalen’s father says the Italian curse word “mannaggia,” which translates to “darn” in English. 
  • Chris, a school bully, calls Jalen “mutt,” which means “biracial, half white and half black.” 
  • Yager says, “Holy crow” once. Yager also mutters, “Good God” during a stressful moment. 
  • Yager calls the radio sports analyzers “idiots” because they believe that his career is dying.  
  • Jalen calls Chris a “jerk” and a “rat” once. 
  • Chris calls Jalen a “sandwich” because Jalen’s dad has to make sandwiches for the baseball team to pay for Jalen’s travel team expenses. 
  • Chris calls Jalen the “Calamari Kid” after news spreads that Jalen’s dad’s calamari gave Yager good luck in his baseball game. 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content 

  • Yager helps Jalen’s father out during a busy time at the diner. Afterwards, his father asks, “Jalen, did you bring me an angel from above?” 
  • The travel-ball coach, Coach Gambles, explains to his players that “those of you who are new to this team need to understand that what I say is like the word of God.” 
  • When Jalen’s late for baseball practice, “Jalen flung the door open and took off, praying Coach Gamble’s watch was slow.” 
  • Jalen’s friend describes his feelings when entering Yankee Stadium as if “[he] died and went to heaven.”

Magical Imperfect

Etan is a twelve-year-old boy whose life is full of silence, earthquakes, and a bit of magic. He lives in a world that is both familiar and unfamiliar. The ground beneath his feet is constantly shaking, threatening to upend everything he knows. But despite the danger, Etan finds solace in the game of baseball, a sport that has been a part of his life since he was old enough to hold a bat.

However, Etan’s world is turned upside down when his mother is admitted to a mental institution. He suddenly finds himself unable to express his thoughts and feelings because his words are trapped inside his head. Without the ability to communicate, Etan feels isolated from the other kids his age since he is unable to reach out and connect with them.

But there is one person who understands him better than anyone else: his grandfather. Raised in a close-knit community of immigrants, Etan’s grandfather knows the value of acceptance and understanding. He doesn’t judge Etan for his silence, but instead offers him the comfort and support he needs to navigate this difficult time.

Not everyone in the community is as kind-hearted as Etan’s grandfather. When a local shopkeeper asks Etan to run an errand for him, this sets off a chain of events that will change Etan’s life forever. While running the errand, Ethan Meets Malia Agbayani, whom the boys at school have nicknamed “the creature.” At first, Etan is hesitant to approach her, but when he finally does, he discovers a kindred spirit. Despite her nickname, Malia’s voice is like music to Etan’s ears. She sees the world in a unique way, and her perspective helps Etan to find his own voice. As they spend time together, Etan realizes that outside of his community, there is a world full of people who are different but just as valuable. With this newfound understanding, Etan’s world begins to open in ways he never thought possible.

Etan is a truly endearing main character that will captivate the reader’s imagination. His journey through the obstacle of selective mutism is truly inspiring, as he learns how to overcome his personal struggles and create new friendships. As the reader follows his journey, they are taken on a fascinating exploration of his family’s rich Jewish history, with all of its intricate traditions and customs. Through Etan’s eyes, the reader is transported to a world full of magic and wonder, where anything is possible if you believe in yourself. With each passing chapter, the reader will feel more and more invested in Etan’s story, eagerly anticipating what will happen next and how he will continue to grow as a person.

Readers will also be captivated not only by the wisdom and mysticism displayed by Etan’s grandfather but also by the rich cultural context he provides. Through his tales from his homeland in Prague, the grandfather shares his deep knowledge of the Jewish religion and the Hebrew language. Moreover, his character serves as a powerful reminder that everyone has the ability to create magic in the world – all that is required is a strong belief and a heart full of love. The reader cannot help but be inspired by the grandfather’s teachings, and they will come away with a renewed appreciation for the beauty and diversity of world cultures.

The Magical Imperfect is a heartwarming tale that emphasizes the value of embracing diversity and the true meaning of unity. The author beautifully showcases the power of empathy and compassion, and how they have the ability to bring people together. Through vivid descriptions and relatable characters, The Magical Imperfect teaches us that our differences should be celebrated rather than feared and that we should strive to build bridges of understanding and respect. Overall, this book is an excellent reminder of the importance of kindness and acceptance in our increasingly diverse world. This is a rich, rewarding, and deeply moving story that is sure to touch the hearts of readers of all ages.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • Malia, Etan’s friend, introduces Etan to a spot that is full of magic. “These are the Sitting Stones. This is where the trees listen the most. The pool is magical . . . But this water is magic.”
  • During an earthquake, Ethan gets a small cut on his arm. His grandfather sees the cut and decides to show him the power of the clay. Grandfather pulls Ethan close “presses down his two clay fingers on the cut on my arm . . . The cut is gone. I search with my fingers, trace my skin up and down, and back and forth . . . Then it feels like the world starts to spin cold and warm all at once. . .” Ethan’s grandfather explains, “Your body, Etan, it’s experienced something from another time, an ancient thing giving its power to something new right now.”
  • Etan and Malia visit the Sitting Stones and he begins to wonder if the clay inside the pool could heal. He wonders if it would help heal Malia’s eczema issues.
  • Another object that is considered magical is a small green stone that Etan is given. The stone helps give him the strength to find words to speak. His grandfather explains,  “This, he says, is a bareket, an emerald, an ancient, powerful stone, like from the breastplate of Aaron . . . When you feel afraid to speak, hold the stone in your hand, tight tight tight, and it will bring you courage.” 
  • In order to heal Malia’s eczema, Etan and Malia combine his grandfather’s clay and the clay from the Sitting Stones pool. Ethan puts “clay on two fingers, dab it onto her face, around her eye. I [Ethan] pray, think of the trees, the pool, my green bareket, somewhere in the water . . . When most of the clay is off my hands, Malia starts humming, her voice like light. ‘Look!’ she cries. Her red, swollen arms are smooth, clear, like the red was never there.” To both of their amazement, the clay makes the redness disappear. 

Spiritual Content 

  • Etan’s family holds religion near and dear to their heart. His grandfather is a Jewish immigrant that uses his religion and the magic associated with it to teach Etan different lessons about life. He often reminds Etan how important it is to remember his heritage and the different objects that help represent them. When Etan’s grandfather leaves his workshop early, it is usually for a specific religious activity, like lighting the Shabbat Candles. “When he leaves extra early so he can be home to light the Shabbat candles. The candles, he says, they make us Jews.”
  • Etan’s grandfather has a small box full of valuables from his life in Prague. He believes that the objects within hold a magical power that each represents a different thing. The object most talked about in the book is the clay. “This is the last of the clay taken from the Vlata River by your ancestor, the Maharal himself . . . It’s the clay of the golem; it once made a terrible monster that defended the Jewish people in their time of great need.”
  • There are mentions of aspects of the Jewish religion throughout the text, but it isn’t until Etan begins to pray when using the clay on Malia, that there is a full string of Hebrew language used. “Baruch ata Adonaim Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha’aretz.” This is the prayer that they say for bread at Shabbat.

The Big Game

Danny Owens is the son of the legendary Super Bowl champion, Daniel Owens, and the next rising football star in his small town of Crooked Creek. Wanting to follow his father’s footsteps to the NFL, Danny knows that his football career depends on the big championship game, where an impressive performance could earn him a spot on the high school varsity football team.

However, his entire season takes an ugly turn when his father suffers a tragic death. To make matters worse, Danny’s teacher, Ms. Rait, threatens to fail him in English which would make him ineligible for the big game. With the pressure of emulating his father’s success weighing heavily on his shoulders, Danny must decide to improve his academics or risk losing his entire football future.

Danny is your typical seventh-grade football player who believes his entire future hinges on his football talent. Thanks to his dad’s presence and fame in Crooked Creek, Danny acts with humble arrogance and believes that his family’s name and football abilities alone can exempt him from his school’s challenging studies. However, Ms. Rait proves to be a direct foil to Danny’s intentions, and her refusal to ignore Danny’s poor reading skills because of his family’s fame creates tension between her and Danny. While neither character is perfect, they offer opportunities for each other to grow by exposing their strengths and shortcomings. For example, Ms. Rait acknowledges that “[Danny’s] a star athlete whose dad won the Super Bowl so when Danny struggled, [other teachers] ‘helped’ him. They passed him on. Let him cheat. And now he’s twelve and he can’t read.”

Unfortunately, readers will have a difficult time connecting with Danny and Ms. Rait. Danny is an unlikeable, angry character who refuses to shift from his football goals. Ms. Rait isn’t much better. Despite her position as his English teacher, her teaching methods seem overly strict and unforgiving, while her good-natured intentions for Danny don’t forgive her ill-tempered attitude. The only admirable character is the school counselor, Mr. Crenshaw, whose quiet personality and soft voice act as an oasis to the others’ noise. 

