101 Ways to Bug Your...

...Friends and Enemies

by Lee Wardlaw (2011)

A little Jane Austin for the miniature golf crowd -- lots of relationship intrigue and discovering of romantic feelings, as well as lessons in friendship as people grow and change.  A lot going on, the numerous characters (and ailments, and accents, and...) in the first chapters had my head swimming, but everything and everyone ties together nicely at the end.  Genuinely funny, and without the usual base juvenile book humor. Loved the Hawaiian golfer character, something different and fresh.

Although I do wonder why I feel the urge to rent Roxanne ...?

http://www.leewardlaw.com/books.htm

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids

by Sean Covey (2008)

Cute stories to teach life lessons, and not too preachy at all -- would be great for read aloud at the beginning of the school year, even for upper grades (break the ice, remind them of manners, respect, etc.).  There is also a "parents' corner" at the end of each chapter with discussion questions and helpful hints.

Wonder if I could buy several copies and pass them out the first day of school -- can we give parents homework assignments?

Honus and Me

Honus & Me

by Dan Gutman (1997)

A struggling bench warmer discovers the ability to travel through time by wishing on baseball cards, and wrestles with the desire to use his power to make a lot of money (therefore getting his parents back together) or to do good and the right thing.  He does learn the importance of self-confidence, a solid stance at the plate, and speed on the basepaths.

As one with a closet full of baseball cards, none of (or all of) which will ever fetch 400k and allow me to retire to a life of leisure and reading, I cry every time I read one of these books and the valuable card gets torn or destroyed and fails to bring our hero the riches he deserves.  I do enjoy the historically accurate portrayals of the players and their game, and there is a positive moral usually involved.

Tangerine

Tangerine

by Edward Bloor (1997)

Kind of a strange book, several types of books blended together -- spooky in the beginning (I'm sure a zombie was mentioned) then a lot of sibling rivalry/jealous of the football star brother mixed with the new kid in school, then a good dose of racial/economic class confrontation, then wraps up with the evil brother terrorizing the neighborhood and dysfunctional family horrors from the past... that said, I liked it!

It's different, and covers a lot of ground, but it's exciting and moves quickly -- perfect for active boys that don't need one theme repeated and dwelt on for an entire book, gives 'em lots to think about and react to. The bad seed football star older brother was a little cartoonish, but the end result is quite dramatic.  The middle section revolving around the new school and the soccer season is the best part, and could actually be read apart from the rest of the book.  Good read.

why I picked it up:  Again, a recommendation from Son #2, plus I'm a big sports fan and do enjoy a cold glass of orange juice.
why I didn't put it down:  At first it was because I thought there would be zombies, then for the sports action, then to save the fruit trees, then to find out just how the heck he was going to wrap this whole thing up!  It's a gripping, involving read on several levels and I couldn't put it down until it was finished.
who I would give it to:  mystery fans, soccer players, new kids in school, underdogs.

Follow My Leader

Follow My Leader

by James B. Garfield (1957)

This is a read-aloud book for my 3rd grade class, but I brought it home to read ahead so I wasn't surprised by anything. I'm normally biased against books published more than a few decades back, and the Eddie Haskell dialogue had me involuntarily rolling my eyes ("Golly, guys, dry up, would ya?") but it turns out to be a worthwhile read.

The hero's name is Jimmy Carter and he's the class president -- how weird is that? --before being blinded in a firecracker accident. He needs to learn Braille and how to work with a guide dog, as well as forgive the boy who caused the accident and prove to the fellows he can still be a good Scout. A lot of opportunities for additional learning: empathy for the blind, of course, and Braille, guide dogs, constellations, bats and radar, and telling time without gasp! a digital clock.

So what is the acceptable/preferred "label" these days, what do I file and tag this as? Handicap, disability, challenged... ???

The Absolutely True Diary...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie (2007)

A venture into YA lit from one of my favorite authors... a gifted student from the Indian reservation attempts to change his life by going to an outside/white school, and deals with betraying his friends/making new ones, poverty, alcohol, girls, and basketball...

lots of humor to deal with lots of pain, not the deepest story despite some heavy subjects, very Hollywood-like endings... strength of family, following your heart and being true and brave for yourself...

Jackie and Me

Jackie & Me

by Dan Gutman (1999)

let's teach racial tolerance by being poor sports!

Ok, too harsh. Especially for a book about one of my personal heroes, and a mighty fine ballplayer too. Our time-traveling protagonist goes back to 1947, changes skin color, and learns first-hand about racial inequality and bigotry. Quick, exciting plot, lots to discuss. But as a father and coach I cringe over the blatant unsportsman-like taunting, mocking, and fighting at a Little League baseball game... it's one thing to have Robinson the professional athlete being aggressive in a World Series game, but not a kid who supposedly learned something from Robinson's self-respect and dignity. But still, good book.

connections: Time Warp Trio, Year of the Boar..., Negro League baseball, Jackie Robinson biographies...

Babe and Me

Babe and Me

by Dan Gutman (2000)

"A Baseball Card Adventure" -- if my review gets confused, it may be because we just watched the movie Everybody's Hero about a kid and Babe Ruth... pretty cool, mixes in real world events with a boy that can travel back in time, unbelievable but fun...

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson

Bette Bao Lord (1984)

A girl goes straight from China to Brooklyn in 1947, with no stops in between to learn how to speak english or play baseball... autobiographical, told sweetly but not too cute, I had a real sense of the lonliness and lost-ness of the girl thrust into a strange new culture...

connections: ESL, Bat 6

Bat 6

Bat 6

Virginia Euwer Wolff (1998)

6th grade girls playing softball after WWII, and the racial tension that ensues... told as recollections from the girls, some a sentence or two, some a few pages long, as they tell about getting to play in the traditional town game and deal with the reverberations from the just-ended world war, including the Japanese family returning to the home they were

forced to leave and the girl whose father died at Pearl Harbor.

Some of the reflection/perception is too mature to come from 10 year old girls, but a lot of it does capture the fragile and confusing emotions of the age, and of learning harsh realities of the adult world and relationships.

connections: WWII, japanese internment, race relations, softball

but seriously, have you ever heard a worse title?

The Journal of Biddy Owens

The Journal of Biddy Owens / the Negro Leagues

by Walter Dean Myers (2001)

Part of a series, "life as it was" through diaries of people in America, Biddy Owens is the clubhouse attendant for a Negro League baseball team in 1948. Not fluff, very well written; poignant in touching on race, family, and even the realization of not being good enough to make the team. It helps to know baseball for this one, to follow the action (reminds me of those old-time sports stories for boys) and for the real world characters that populate the book (Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, the new center fielder Willie Mays)... there are even photos of baseball in the 40's, and historical notes on baseball integration and the Negro Leagues. I did not like the "Epilogue" detailing the fictional lead and his family's life after the story, it rang false, almost like trying to trick me into thinking Biddy was real, and unnecessary.

(some comments and an interview with the author here)