Tag: Sports Books for Kids

Fadeaway Book Review

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As a teacher, I always try to read a variety of book so I can make recommendations to my students. With the end of the year on the horizon, I have more time to read, so I made a fantastic Amazon book purchase. I’ve been a little out of the reading loop over the last year, so I really focused on new(er) releases. I usually have my tutoring students read a novel during our summer sessions and I wanted to find the perfect book for middle and high school boys. Not only did I read this perfect book, it just came out in March!

Fadeaway, by E.B. Vickers, is a realistic young adult novel about basketball, love and addiction.

Summary

Jake is a senior in high school who is the star of the basketball team with his fadeaway move. He has just won the state championship for his team, but instead of celebrating at his coach’s house he disappears without a trace. His little brother Luke, best friend Kolt, teammate Seth and ex-girlfriend Daphne play roles in trying to find Jake.

The majority of the story revolves around basketball. During summer ball in sixth grade, Coach Cooper tells Jake, Kolt and Seth that he plans for them to win state championships their senior year. He gives them an intense pep talk that ends with, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”This lays the ground work for Jake’s life on and off the court as he dedicates his life to football, basketball and baseball. Jake’s world is turned upside down when he suffers an injury and he starts taking prescription pain killers.

First, I have to say that I am in love with the cover! Just like the title states, some of the letters pop and others fade. I just think it’s super creative and eye-catching.

The structure of this story is similar to Wonder, in that it’s told from multiple perspectives, but almost every chapter alternates between the characters. Usually, I’m not a fan of this constant switching, but in this case it really helps build the suspense in the story and I couldn’t imagine it being written any other way.

Themes

My favorite aspect of this book is the portrayal of realistic relationships.

Friendship is one of the most prevalent themes in this story. That day in sixth grade, Kolt and Jake become best friends because they have connections. Kolt’s older brother is an addict and Jake’s father was an alcoholic. Kolt and Jake are the typical best guy friends we usually read about in YA novels, always looking out for one another and making teenage boy comments.

The romantic relationship between Daphne and Jake is the definition of teenage love: pure, honest and supportive. While we don’t see a lot of this relationship, the little glimpse that we get shows a realistic teenage love complete with binge watching Netflix, helping each other with basketball and homework, and being together as much as possible. They don’t have drama, but they do tackle some serious real life issues that lead to Jake breaking up with Daphne out of nowhere. Personally, I love that their relationship isn’t based on physical acts, but rather being there for one another.

Sibling love is an incredibly powerful theme throughout this book. Luke idolizes Jake, and Jake wants to be a great role model for his younger brother. The two of them keep the lines of communication open by writing back and forth in a notebook (which I LOVED). Luke is actively involved in the search for Jake, and gives information that helps spark a development in the case that Daphne and Kolt investigate along with the twelve year old.

While there are lots of different types of love in this book, there is one major concept that is deeply explored: addiction.

Vickers does an incredible job in describing many aspects of addiction. Readers learn how it starts, how Jake realizes he needed help, and the direction that Jake’s life will take in the future. Through Jake’s character, readers see that addiction can be hidden from those closest to a person and anyone can struggle with this disease (teenager or adult). The pressures Jake feels of not being enough will resonant with young adults who can relate to the stress of athletics or academics.

I recommend this book for young adult readers (especially boys) in grades 7 and up, and for parents of high school students.

To purchase the book click here.

Little Reading Coach is a certified Teacher of English (K-12) and Reading Specialist (P-12) offering online reading,  writing and home-based learning support tutoring services for students in grades 6-12. For more information head to my website.

Cutie Sue Wins the Race Book Review

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Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book from the author to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

I do have moments when I compare my childhood in the 90s to Molly’s today. While I did watch TV, I was also riding my bike, going on play dates, and playing sports. I was quite an active kid. I feel that kids these days are more inclined to stay inside and socialize on social media, play video games, or watch TV.

Cutie Sue Wins the Race, by Kate Melton, is a realistic story about a little girl who is motivated and supported to change her lifestyle and win a race.

When we first meet Cutie Sue, she is a couch potato. She is inspired to get in shape when she decides she wants to win first place in a race at school. Her dad takes her for a run and Cutie Sue realizes that she is going to need to work hard to get in shape.

Personally, I love Cutie Sue’s dad. He helps his daughter practice, but also teaches her lifestyle changes (drinking water, eating right, having fun) that truly help her prepare for the race. Dad is supportive in his guidance. He doesn’t sugar coat the situation by saying how amazing Cutie Sue is, instead, he is out there with his daughter keeping track of her times.

I was also a huge fan of how Melton teaches readers that exercise and eating healthy can change your life in a positive way. Not only does Cutie Sue get faster at running, her body felt stronger, her energy was higher and she had more confidence. In one of the pictures, it shows Cutie Sue turning down candy as she’s eating veggies. I liked this visual reenforcement because typically kids will pick sweets over healthy foods.

I could see this picture book working really well with kids in preschool through 2nd grade. I also think it could work very well in an early elementary health curriculum about exercising and eating right.

To purchase the book click here

How to Win the World Cup in Your Pajamas Book Review

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June is shaping up to be an extremely busy month I’m starting to realize. End of the school year, Father’s Day, graduation, and sport events, like the Women’s World Cup.

I’ve been on a motivational quotes and texts kick recently, so I was super excited to come across a book that sends positive messages to kids. How to Win the World Cup in Your Pajamas by Kobe and Mary Nhin and illustrated by Milena Salieri, is a book that helps young athletes set goals.

Emma is a young soccer player, who has won the World Cup many times. At first I thought the book would describe a dream of Emma’s experience winning, but I was pleasantly mistaken. Instead, the text dives into providing kids with 5 tools needed to be successful.

These tools include: grit, rituals, visualize, mantras, and positive body language. What I like most about these tools is that they are not watered down for kids. I consider these tools for adults as well, and I like how the authors include maturity with the wording of the tools. The text is written clearly and does not have any challenging vocabulary words, which makes it a great work for elementary students. It provides a clear explanation of how kids can set and accomplish their goals.

While reading the book, I felt like I had a life coach in my ear. I have yet to come across another text that is able to speak to me as an adult the same way it speaks to a child. I felt a surge of girl power and determination after reading this book.

However, the best surprise was at the end of the book. The teacher in me got really excited when there was a Mental Toughness Growth Plan graphic organizer. Not only does the story teach kids how to develop mental toughness, but it includes a step by step guide kids can actually use on a daily basis! There is lots of writing required for the organizer, but it would be a great activity for kids to complete with a parent, older sibling, coach, etc.

To check out the book, click here.