Despite the troubling main characters, the story attempts to offer a positive message on paving one’s own path. For one, the book identifies Danny’s issues by exploring how his father placed too much pressure on him and his future. In addition, Danny’s improvement in his reading skills appears to move toward a lesson about finding the strength to choose a destiny apart from his father’s. However, the story’s ending dashes this character development by completely restoring Danny’s dreams as a young football star without any consequences. 

The Big Game has the pieces for a good sports story with a lesson. It creates an engaging plot, sheds new light on mental issues, and keeps the reader hooked until the end. However, its unlikeable characters, unsatisfying ending, and wasted character development ultimately make it a frustrating read. Similar to The Big Game,  Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson uses football to show the complicated nature of fathers and sons. However, Before the Ever After is a more engaging story.

Sexual Content

  • Danny and his friend, Janey, ride together on a lawnmower. Danny remarks that “he could feel the back of her head against his own and her shoulder blades cutting into his back. He liked the way that felt, rumbling down the shoulder of Route 222.”
  • Danny and Janey have a brief interaction where Danny mistakenly believes that Janey is about to kiss him. “She parted her lips, maybe to say something, but he was afraid she might try to kiss him, or that he might try to kiss her, and that scared him silent.”
  • When Ms. Rait, Danny’s English teacher, mentions Danny and Janey,  Danny notices that Janey’s “freckles on her round cheeks stood out from her blush and [that] she cast her brown eyes at the floor.” 

Violence

  • During an early morning run, Danny’s father suffers a heart attack and dies in front of Danny. Danny’s father “suddenly gasped and straightened. He clutched his chest and staggered sideways just off the road . . . his father winced like he’d hammered his thumb, and then he pitched forward and collapsed in the dust.”
  • Two teammates on Danny’s team, Gabriel and Cupcake, engage in a fight during practice. They fight because Cupcake took Gabriel’s spot on the field, but nobody gets hurt. Coach Kinen breaks up the fight: “Cupcake shoved the monster, Gabriel, out of his spot at right tackle before stepping in. . . fists quickly began to fly.”
  • Markle, one of Danny’s teammates, punches Cupcake: “Markle sidestepped Cupcake, threw a roundhouse punch into his gut, and shoved him into the dirt. Cupcake lay gasping for breath.”
  • Danny beats up Markle for insulting his father: “Danny spun around and launched himself at Markle’s throat. He grabbed his mask, twisted it, and yanked his teammate to the ground with a war cry. Danny gripped the mask with both hands and shook and twisted until it came free. He flung it aside. The helmet flew through the air, and before it hit the ground Danny was pummeling Markle’s face . . . the older boy’s nose and cheeks were bloody and swollen. His eyes were two slits in the bruised fruit of his face.” This scene is described over two pages.
  • Throughout the story, Danny repeatedly kills his teammates on an X-box video game: “He laughed a crazy laugh, and when the round began, he systematically killed his own team, then pulled out a grenade and dropped it at his feet.”
  • In anger, Danny swings his crutch. “He swung his crutch like a flipper. The lamp on the stand next to the couch shattered. The light bulb popped in a blue flash.”
  • Danny attempts to save kittens from a chicken coop that was on fire. “Danny turned his head, took a deep breath, held it, and leapt into the coop. When his foot hit, it went straight through the floor, scraping his leg. Pain rocketed through his brain, but that was the least of his problems.” This scene is described over two pages.

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Danny’s mother and father frequently drink beer or smoke cigarettes. For example, his mother “lit one of her long, thin cigarettes and surrounded herself in a halo of smoke.”
  • Danny walks in on his mom drinking vodka and worries about her mental health. “His mom had the TV on and a glass of strawberry vodka in her hand . . . Danny knew she’d get mad if he said she was drinking too much.”
  • Cupcake’s brother, Herman, mentions using Advil when he was hurt. He says, “Nothin’ they could do, so I taped it up, took some Advil, and just kept milkin’ the cows.”
  • A couple of Markle’s friends “smoked cigarettes in the woods behind the school.”

Language

  • Markle calls Danny’s father, Daniel Owens, a “freeloading fat-butt has-been.”
  • Danny’s friend, Cupcake, calls Janey “Miss Fancy Pants.”
  • One of Danny’s video game buddies calls him an “idiot.”
  • Danny calls Ms. Rait “stupid.”
  • Danny yells at his mom “to shut up” in an outburst of anger.
  • Danny calls Ms. Rait “the devil.”

Supernatural

  • During a football game, Danny believes he hears his father’s spirit shouting instructions to him.
  • Danny finds himself in a dream sequence where he meets with his dead father. During the dream, his father talks to Danny about his life. “Danny, Danny, Danny. We don’t choose. You’re gonna be fine. I told you, I’m with you, and we will be together. I promise.”

Spiritual Content

  • During a counseling session, Danny asks Mr. Crenshaw if he believes “in heaven and the other place.”

Fast Pitch

Twelve-year-old Shenice Lockwood is the captain of her 12U softball team, the Fulton Firebirds, and she has only one goal this season: to win the DYSA 12U World Championship title. Not only would a championship reaffirm the obvious talent of her teammates, but it would also send a bigger, more important message to the softball world. That message would be that her all-black softball team belonged in their all-white league and deserved recognition and respect. 

However, when Shenice learns that her great grandpa JonJon’s baseball career was ruined by a crime he didn’t commit, she seeks the help of her Uncle Jack to uncover the truth of her family’s past. Faced with the pressure and the impossible decision between clearing her family’s name or leading her team to victory, Shenice must make a fateful choice that will forever change the game of softball.

From the start, readers will fall in love with the spunky, energetic Shenice Lockwood, who tells this story in her own humorous, yet authentic manner. Many readers will find Shenice’s heart to lead, love, and serve admirable. Her actions and decisions reveal a protagonist who’s determined to seek the truth and fight for equality. Whether it’s leading her teammates on a championship run, clearing an incident that put her great grandfather JonJon in jail, or admitting her feelings for her best friend Scoob, Shenice portrays the realistic struggles of a twelve-year-old girl amidst a topsy-turvy life.

Alongside Shenice, the book features several exciting side characters that push Shenice toward action and reflection. Whether it’s Shenice’s Uncle Jack, her hot-headed best friend Britt-Marie Hogan, or her teammates, Shenice’s interactions with these characters will keep the readers engaged with their quippy dialogue, profound revelations, and heartfelt conversations. Although Shenice doesn’t display drastic character growth, her view of softball does change, and she learns that some things, like winning a championship trophy, aren’t so important in the grand scheme of things. One of her teammates highlights this lesson by telling Shenice that “I did want to win, even just to make my dad proud. But what you were doing felt super important. And I think he would’ve been proud of me helping with that, too.”

Of course, the sport of softball plays a major role in the book, and readers will enjoy the frequent, fast-paced game scenes that break up the surrounding plotline. Thanks to the realistic plays, descriptions, and lingo, readers will feel completely immersed in the game of softball. The story also uses these game sequences as an important motivator for Shenice by reminding her of her great grandpa JonJon and her vow to clear his name.

By exploring the fractured relationship between the white and black communities, Fast Pitch addresses deeper topics such as discrimination in sports and the present-day struggles of the black community. Throughout its short eighteen chapters, the story captures the problem of inequality from a very mature perspective. Shenice’s troublesome experiences teach her to not ignore the past but to “dust [herself] off and get [her] head back in the game” despite the difficulties and hardships. As a result, she learns to overcome the various ways of discrimination in her life, like hurtful insults and Confederate flags. She chooses to pave her own future through the inclusion, recognition, and love for others on her softball team. Overall, Fast Pitch is more than just a softball story — it’s a tale that emphasizes the importance of love, family, and equality through a young girl’s quest to win a championship trophy.

Sexual Content

  • Shenice Lockwood’s parents listen to their favorite song and then, “they’re just smoochin’ away like nobody else lives here.”
  • Shenice develops feelings for a friend named Scoob. Her “face gets warm” and “palms go damp” when she’s around him.
  • On multiple occasions, Shenice says something about Scoob and how he makes her feel. For example, she wonders, “has he always had that cute mole under his eye . . . which for some reason is making my heart beat faster [and] which sparks all these swirly-tummy feelings?”

