A Winning Reading Record: Good Books for Good Sports

Yesterday, in the third inning of a sunny afternoon game in the Bronx, Derek Jeter became the 28^th player in Major League Baseball history to reach 3000 career hits.  

With teammates cheering, the visiting team applauding, and the crowd going wild, the Yankee captain and shortstop jogged the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Today, inspired by Derek Jeter and the ball that flew deep into the seats above the left field wall-- and straight into baseball history-- Reading Road Trip visits the wide world of sports.  We'll fill our duffel bags with good books for good sports… we'll be a traveling team of enthusiastic summer readers!

Soccer by Aedan J.

Let’s get the ball rolling:  In the summer time, Aedan J. likes to play soccer.  Reading Road Trip kicks off today’s soccer action with a fiction favorite about a bunch of losers who may turn out to be the biggest winners around.  In S.O.R. Losers by Avi (RL 5.0), each member of the South Orange River seventh-grade soccer team has special talents and qualities of excellence… just not on the soccer field. 

Katie P. finds similarities between Chatham and the setting of S.O.R. Losers.  She suggests the book to friends who like soccer and who have enjoyed other books by Avi.  Ozaner H. recommends S.O.R. Losers to fourth graders looking for a good story and a smooth read.

Soccer fans will also get a kick out of Shoot Out: A Comeback Kids Novel by Mike Lupica (RL 5.5).  The New York sports writer and ESPN commentator shares a story about soccer, about moving, and about winning and losing: twelve-year-old Jake must leave his championship soccer team to play on a team with a losing record when his family moves to a neighboring town.

Baseball by Stephen S.

Take us out to the ball game: In the summer time, Reading Road Trippers Stephen S. and Bobby K. like to play baseball.  Bobby reports, “I play baseball on the travel team.  We have a long season and play for the whole summer.  A lot of my friends are on the team, too.”

Niklas P. and Thomas W. recommend Finding Buck McHenry by Alfred Slote (RL 4.1) to baseball fans.  Niklas notes that the book holds the reader’s interest with a page count that isn’t intimidating. Thomas finds the story “funny, interesting, and entertaining.” The story unfolds as eleven-year-old Jason believes that the school custodian Mack Henry is really Buck McHenry, a famous pitcher from the old Negro League.  He tries to enlist him as a coach for his Little League team by revealing his identity to the world.

Say it ain’t so, Joe! In 1919, when Chicago baseball fans learned that Shoeless Joe Jackson was involved in the Black Sox Scandal, they expressed sadness and disbelief.  Today, fourth and fifth grade baseball fans can explore the rich history of America’s pastime with Baseball Card Adventures by Dan Gutman.  Full of humor, sports trivia, and historical facts, the series follows Joe Stoshack as he travels back in time to meet baseball greats like Shoeless Joe Jackson, Jim Thorpe, Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Abner Doubleday, and Mickey Mantle.

We can stretch our memories while playing Baseball Card Collector, a match game inspired by Baseball Card Adventures.  Click on the red-highlighted words to get started! 

Swing for the fences: Baseball enthusiast Brian F. recommends Baseball Great by Tim Green (RL 5.6).  All twelve-year-old Josh wants to do is play baseball. But when his father, a minor league pitcher, signs him up for a youth championship team, Josh finds himself involved in a situation with potentially illegal consequences.  Brian appreciates Baseball Great’s “detailed and descriptive language” and would definitely read other books written by the same author.

Written by The Iron Man: In Hothead: A Novel by Cal Ripken (RL 5.6), Connor Sullivan, an All-Star third baseman, has a terrible temper and problems at home.  When the sports editor of the school paper threatens to publish an embarrassing story about his tantrums, Connor must make a change.  Reading Road Tripper Connor H. recommends this book, written by former Baltimore Orioles shortstop and third baseman, to friends who like sports and baseball.

Take the field:  Jack A. loves to play football, and he recommends a gridiron good book, No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman (RL 4.9). What happens when eighth-grade football hero Wallace Wallace is sentenced to serve detention at rehearsals of the school play?  Fans of football and funny school stories will enjoy following Wallace as he becomes wrapped up in the production and begins to suggest changes that improve both the play and his life.

In the huddle:  In Kickoff! by Tiki and Ronde Barber, twelve-year-old twins Tiki and Ronde try out for the junior high football team, hoping for spots in the starting lineup (RL 4.3). In the spirit of three picture books based on the Barber's childhood, this chapter book was inspired by the brothers’ junior high school experiences. Check out a Kickoff! video book review:

Touchdown pass: In The Big Time: A Football Genius Novel by Tim Green (RL 5.1), agents and lawyers come knocking after Troy leads his football team, the Atlanta Falcons, to the Georgia State Championship.  But life gets complicated when one of the lawyers turns out to be the father Troy never knew. Ben H. recommends The Big Time to friends who are sports fiction fans.  “The book is about football,” he says, “and it’s also about somebody meeting their dad for the first time.” 

We can take the football fun into overtime with a challenging Football Genius Connection game.  Click on the red-highlighted words to get started!

Tennis by Matthew W.

The ball is in his court: Matthew W. reports, “In the summer time, I like to play tennis.  I sometimes play with my mom or my dad… I play five hours a week.  I play once on Tuesdays and twice on Sundays.  Tennis is a really fun sport, and anyone can play it.” Let’s serve up a few tennis books for Matthew and other racquet-swinging Reading Road Trippers:

Vanishing Act by John Feinstein wins game, set, and match with a ripping tennis story and a gripping detective story: eighth-grade sports reporters investigate the mysterious disappearance of a top Russian player at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships (RL 5.3).

Two illustrated biographies, Playing to Win by Karen Deans (RL 3.9) and Nothing But Trouble by Sue Stauffacher (RL 4.9), explore the life story and achievements of tennis great Althea Gibson, the first African-American woman to win the Wimbledon Cup.

It's a slam dunk: For hoops fans, Kurt S. suggests The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman (RL 4.6).  Kurt explains, “I like the book because it involves basketball.  Basketball is my favorite sport.  This book was a great book with lots of excitement.” The excitement begins when eleven-year-old Eddie wins a poetry contest and gets a chance for a million dollars by sinking a foul shot at the National Basketball Association finals.  Kurt shares a bit more of the story: “Eddie practices and practices until the moment when he’s standing at the foul line in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden.  Can he sink the shot of a lifetime?”  That’s the million dollar question!  Kurt knows the answer, and we can read the book and find out, too.

Topps Yogi Berra Card, 1960

Well, Reading Road Trippers, the clock is winding down on today's blog post.  It's time to head to the locker room, pack up our books, and go home.  But remember: legendary New York Yankee catcher and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over 'til it's over."  Keep playing, keep practicing, and keep reading those good books for good sports!