Violence

  • Shenice relays a memory where a girl slid into her ankle during a game. When Shenice tried to block home plate during a close play, the girl slid into her and “ripped through my tall socks and took out two large (for a nine-year-old, at least) chunks of my flesh. There was blood everywhere.” Her ankle is fractured.
  • Shenice slices her arm open on a shard of wood sticking out from a damaged door. She falls unconscious and finds herself in the hospital for treatment. “My right shoulder hits something that causes a snap, and then there’s a searing pain in my left forearm.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • When surprised, Shenice exclaims, “oh my god.” She does this several times. 
  • Shenice tells her best friend to “shut up.” 
  • Once, Shenice utters, “dang it,” in frustration.
  • One of Shenice’s teammates calls an opposing team’s girl an “apple-haired she-devil.”
  • “Idiot” is used once.
  • Once, the coach calls an opposing team “bigots.”
  • Several characters in Shenice’s team create creative nicknames for others, like “sour green-with-too-much-envy white dude.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Shenice’s mom begins one breakfast with a prayer: “Let’s say grace and get to eating before Li’l Man inhales the table.”
  • Shenice’s mom says “A-MEN” to affirm that Shenice’s grandparents are watching Shenice up from heaven.
  • Shenice acknowledges that “divine intervention” has helped everything fall into place.
  • Shenice visits her Uncle Jack at the hospital. Shenice “did something I don’t typically do: I prayed.”
  • Shenice believes that her great grandpa JonJon and great uncle Jack are “together again in whatever nice place we go after we’re not in our Earth bodies anymore.”

She Persisted: Maria Tallchief

Maria “Betty” Tallchief was one of the most famous American ballerinas who trailblazed onto the international ballet scene, but her rise to prima ballerina did not come easy. As another installment in the She Persisted series, Maria’s story follows her from her early years through her rise to international stardom.

Maria Tallchief was raised as part of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma and moved to California as a child. Her mother signed Maria up for ballet, and she loved it. Although she faced adversity because of her mixed heritage, she persisted because she loved the sport. Desiring to be a professional ballerina, Maria worked hard and moved to New York City to pursue her dreams.

To help her stand out in the ballet world, “Betty” was encouraged to change her name. While she changed her first name to Maria, she adamantly refused to change her last name from Tallchief, as she was proud of her Osage heritage. Because of Maria’s hard work, she became one of the most famous American ballerinas, and she became the first American to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet and work with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, the famed Russian ballet company. Most famously, she performed the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. 

Among her other notable achievements as a ballerina, her signature role Firebird helped launch her fame, and she became the first American to perform at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. Even in retirement, Maria continued to dedicate her time to ballet, moving to Chicago and opening her own ballet studio. She also continued her work in fighting for Native American rights in the United States, proudly speaking of her Osage heritage. Many organizations in Oklahoma to this day have dance studios and awards in her honor, including the University of Oklahoma’s Maria Tallchief Endowed Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to college-level dance students.

Young readers will find Maria Tallchief’s story engaging even if they don’t understand the magnitude of her fame and the scope of her impact on the ballet world. To help keep readers engaged, the book has short chapters and black-and-white illustrations that appear every three to five pages. Maria’s perseverance shines throughout the book and will appeal to a wide audience. 

Readers who enjoyed Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen and other biographies will enjoy Maria’s story because both books show that dreams can come true. She Persisted: Maria Tallchief 

ends with a list of ways that readers can be like Maria and highlights the importance of working hard to achieve your dreams. She Persisted: Maria Tallchief will appeal to readers interested in dance; however, it is also a worthwhile book for all young girls to read because it encourages chasing your dreams through dedication and passion, even in the face of adversity. For more inspirational dance-inspired stories twirl to the library and check out Parker Shines On by Parker Curry & Jessica Curry and Tallulah’s Ice Skates by Marilyn Singer.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • To help readers understand Maria’s upbringing, the book gives a brief overview of the Osage Nation. The narrator describes, “In the 1800s, the Osages and other Native Nations suffered in the area known as Indian Territory, which got smaller and smaller until it made up only most of what is now the state of Oklahoma . . . many Osage children were sent to boarding schools, and Osage elders could only share their histories and traditions in secret.”

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Maria developed arthritis later in her life, and she treated it with “herbs and Tylenol.”

Language 

  • Maria was often bullied by classmates for being Osage. Classmates made “war whoops” whenever they saw her. They asked her why she didn’t wear feathers in her hair. In addition, they made racist, hurtful comments about her father. They made fun of her last name, pretending to be confused by whether it was Tall or Chief.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • Maria is part of the Osage nation in Oklahoma, and they have their own religious beliefs and practices. The book notes that her parents “took the family to powwows held in remote corners of the Osage reservation. If they had been caught, they could have gotten in trouble. At the time, Native American ceremonies and gatherings were illegal. (And they would remain illegal until Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978, when Betty was fifty-three years old!)”

Mascot

Since the car accident, Noah Savino has been confined to his wheelchair. His past life as an average seventh grader has been turned upside down, and he struggles to find solace away from baseball. It doesn’t help that physical therapy is terrible, his mom seems extra stressed, and his old friend, Logan Montgomery, has turned into his new personal bully. To make matters worse, his father also passed away in a car accident that paralyzed him.

Everything changes, including his perspective on life, when Noah meets the new kid, Ruben Hardesty, a.k.a “Dee-Dub.” For the first time in his life, Noah finds someone different from others, and this blossoming friendship with Dee-Dub places Noah’s life on a roller coaster of emotion where he discovers that he’s more than just a kid in a wheelchair. Eventually, Noah learns that his past doesn’t dictate his future. He isn’t just a mascot rooting on the sidelines; he’s the ballplayer on the baseball diamond that can change both his and others’ lives. 

Throughout the book, readers will experience the typical life of a seventh-grade boy through the eyes of Noah Savino, a sassy but lovable character. Although his quick sarcasm and stubborn attitude can be irritating initially, readers will slowly discover the complex emotions hidden within Noah’s character. His growth from a boy stuck in the gloom of the past to a lovable friend with a heart for others is admirable and inspiring, and Noah’s story highlights that good can come from bad things — although not necessarily in the most straightforward manner. 

Noah’s character development is supported by a fantastic cast of side characters who showcase how the powers of friendship, love, and forgiveness can positively impact both the giver and the receiver. Readers will enjoy how each of the characters’ stories weaves together. Whether it’s strengthening his friendship with Dee-Dub, acknowledging his feelings for Alyssa, or being friendly to his overly competitive partner in physical therapy, Noah learns and grows because of each of the people in his life. Noah even learns to forgive his bully, Logan, after a heartfelt conversation. “For the first time in months, I bump [Logan’s] fist right back, and he smiles like he knows exactly what I’m thinking.”

Readers will relate to Noah because he recognizes that bad things happen in people’s lives. However, the story offers an important lesson about moving forward and focusing on the future. Although Mascot has its share of awkward moments, readers will fall in love with the emotional richness of the characters and how their everyday activities are enhanced by each other. For those who enjoy a fast-paced, moving saga littered with baseball references, Antony John’s Mascot is the perfect book for you. For more inspiring baseball action, read Soar by Joan Bauer and Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee.

Sexual Content

  • Noah Savino is repeatedly caught staring at his classmate, Alyssa Choo’s, boobs. She responds to the three instances with anger and immediate action, like “[sliding] onto the chair across the aisle from me and [folding] her arms across her chest.”
  • For several pages, Noah and Makayla Dillion discuss whether their parents are “sucking face.”
  • One of Makayla’s books mentions the character Gabriella kissing a boy, and “she seems to be enjoying it.”
  • Noah and Alyssa briefly touch hands. When she leaves, Noah notices the “empty space where she was touching me” and that “his skin tingles.”
  • After speaking with Alyssa, Noah notes that her voice was “a little quieter and breathier than before, makes me feel kind of tingly.”
  • At the end of the book, Noah and Alyssa exchange a kiss, where Noah notes that “she even stays in place as I turn my head, so that for an instant our lips brush together.”

Violence

  • During a contest, Alyssa purposely hits Logan Montgomery’s leg and Dee-Dub Hardesty’s stomach with a baseball. Logan “just watches as it lands a yard in front of him, ricochets off the ground, shoots up, and cracks against the outside of his left knee.”
  • Mr. Riggieri, Noah’s neighbor across the street, jokingly threatens to murder the three kids if they don’t help him clean. He says that they must help “or I’ll track you all down and murder you in your sleep.”

Drugs and Alcohol

  • Because of her pitching power, Noah once joked that Alyssa takes “steroids.”

Language

  • Noah’s mom says “for Pete’s sake” when Noah questions her about her upcoming dinner date.
  • Heck is used as an exclamation several times.
  • Noah says, “Geez. You’re like freaking Einstein.”
  • Noah calls a kid a “moron.”

Supernatural

  • During a baseball game, Noah believes his deceased father is “where he is now — on the sidelines, invisible but somehow present.”

Spiritual Content

  • None

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane

Emmy, a twelve-year-old girl from Connecticut, is being sent to boarding school in England so her mother can advance her career. Emmy’s mom is a child psychologist and “mentor for the moms and dads of America.” Emmy’s mother wants to make sure that her daughter will “get a top-notch education,” even if Emmy doesn’t love the idea of a boarding school. However, Wellsworth (Emmy’s new school) provides her with an exciting opportunity — to learn more about her mysterious father, who went missing when she was just three years old. Following instructions from a mysterious letter from “a friend,” Emmy searches her family’s home for any “relics” from her dad. Emmy finds a box with a letter from her father on top. He asks her to “keep them safe.” The box contains twelve beautiful medallions, but Emmy has no idea why these are so important to her father. 

Emmy is a sympathetic character, as she confronts issues readers may relate to, such as struggling to make friends in a new school. She explains, “Wellsworth wasn’t the first school her mom had sent her to so she could get a ‘top-notch education,’ and it probably wouldn’t be the last. She figured out a long time ago that friends never stuck around when she switched schools, so why bother making new ones?” However, Emmy’s mindset changes when she meets Lola and Jack; the three friends bond over difficulties with their families’ relationships. Lola’s mom is in charge of disciplining and ensuring order of all of the students in their dormitory, and Jack’s family is deeply involved with the dangerous Order of Black Hollow Lane. After spending so much time with them, Emmy realizes, “They really had become like her family.” 

One of the major themes in Nobel’s book is the danger of being greedy and seeking power. While researching the school’s architecture, Emmy and her friends find a book with information about the Order of Black Hollow Lane, a secret society that started at Wellsworth. A teacher explains, “There will always be people who crave power. And people who will go to any lengths to hold onto it.” This perfectly encapsulates the members of the Order and, as Emmy discovers, this is why her father tried to stop them by stealing their “only one complete collection of medallions” that act as keys for them to access their vaults of money.

Another major theme is growing to love a new school or environment, as Emmy ultimately does with Wellsworth. She bonds with her friends, Lola and Jack, and also finds that, “It doesn’t matter if it feels weird. This is my home.” Readers who enjoy mystery or books about secret societies will love this novel as its twists and turns will leave you wanting more. At first, Emmy feels completely alone at her new school as she deals with a cruel roommate on top of a completely new environment. But when Emmy meets Lola and Jack, she is finally able to share her feelings with them and they become her best friends. 

Emmy also finds herself most comfortable representing her new school on the soccer field. Emmy joins the soccer team with her friend Lola and playing helps Emmy gain confidence. She explains, “This was where she belonged. Her heart was meant to pound with the rhythm of fast feet . . . No matter where she was in the world, the smell of freshly cut grass meant she was home.” Though the book mainly centers around Emmy and her friends searching for information on her missing father and about the awful intentions of the Order, readers who enjoy soccer will enjoy that Emmy spends a great deal of time discussing and playing soccer with Lola. 

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane wraps up Emmy’s first semester at Wellsworth and ends with her returning home to Connecticut for the summer. Emmy has seemingly convinced the members of the Order that she has thrown the box containing the medallions into the sea, “Now that [the Order’s medallions] are gone, there’s no reason for the Order to come after [Emmy].” However, the book leaves the readers on edge as it sets up for The Secret of White Stone Gate, as Emmy reveals to Jack and Lola that she actually still has the real box of medallions. Readers will be thrilled to find out what Emmy will do next as she returns to Wellsworth after her summer at home. If you’re up for more intriguing mysteries, check out the Wolfe & Lamb Series by Lauren St. John and the City Spies Series by James Ponti. Strong readers looking for more suspense and mystery should also read Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • In her humanities class, Emmy’s friend, Lola, explains that Anne Boleyn is “a queen who got her head hacked off.”
  • Lola describes a time during a soccer game in which she “punched a girl in the middle of a match and got herself banned for most of last season.” Lola explains that this was because the girl was bullying her teammate.
  • Lola recounts the time she “slugged Brynn [her cousin]” and then “had to do community service.” Lola explains, “He thinks his side of the family is so much better than ours because they have more money.”
  • It is not described in detail, but students gossip about Jack’s brother, Malcom, who “fell off the chapter house roof.” He is injured but okay. 
  • While Emmy searches to find out more information about a mysterious letter from “Brother Loyola,” she runs into Brynn who approaches her and “ripped the letter from her hand.” Brynn is furious and demands to know where she got the letter. “He shoved her into the wall. Pain shot through her back as she crunched into the hard stone. She tried pushing back but he had her pinned.” To get away from Brynn, Emmy “sprang forward and kicked him in the shins as hard as she could. He grunted and limped back, and Emmy launched her whole body into his. He crashed into the display case, and Emmy ran past him.”
  • After constantly dealing with bullying from her snobby roommate, Victoria, Emmy comes back to her room to find her side completely trashed. “Something had finally snapped. She kept running until she reached Victoria and shoved her so hard she fell back onto the couch.”
  • Brynn is bullying Lola and Emmy and he calls Emmy’s father a “deadbeat,” which makes Emmy completely furious. “It happened in the blink of an eye: Emmy let go of Lola, reached back, and punched Brynn square in the face. He doubled over, hand on his eye, moaning like a wounded animal.”
  • As Emmy and her friends uncover the entrance to the Order of Black Hallow Lane, Emmy is separated from them in the tunnels and encounters a figure in the darkness. She is horrified to realize it is the security guard, Jonas. “Jonas’ kindness . . . All his helpful suggestions. It was all fake.” He reveals that he is the leader of the Order, Brother Loyola, and that he has been “keeping a close eye on [Emmy] for a while. Ever since [she] asked [him] about [her dad].” He blocks her path to exit the tunnels and threatens her. Jonas says, “We should be far enough away now that your friends won’t hear us.”
  • Jonas describes how Emmy’s father, Thomas Allyn, joined the Order with him but refused to participate in the illegal activities they did. “As our influence has grown, it has needed to move outside the law. Dealing in weapons, the black market, the underground diamond trade — these are all necessary parts of our work.” Emmy is afraid of Jonas and wonders, “What lengths would Jonas go to?”
  • Emmy’s father decided he did not want to participate in the Order when, “One of his friends was injured when an initiation ritual went too far.” Jonas chocks this up to, “The girl was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just an accident.” But Emmy senses that is not true.
  • To escape Jonas in the tunnel, Emmy “grabbed a lantern off its hook and flung it at Jonas with all her might. The flame blew out, but the sound shattering lantern glass and garbled yelling told her that she’d hit her mark.”
  • Jonas corners Emmy in the belfry of the school’s church where, “Even the teachers’ housing is too far away to hear us.” And then he approaches her, “He took a knife out of his pocket.” He tries to force Emmy to give him the box of medallions. He says, “Hand it over, or I’ll have to take it one way or another. You’d be amazed by what I can pass off as an accident.” Emmy escapes by jumping onto the giant rope connected to the bell, sliding down until she can jump to her escape.

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language 

  • Occasionally, mild language, such as suck and stupid, is used by the main characters. 
  • When they are frustrated or confused, the British characters, such as Emmy’s friends Lola and Jack, use bloody for emphasis.
  • Rarely, Lola uses prat to refer to someone she thinks is a bad person. 

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • Lola explains to Emmy that she only punched the girl during the soccer game because, “That girl was making fun of [her teammate’s] hijab. She’s Muslim, and she likes to keep her head covered when she plays. What else was I supposed to do?”
  • On Emmy’s birthday, which she laments “her mom hadn’t once mentioned,” Lola explains that the school celebrates “Saint Audrey’s Feast Day! We get a proper feast tonight to honor our house’s illustrious patron, Saint Audrey.”
  • Jack explains the “houses” or dormitories the students are separated into are “named after saints . . . Edmund, Felix, Withburga . . . they were all saints from this part of England.”

The Lucky Baseball Bat

Martin Allan is a new boy in town who wants to play baseball for his local baseball league. However, after a disappointing first tryout, Martin loses confidence in his baseball skills. That is, until a friendly neighbor named Barry Welton gives Martin a new glove and a lucky baseball bat. With the new bat, Martin rediscovers his baseball skills and leads his team to the Grasshoppers League World Series. However, when Martin discovers that his lucky baseball bat has gone missing, he panics that the baseball season will be lost! Will Martin find his lucky baseball bat in time to save his team’s season?

Martin is a young boy with a passion for baseball who struggles with a lack of confidence and a timid personality. Told from his point of view, readers will relate to Martin’s difficulty in moving to a new town, making new friends, and jumping into a new baseball league. However, Martin’s ability to move past these obstacles and succeed will be inspirational for many readers. His uplifting personality and strong determination to solve his problems also make him a very likable character.

Martin wears his emotions on his sleeve and his reactions to his circumstances range from excitement to sadness and anger. While some of Martin’s responses seem to encourage adverse reactions, such as blaming another kid on his team for taking his lucky bat, Martin ultimately grows as a character by learning to move past these impulsive responses. He learns from his mistakes and becomes an admirable character who is patient, kind, and forgiving. After accusing Rick of taking his bat, Martin apologizes saying, “Rick, I—I’m sorry that I said you had my bat. I got it back yesterday. Freckles Ginty had taken it out of my yard.”

Martin’s adventures with his new baseball team teach readers the importance of having confidence in one’s abilities. It’s easy to place one’s worth in outside things, like how Martin puts his athletic worth in one baseball bat, but the story encourages readers to recognize that their strengths and talents come from within themselves. Whether on the baseball field, in the theater, or with a pen and paper, we all can find strength in what we love to do. It just takes a little bit of confidence.

The Lucky Baseball Bat is beautifully told in ten short chapters with enlarged print and easily understandable words. Each chapter features one fully illustrated page that depicts crucial moments in the story with enjoyable, pencil-drawn images. Overall, The Lucky Baseball Bat is the perfect story for those who love baseball. With memorable characters, an engaging plot, and supporting illustrations, readers will enjoy Martin’s journey as a baseball player. Plus, they will learn that succeeding in their endeavors starts with believing in themselves.

Readers who want to learn more about baseball should read the non-fiction book Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse by David A. Kelly and Catching the Moon by Crystal Hubbard. Other fiction series that will appeal to baseball fans are The Ballpark Mysteries Series by David A. Kelly and Little Rhino Series by Ryan Howard & Krystle Howard.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • A mean bully calls Martin Allan a “hick” for missing a fly ball.
  • The head coach of the baseball team, Jim Cassell, yells “for Pete’s sake.”

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None 

Howard Hates Sports

Howard is the youngest member of a large family who loves sports. However, unlike his athletic siblings, Howard hates sports and finds attending his family’s sporting games annoying and boring. Instead of watching the games, he explores the world underneath the bleachers and meets many friends along the way, such as Macho Nacho, Lefty the Shoe, and Rock Hard Soft Pretzel. There, Howard and his friends play a very silly game, and he learns that maybe sports aren’t such a bad thing after all. 

Many readers will find Howard to be a very relatable character. He feels pressured to love sports because of his family, yet he chooses to pursue his own interests. He finds joy through his imagination, using discarded objects to create a game. Although Howard does isolate himself from his family during sporting events, he enjoys playing a game that vaguely resembles the sport of baseball: “If Howard hits one of the balls to the Sticky Spot of No Return, he wins. If he misses the ball all three times, Macho Nacho is the Bleacher League Champion!”

Howard’s adventure under the bleachers teaches readers that differences aren’t a bad thing; in fact, people can discover similarities through their differences. Although Howard hates sports, he still loves his siblings and appreciates their athletic skills and strengths. He doesn’t let his differences impact his view of himself either, as he finds excitement in his own games, which ironically appear much like the sports games he dislikes. Howard Hates Sports acknowledges that while we have many differences, we all share similarities as well. 

Each page of Howard Hates Sports has fun illustrations that add to the book’s quirky charm. Readers will fall in love with the colorful depictions of everyday objects. The book’s simple art style enhances the story’s silly take on the game of baseball. In addition, Howard Hates Sports contains large, easy-to-read text that includes many words bolded and filled in with color. The special font highlights critical moments in the plot. Each page has one to seven sentences; however, beginning readers may need an adult’s help reading the complex sentences. Howard Hates Sports would be fun to read aloud because it includes dialogue, alliteration, and rhyming text. 

Howard Hates Sports is a perfect book for those new to sports. The personification of many ordinary objects, like nacho chips, hotdogs, and shoes, aid the book’s sports theme and serve as lovable side characters; for example, “His old pal, Lefty the Shoe, who lost his partner, Righty, some time ago, holds out a frayed lace to shake Howard’s hand.” These characters enhance the story by offering a splash of humor to keep readers engaged. With its relatable protagonist, silly characters, and engaging illustrations, readers will discover that despite our differences, we can all find similarities between us. Readers who enjoy humorous stories should also add Don’t Throw it to Mo! by David A. Adler to their reading list.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • None

Language

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • None

Out Of Left Field

Spunky fifth-grader Katy Gordon is the best baseball pitcher in her neighborhood. She spends every passing moment on the baseball diamond, where she’s mastered the art of pitching and left many neighborhood boys befuddled with her bat-missing “Sunday” knuckleball. However, when she’s recruited to play in the local Little League, she quickly runs into a massive problem. She’s a girl. And girls don’t play baseball.

Angry and frustrated with the league’s discrimination, Katy embarks on an adventure to prove Little League wrong — girls have played baseball before. Katy’s investigation leads her on a collision course with the past and present, where she learns extraordinary truths about women’s roles in baseball that were buried in history. Although the odds are stacked against her, can Katy prove that women belong on the baseball field too? Can she change the sport of baseball forever?

Set in the late 1950s, the story follows young, determined Katy Gordon, who refuses to give up her passion for baseball despite Little League’s rules. Out in Left Field details Katy’s journey to build her argument for women’s baseball, and it takes upon a detective-like atmosphere, where Katy searches to uncover valuable truths about women’s history. In her quest she reads important articles about famous historical figures like Jackie Mitchell, who was a professional girl baseball player. The story incorporates a nice blend of fictional characters with actual historical events, and this inclusion makes the heavier topics of the United States’s history, like the space race and segregation, easier to digest within an uplifting, fictional tale.

Katy’s resilient attitude toward hardships is admirable, and her curious yet innocent personality can cause even the most stubborn readers to root for her cause. Many readers will relate to Katy’s experiences, too, as the book perfectly relays the realistic struggles of fighting against overwhelming odds. Whether it’s supporting the inclusion of girls in Little League or the desegregation of major league baseball, Katy’s character fits with the book’s central theme of advocating for what’s right. Out in Left Field teaches readers that it’s important to stand up for what you believe — even if people disagree with your claim. 

While the story focuses mainly on Katy’s passion for baseball, it occasionally jumps to different topics, such as the increasing tensions between the United States and Russia or the relocation of a popular baseball team. These shifts may be a little aggravating for the readers. More importantly, its conclusion can also feel underwhelming for readers who want a clear resolution to all the book’s issues. However, the book’s main message is important as the story teaches that everyone’s fight for justice is different and important. And through whatever outcome, people’s efforts can have substantial, lasting effects on others, such as Katy’s influence on other girls who want to play baseball. Although Out Of Left Field is the third book in a series, it is still an enjoyable story for readers who haven’t read the first two books. 

Overall, Out of Left Field is a charming story that showcases a young girl’s fortitude in the face of unfortunate circumstances. Thanks to the enjoyable main character, Katy Gordon, and her cast of engaging side characters, the book presents an inspiring tale of fighting for what’s right while exploring some heavier topics like segregation, women’s rights, and the space race. The end of the book also contains some excerpts about real woman ballplayers that connect the story’s central message with historical figures. This roughly twenty-four-page section features hand-drawn images of the ballplayer with a small paragraph detailing her role in baseball and her accomplishments. As a result, Out Of Left Field’s fictional tale sheds light on these important historical figures through a beautiful, well-written story about advocacy and baseball. Readers interested in learning more about the history of baseball should also read the picture books Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki and Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream by Crystal Hubbard.

Sexual Content

  • None

Violence

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol

  • During conversations, Katy’s mom regularly smokes, and motions with a cigarette. For example, her mom “sat down and stubbed out her cigarette.”
  • Throughout the story, Katy’s mom and Aunt Babs regularly drink beer. For example, Katy’s mom “went to the fridge, opened a beer, [and] handed me a coke.”
  • During a Yom Kippur dinner, Katy’s Gramma and her extended family drink “wine so sweet they even let [Katy] have a taste.”
  • During a barbecue, beer and cigarettes are offered to family members. Katy “got an Orange Crush out of a big washtub full of ice and bottles of soda and beer.”

Language

  • The narrator repeatedly uses the term “Negros” for the black community.
  • Some of the boys at baseball tryouts shout insults such as “chimp-face,” “butt-sniffer,” “stinker,” and “candyass,” at Katy and the other boys.
  • Katy’s coach once utters “Jesus” in astonishment.
  • Katy’s mom curses multiple times; she uses “darn tootin’,” “ass,” and “bastards.”
  • Katy’s friend uses “crap,” “stupid,” and “jerks” in anger toward the Little League committee. 
  • Sticks, one of Katy’s classmates, begins to say, “That’s a load of bull—” but he stops mid-sentence.
  • When a kid was making fun of Katy, PeeWee once mutters, “Aw, for the love of Pete. Shut your trap.”
  • Joey and Josh, Katy’s classmates, twice utter “damn” in astonishment at Katy’s pitching ability.
  • A retired ballplayer, Toni Stone, repeatedly uses “damn” and “hell” in frustration.
  • One of Katy’s classmates, Matt, once shouted “jeez-Louise” in surprise at an announcement.

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content

  • Katy’s family celebrates “Yom Kippur. The end of the Jewish New Year.”
  • Katy’s family repeatedly says, “the prayers” and “Hebrew prayers” before eating Yom Kippur meals.
  • Madge, one of Katy’s classmates, talks about her church and explains that her “pastor said godless communists shouldn’t control the heavens.”
  • People pray “for Laika’s safe return” from space. 
  • At one point in the story, Katy’s best friend celebrates “Hanukkah” with her family.

Tallulah’s Tutu

Tallulah just knows she could be a great ballerina—if only she had a tutu. She signs up for ballet class with great anticipation, only to be disappointed when tutus aren’t handed out. When she learns that one must earn a tutu in dance class, she quits in a huff. But everywhere Tallulah goes, things keep reminding her of ballet. Her neighbor’s basset hound always stands in second position, and Tallulah always does a plié when patting him. And she can’t pass a store window without doing a beautiful finish, or hear music over the grocery store intercom without performing. In the end, Tallulah returns to dance lessons because she can’t stay away, and, after working hard all year . . . she gets her tutu.  

Even though Tallulah’s Tutu focuses on ballet, any child who is learning a new skill can benefit from reading Tallulah’s Tutu. Tallulah clearly loves dance and she practices at class and at home. Her little brother, Beckett, is adorably cute and often copies Tallulah’s dance poses. Readers will relate to Tallulah’s desire to earn her tutu quickly. At the end of each dance class, Tallulah imagines all the reasons that she hasn’t been given her tutu. For example, Tallulah thinks, “her tutu must be coming from Paris. They would fly it in next week.” In order to help readers understand Tallulah’s thoughts, an illustration shows a plane flying away from the Eiffel Tower.

Tallulah’s Tutu will appeal to readers who are interested in dance; in class, Tallulah learns different types of positions that are illustrated in the front and back of the book. In order to help readers distinguish the narration from Tallulah’s thoughts, her thoughts are written in large, bold letters. Since each page has two to seven sentences, parents will need to read the picture book to their little ones rather than children reading it on their own.

Tallulah’s conflict is relatable and comes to life in beautiful, pastel pictures that are adorably cute. The other students in Tallulah’s ballet class have different skin tones and one student is a boy. There is a lot to like about Tallulah’s Tutu, including a kind ballet teacher. Plus, Tallulah’s mother allows Tallulah to quit ballet and start back up when she is ready. Since Tallulah must work hard to earn her Tutu, readers will understand Tallulah’s pride when she finally wears her beautiful tutu. Readers will also love the sweet moment when Becket gives Tallulah flowers that perfectly match her tutu. To learn more about ballet, readers should pirouette to the library and also checkout Parker Shines On by Parker & Jessica Curry and A Girl Named Misty by Kelly Starling Lyons.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Now is the Time for Running

In the poor village of Gutu in Zimbabwe, Deo and his family live in one room. The people of his village are starving and struggling. Deo doesn’t even have a proper soccer ball to play with – just a bag of leather and twine – but this village is the only place he’s called home. When government soldiers destroy Gutu for housing “dissidents” suddenly Deo has lost his family, his home, and his happiness all at once. Deo’s mentally disabled older brother, Innocent, is his only remaining relative. Deo must get Innocent to safety in South Africa, but the journey to a better life is harder than he could ever imagine.

First, Deo and Innocent leave Zimbabwe. As they travel, they see a country torn apart by the government’s purge of dissenters. They narrowly escape run-ins with soldiers and travel through dangerous wilderness to cross the border. They spend some time at a farm, but danger arises when the local workers don’t like that refugees have stolen their jobs. The promise of a better, safer life lies in the city of Johannesburg. Once again, Deo and Innocent uproot themselves and travel to the city.

However, Johannesburg doesn’t turn out to be the haven they heard about. Instead of fighting against the government, the people in South Africa are fighting each other. Groups of radicals are calling for “foreigners” – the refugees from other African nations – to go home or be eradicated. They destroy refugee-owned shops and ruin their homes. During one of these raids, Innocent is killed. 

Without his brother, Deo doesn’t know what to feel. In fact, he wants to feel nothing at all. The book resumes almost two years later with Deo addicted to drugs and living on the streets. His life changes by chance when a soccer coach sees Deo’s skill with the ball, and suddenly Deo is given a place to sleep, warm food to eat, and a reason to live: playing soccer.  

At first, his team is a far cry from a family. Deo thinks they come from too many different places to understand each other. However, Deo’s coach convinces them that their strength lies their differences. They play successfully at the Street Soccer World Cup, also known as the Homeless World Cup – a competition that brings refugees and street kids together for the chance to change their lives. The story doesn’t reveal how the final match ends, but for Deo, his new life is just beginning. 

Inspired by true events, Now is the Time for Running is a journey of displacement through the eyes of a young man. Deo tells it like it is – he doesn’t shy away from the situation in Zimbabwe despite how much pain it causes him. It’s necessary to note that this book does not shy away from the horrors of civil war, poverty, and intolerance. While this book is not for the faint of heart, the lessons and truths it brings to light are meaningful and powerful. As a narrator, Deo goes through more in a few years than many people suffer through in their whole lives, but this doesn’t make him less relatable. Deo wants to protect the people he loves and to be happy – goals that anyone can relate to.

The first lesson of this book is clear: Deo never gives up. His unrelenting goal to protect his brother and escape the disastrous situation in Zimbabwe shows that he is continuously determined to have a better life. Even after Innocent dies and Deo struggles with addiction, he gets back on his feet through the soccer program. Despite great odds, Deo shows that people can always make the choice to persevere towards their goals. 

The other main theme of the story is not as apparent, but it’s one of the reasons readers see repeated instances of violence as Deo searches for a new place to call home: The “us vs. them” mentality. While present throughout the whole book, such as when the soldiers massacre the people of Gutu or when Innocent is killed in the anti-refugee riots, this issue comes to a head in Deo’s soccer team. After fighting breaks out amongst the teams, Deo’s coach teaches them that the true strength lies in their differences. The coach says, “Each of you brings something special to this team. Zimbabwe has brought me guts and determination; from Kenya, I get lightness and speed; from Mozambique, superb ball control and agility. . . It is because we are not the same that we are stronger than any other team in this competition! All of you have learned to play soccer in different parts of Africa. Our combined playing style is like no other in the world.” Once the team listens to the stories of their fellow teammates, they understand that they all have suffered, but they can all move forward together. 

Now is the Time for Running is a powerful book that teaches that strength does not lie in forcing everyone to be the same; it comes from accepting that everyone’s differences bring something new and unique to the table. Readers who want to learn about history through the eyes of an athlete should also read The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow.

Sexual Content 

  • The guards punish Innocent by taking his clothes away. When Deo rescues him, Innocent throws a fit about being naked, but Deo convinces Innocent to come with him by saying that the soldiers might take both their clothes. “We don’t want the soldiers to come back and take my clothes too. Then we’ll both be naked. . . Can you imagine everyone laughing at our butts and our balls bouncing around?” 
  • One of the women that Deo and Innocent stay with is a sex worker. 
  • Two of the soccer players, T-Jay and Keelan, have a short exchange. When T-Jay says Keelan has a “cute butt,” Keelan gives him the middle finger. 
  • Innocent always carried a condom. Keelan says, “Perhaps your brother knew more about sex than you think.” Deo replies, “Innocent didn’t like girls much. He saw safe-sex ads everywhere, and he thought that condoms would keep him safe from girls.”
  • During a game, Deo describes, “Keelan. . . scored her third goal and headed straight to me. I was sitting on the bench when she threw her arms around me and kissed me on the cheek.”

Violence 

  • Deo punches a kid named Pelo who calls him crazy on the soccer field. “Pelo does not have the chance to finish what he’s saying because he has to deal with my fist in his mouth. . . ” Another kid pulls Deo away before the fight continues.
  • When Deo sees soldiers carrying guns, he thinks about the damage guns can cause. “I have seen a cow cut in half from a burst from one of those guns.” 
  • Deo knows stories about the violence brought by the soldiers. The soldiers “went to Chipinge when the people were angry from hunger, so angry that some of them were killed. Auntie Aurelia told us that her niece was one of those who were hungry. She did not say how she bled to death.”
  • Commander Jesus comes to Deo’s village, Gutu, to kill dissenters of the government. Commander Jesus says, “In the back of my jeep there is a drum filled with blood. The blood came from people who voted wrongly. My life is to drink human blood. My supply is running low. I have come here to kill dissidents. . . You are going to eat eggs, after eggs hens, after hens goats, after goats cattle. . . . Then you are going to eat your children. After that you shall eat your wives. Then the men will remain, and because dissidents have guns, they will kill the men and only dissidents will remain. That’s how we will find who they are, and then we will kill them.” 
  • The soldiers and Commander Jesus hurt Grandpa Longdrop. Deo witnesses “an awful crunch and [I] see Grandpa Longdrop collapse in front of me. His eyes look dazed. He tries to get up, and I try to reach him to tell him to stay down, but then Commander Jesus kicks him. He crumples.” 
  • Deo’s mentally disabled brother, Innocent, comes to defend Grandpa Longdrop. “Innocent runs screaming toward Commander Jesus with a stick raised high above his head. He cracks it down on Commander Jesus’s outstretched hands.” The soldiers attack Innocent. “The soldiers beat Innocent with their rifle butts. What is worse than the sound of wood against the bones of your brother?. . . Innocent does not cry. He lies like a baby, curled up, his hands and arms covering his head. . . Innocent is pulled to his knees. His face is crooked, his eyes black balls. Blood trickles from his broken nose.” Innocent later recovers from these injuries.
  • Commander Jesus has the soldiers beat all the residents of Gutu. “The soldiers beat us as we lie on the ground. . . Useless hands against hard sticks. Elbows cracked. Heads smacked. Screams. Flashes of wood. Soldiers grunting. And pain. Lots of it.” 
  • After the beating, Deo assesses the townspeople’s injuries. “Grandpa Longdrop lies on the ground, his head in my [mother’s] lap. Sometimes he groans, and sometimes he is so quiet that I am afraid that he will never wake up. . . The backs of my legs hurt where the soldiers’ sticks fell, but this is nothing to what others have suffered. One of Lola’s brothers has a broken arm. Bhuku’s [mother] has a split in her head that bleeds and bleeds. Shadrack’s little sister could be dead.”
  • The soldiers pull a truck driver out of his car and kick him before letting him run away.
  • The soldiers take Innocent as punishment for hitting Commander Jesus. Deo finds him later. “A naked body is lying in the middle of the [cattle pen]. The man’s wrists are tied to pegs in the ground. His ankles are tied to the end of a log that stretches his legs wide apart. There is a sack over his head. . . I notice ants crawling all over his body. . . There is dried blood at the side of his mouth, his nose is broken, and his eyes are all puffy.” Innocent says the soldiers also peed on him.
  • The soldiers end up killing everyone in Deo’s village. “Gunshots rat-a-tat-tat across the valley. . .I crawl forward into the noise of people dying. The soldiers are shooting. People are running away. Some are falling. Now the soldiers hold their guns as if they mean business. Their guns bark, come alive in their hands, their bullets rip into the earth, the walls, trees, pots, chairs, and flesh. I watch. I am too afraid to turn away. People scream; their cries are cut in half by bullets.” 
  • Deo finds his mother (or “Amai”)  and Grandpa Longdrop among the dead villagers. “Amai is lying face down. Her arms are thrown out in front of her as if she is trying to grab something out of her reach. Her back is covered with a damp patch of blood. . . I find Grandpa Longdrop. He stares up at the sky. His mouth is open. He does not look like Grandpa Longdrop anymore. I find Shadrack. Dead. There is Lola. Blood where her face should be. Her brothers are lying not far away.” 
  • During a soccer game, Deo gets angry and kicks a boy named Aziz. “I charge [Aziz] from behind and deliberately kick his ankles. He falls, and the players on his team shout at me.. . . Aziz gets up, inspects his knee. It’s bloody.”
  • When crossing the border, two of the men in the group climb an electric fence and are electrocuted. “The two men run ahead, faster than us. They are the first to reach the fence. They start climbing. . . The wire fizzes, crackles, and the men shriek and fall to the ground as the electricity burns them.” The men are dazed but recover. 
  • An anti-refugee gang pulls a shopkeeper named Ahmed from his store and beats him. “Hands grab Ahmed and pull him onto the street. He screams as many sticks fall on him. . . Ahmed’s white robes turn red with blood.” It’s unknown whether he lives or dies.
  • Deo finds Angel, a sex worker, beaten up by one of her clients. “Angel is covered with blood, beaten. She lies on her bed, curled up in a ball. Her face is swollen. . .” Angel explains that her clients “were tired of paying a kwerekwere [a foreigner]. They wanted it for free.”
  • Deo finds Innocent’s dead body on the ground during an anti-immigrant raid. “I see the shape of a human head, lying on its side. The shape of an arm and a hand. . . I reach the body of my brother, facedown on the ground, covered with rubble.”
  • A refugee named Muhammad commits suicide by jumping into the ocean. “Muhammad had had enough of what he called a life without hope and without country. . . so he chose to run to the blue horizon. [The police] sent out a boat to fetch [Muhammad], but they never found him.”
  • While playing soccer, T-Jay and Deo get in a fight. “T-Jay lashed out at me with his elbow. The blow caught me squarely between the eyes, and for a moment I thought I was going to fall down. But instead of taking me down, it was like a switch that flicked on inside me. My fist found its way up T-Jay’s nose and my knee said hello to his balls. . . he got in quite a few good punches before my nose started bleeding. I stopped kicking T-Jay only when I heard [the] whistle bursting my eardrum.”
  • Keelan explains how she ended up in South Africa. Soldiers came to her town to punish the people who had voted wrongly. Her father, the community leader, was killed. Keelan says, “they had chopped off his arms with a machete.” 
  • T-Jay shares his story too. His father lost his foot when he stood on a landmine. T-Jay’s father “couldn’t work anymore, so he stayed at home. He beat the crap out of me until the social services took him away.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • Captain Washington, a family friend of Deo, drinks after he learns Deo’s mother is dead. Captain Washington “brings back a bottle of booze. He pours himself a drink and swallows it quickly…At least when he drinks, he is no longer crying.”
  • After his brother dies, Deo gets addicted to sniffing glue, a common addiction for street kids in South Africa. Deo says, “the glue makes everything weightless.” He also calls it the “magic tube.” Deo talks about getting high off glue and the withdrawal symptoms, which include vomiting and muscle aches. 
  • Deo notices that some of the other kids on his South African soccer team are also “glue-tube heads.”
  • T-Jay’s father was an alcoholic.
  • T-Jay says it’s too late for him to go back to school because he got into drugs.

Language   

  • The story contains some profanity. Shit is used a few times; damn is used three times.
  • Deo says fear smells worse than “dog crap.”
  • A rude man calls Mai Maria, a woman who helps Deo and Innocent cross the border, a “filthy Rasta woman.”
  • Angel calls someone a “bitch.”
  • The slur kwerekwere is used occasionally. It is a derogatory term for foreigners or outsiders. It is used by gangs of people who want to expel the refugees from their country.
  • The guy who sells Deo glue says, “get your ass down here.”

Supernatural 

  • There is a rumor that Mai Maria is a witch who eats children. 

Spiritual Content 

  • The Methodist Church is mentioned throughout the story because they sometimes provide food and shelter for refugees or struggling communities. Once, Deo stays in a shelter set up by the Methodist Church. 
  • Deo talks about Spirits. “Grandpa Longdrop says that there are two kinds of people, those who believe in the Spirits and those who don’t. . . I understand the Spirits of the Wind, the Spirits of the Rocks, and the Spirits of the Trees are all those who have died and live on in other ways. I understand that they watch over us, that they can sometimes be angry because we forget them. And it is said that when they are angry, they can sometimes punish us. But this thing of the beating [by the soldiers] is too big to blame on the Spirits. They would not allow such a painful thing to happen. If I believe in Spirits, why would I believe in something that causes such pain? Surely the Spirits had nothing to do with what has happened in our village.”
  • Deo sings an ancient Spirit song passed down by his family to prompt Innocent into a fit so they can distract a group of soldiers. “It is always terrible to see Innocent when he has one of his fits. . . People are afraid of Innocent when he becomes like this. They think he is possessed. They think that the Spirits have taken over his body.” The lyrics of the song are not included in the story.
  • One of the items that Innocent carried with him was a pocket Bible with a note inside from their father. The note reads: “To Innocent and Deo, This is not a book of laws but a book of love. It will always be your salvation.” 
  • The soccer team from the Philippines at the Homeless World Cup chants, “For God and for country!” 
  • Bishop Desmond Tutu, who has come to oversee the Homeless World Cup, thanks God and says to the players, “God bless you all!” 

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner

Considered the fastest woman of all time, Florence Griffith Joyner, also known as Flo Jo, set two world records in 1988 that still stand today. But getting there wasn’t easy, and Flo Jo had to overcome many challenges along the way. The book begins with Florence’s early childhood when she raced her siblings and the jackrabbits that lived in the Mojave Desert. As she raced the jackrabbits, she “got faster and faster. Then one day she caught a jackrabbit.”

Florence loved running and she loved fashion. When Florence began school, the other kids teased her about her clothes, but Florence’s mother taught her to “just move on.” This mantra served Florence throughout her life. Florence persisted in reaching her goals even when circumstances were unfair. When others doubted her, Florence just worked harder.

After overcoming many obstacles, Florence won silver at the 1984 Olympics for the 200-meter race. Despite medaling, Florence was disappointed in herself. “She did not want to be remembered as being second best,” and she vowed to do better in the next Olympics. Throughout her running career, Florence still had many other interests, including fashion. Florence continued to embrace bright colors and she even “found ways to stand out in her colorfully self-styled track outfits.” In the end, Florence embraced both her love of fashion and her love of running.

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner introduces young readers to an Olympian who was known as the fastest runner in the world. The chapter book gives glimpses of Florence’s early years, her family life, as well as the racial and economic obstacles that she overcame. Through her can-do attitude and her ability to move past hardship, Florence trained and pushed herself until she reached her goals. However, Florence also continued expressing her artistic side through her fashion and by painting, writing, and even acting. In 1993, Florence was named as co-chair to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness; she used this platform to help “educate children about the importance of exercise, healthy eating and excelling.”

Despite those who doubted Florence’s ability, she never gave up. She said, “when anyone tells me I can’t do something. . . I’m just not listening anymore.” Florence’s story will encourage readers to work hard and persevere through difficult situations. Her encouraging story highlights the importance of staying true to yourself. While educating children, Florence said, “I always encourage kids to reach beyond their dreams. Don’t try to be like me. Be better than me.” 

Florence’s story includes fun anecdotes from her childhood that will pull children into the book. To help keep readers engaged, the book has short chapters and black-and-white illustrations that appear every three to five pages. The book is packed full of information about Florence’s life, and while younger readers may not understand the significance of some of the events, they will be inspired by Florence’s attitude and accomplishments. The book ends with advice on how readers can be like Florence.

She Persisted: Florence Griffith Joyner is the perfect book for adults to read to a child. The encouraging book reinforces the importance of persistence as well as teaching other important life lessons. For more inspiring biographies, add these picture books to your list: Fauja Singh Keeps Going by Simran Jeet Singh and Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson & Sean Qualls.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • Joyner’s family moved to the same neighborhood where the Watts Rebellion took place. The rebellion began when “white police officers attempted to arrest a Black motorist who was suspected of drunk driving. A scuffle ensued between the man and the police. . . the scuffle had turned quickly into police brutality.”
  • One of Florence’s competitors, Valerie Brisco, dedicated her races to her brother, who was “a track star who had been killed by a stray bullet while he worked out.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • When Florence won multiple gold medals during the Olympics, “murmurs and whispers spread rapidly. Many believed Florene cheated by using illegal drugs to make her stronger, increase her stamina and allow her to run faster.” Even though all the drug tests came back negative, rumors still spread.

Language 

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • When having a difficult time, Florence’s “mother reminded Florence to keep God near, while her father reminded her that she could face any challenge.”
  • For a time, Florence doubted herself which caused her to pray daily. 

Don’t Throw it to Mo!

Mo is the youngest and smallest person on his football team. Most of the time, Mo sits on the bench with Coach Steve. In order to teach Mo how to keep ahold of a slippery ball, Coach Steve spreads butter on a football and has Mo catch it. While watching Mo, some of the players laugh at him, but Mo doesn’t give up.   

During a game, Coach Steve puts Mo into the game but tells the players, “Mo will go deep, but don’t throw to Mo.” The other team doesn’t think they need to cover Mo. One player says, “I’ll wait here. No one would throw to a small butterfingers.”  

When the coach then tells his team to throw the ball to Mo, the other team laughs. They are confident that Mo can’t catch the ball because he’s too small. But Mo does catch the ball and he runs past the goal line. Coach Steve tells Mo, “You won the game. You are the one who caught the ball.” 

Any young child who loves football will want to read Don’t Throw it to Mo! Even though Mo spends most of his time sitting on the bench, Mo has a positive attitude and keeps practicing. When Mo is finally put into a game, readers will wonder why the coach doesn’t let anyone throw to Mo. But when the coach’s plan is finally revealed, readers will cheer for Mo as he makes the winning catch. 

Don’t Throw it to Mo! is for progressive readers who are ready for longer sentences and more in-depth plot development. The story is told with one to five sentences on each page. Each page has a large, colored picture and many of the pictures show how small Mo is compared to the other boys on the team. The pictures show the football action as well as help readers follow the story’s plot. 

This Level 2 reader, about a little black boy with a big passion for sports, is the winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award. Sports-loving readers will love the football action, the surprise ending, and the boy who refuses to give up. For more fun sports action, pair Don’t Throw it to Mo! with Pedro’s Big Goal by Fran Manushkin. 

Sexual Content  

  • None 

Violence  

  • None 

Drugs and Alcohol  

  • None

Language    

  • None 

Supernatural 

  • None 

Spiritual Content  

  • None 

The Half-Court Hero

There’s nothing eight-year-old twins Zach and Zoe Walker love more than playing sports and solving mysteries. And when those two worlds collide . . . well it doesn’t get any better than that. When the twins start a summer basketball league at their local park, they notice the once rundown court is getting freshened up with each passing day. First new nets, then the benches have been completely restored. But who’s behind it? Zach and Zoe are on the case!

The Half-Court Hero will appeal to a wide range of readers because it has both play-by-play sports action and a solid mystery. Plus, the twins have many positive attributes thanks to their parents who have taught them to always focus on the positive. While the kids share a love of sports, it’s Zoe’s curiosity that drives the mystery. As the kids practice for a tournament, several accidents happen because the court is in disrepair. When someone secretly begins to make repairs, the kids are determined to discover who the culprit is, even though the person clearly wants to remain anonymous. As the twins dig for clues, their parents remind them that “a good deed is its own reward” and public recognition isn’t necessary. Despite this, Zach and Zoe follow all the clues until they know who the half-court hero is.

There’s a lot to like about The Half-Court Hero including the kind characters and their healthy two parent family. While sports are clearly important to Zach and Zoe’s family, the kids’ parents remind them of good sportsmanship and the importance of passing the ball to whomever is open. Even though the kids want to win the tournament, they know having fun is just as important. 

The short chapters and illustrations that appear every four to seven pages will appeal to young readers. Most of the pictures focus on Zach and Zoe, but the scenes on the basketball court show a diverse group of players. Even though The Half Court Hero is intended for younger readers, emerging readers may struggle with the difficult vocabulary. 

In a world that often glorifies winning at all costs, The Half-Court Hero highlights the importance of being a good sport. While both the conclusion of the basketball tournament and the solving of the mystery are predictable, readers will still enjoy the well-written story that has a good blend of looking for clues, hanging out with family, and basketball action. Readers who want more courtside action should dribble to their closest library and check out a copy of STAT: Standing Tall and Talented by Amar’e Stoudemire.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None

Swish!: The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters

In this book you will find one-finger ball-spinning, rapid-fire mini-dribbling, and a ricochet head shot! You will find skilled athletes, expert players, and electrifying performers — all rolled into one! You will find nonstop, give-it-all-you’ve-got, out-to-win-it, sky’s-the-limit BASKETBALL!

You will find The Harlem Globetrotters, who played the most groundbreaking, breathtaking ball the world had ever seen. With rhythmic writing and dynamic illustrations, Swish! is a celebration of the greatness, goodness, and grit of this remarkable team.

Swish! uses a fun format to show how The Harlem Globetrotters’ accomplishments shaped basketball history. Each full-page illustration has bright colors and many of them contain humorous elements. The book also includes the racial segregation of the time and explains how it affected the players. Even though the Globetrotters’ games often sold out, “as soon as the game ended, the cheers stopped. The tired, hungry players weren’t always welcome in hotels or restaurants. They couldn’t use most gas station restrooms or phones.” 

Even though the Globetrotters were amazing athletes, people thought they should not be allowed to play in the MBA because only white players were allowed. That started to change when the Globetrotters challenged the Minnesota Lakers to a game—and won! Many thought the Globetrotters’ win was a fluke until they played the Lakers again—and won! NBA team owners finally realized that “their ‘whites only’ rule seemed ridiculous.” 

Not only did the Globetrotters open the door to the MBA for black players, but they also traveled the world with amazing crowds, and “they also made thousands of new friends, met popes, princesses, and presidents, and even sipped tea with the queen of England!” 

Slam! is a fun and educational book that shows the power of persistence. The text not only brings the Globetrotters’ story to life, but it’s also fun to read aloud. The text uses alliteration, oversized color font, and other elements that give the story added pizzazz. Slam! is sure to please basketball fans as well as readers who aren’t into sports. Plus, the book will encourage readers to dream big as well as to use their skills to make the world a better place. Basketball fans who want to bounce into the realm of fiction should check out the series STAT: Standing Tall and Talented by Amar’e Stoudemire.

Sexual Content 

  • None

Violence 

  • None

Drugs and Alcohol 

  • None

Language   

  • None

Supernatural

  • None

Spiritual Content 

  • None
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