ATHLETE VS. MATHLETE - TIME-OUT by W. C. Mack

Owen would rather go to basketball camp than go on the annual family Spring Break trip, even if he has to manipulate his family to get what he wants. Since his twin, Russell, bombed at his Masters of the Mind competition (and even threw up on the competition), he's withdrawn from everything. Owen convinces his folks that camp will help Russ bounce back. But there's only one spot left for the basketball camp... Surely Russ won't care if he goes to a multi-sport camp instead so Owen can go the camp he wants. Everybody wins, right?

This series, told from the perspective of both twins, is great for exploring themes like teamwork, friendship, and family. The first two books focused a lot on issues of identity, too. This book adds the theme of responding to failure. The book really clicked for me when Russ says, "No, this camp was going to be a series of failures, one after another." After his huge failure, this camp is going to force him to face that experience and decide what he's going to do about it. This could be a great classroom read-aloud with opportunities to talk about perseverance and responding to failure as well as talking about the differences between the two main characters.

Owen is a self-centered jerk for blocks of this story. When he starts to get some personal insight, it doesn't last long. He has to keep learning his lessons over and over. Russell is a more likeable character and is a great balance to Owen. Both boys get to learn a lot in this book and watching that evolution is a lot of fun.

5 out of 5 stars.
No AR level at the time of this writing.

GAME CHANGERS by Mike Lupica

Ben McBain is a quarterback - at least, in his heart. In reality, he's a small guy for his age, and he hasn't been able to get a coach to give him a chance. It's not likely to happen this year either as the other guy trying out is the coach's son. Shawn is streaky behind center, but his dad makes him QB anyway. In his determination to be positive and be a team player, Ben reaches out to Shawn and tries to help him. But Shawn doesn't seem to know how to lead a team - or how to respond to overtures of friendship. And when Shawn's dad benches Shawn, the team's record improves under Ben's leadership, but the team relationships get a lot more complicated.

This was a great story!! This is not a book I would have picked up on my own; it's one of the books in our fall Scholastic book fair. But I loved it! Great family relationships - not perfect, but loving and wanting the best. Great group of friends, too - they don't always agree with Ben but they always have his back. Great football - win or lose. Great themes of family, identity, teamwork and attitude.

5 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 5.2

There is a second book in the series (Playmakers, with an AR reading level of 5.4) and a third book, Heavy Hitters, coming out in February 2014.
   

Guest Post - FANTASY LIFE by Matthew Berry

[A guest post by my husband, The Couch Cushion Quarterback. You can find him at his blog and on Twitter (@ccqscott)]

Matthew Berry, known to some as the “Talented Mr. Roto,” is ESPN’s Senior Fantasy Sports Analyst.
During baseball & football season he can be heard daily on either the ESPN: Fantasy Focus Baseball or
Football podcasts. On TV & radio he can be seen & heard on many different ESPN Network programs
discussing fantasy sports, especially Sunday mornings during the NFL season on ESPN2’s Fantasy
Football Now. He also writes a weekly column for ESPN.com during the football season.  Somewhere in
this busy schedule Berry found the time to write this book, Fantasy Life.

As someone who plays fantasy football, I’ve been a longtime fan of Berry - listening to his podcasts, reading his columns, and watching his shows - so when it came to this book, I was an easy sell. I was ready for all the stories about fantasy leagues, and the craziness that can be fantasy sports. I wasn’t expecting that woven among the true stories collected from all sorts of fantasy players would be a narrative of Berry’s personal journey. He shares how in 1985, at the age of 14, he joined his first fantasy league. This was before the age of the internet, back when stats were tracked by hand. From those early days to his post-collegiate career as a writer in Hollywood to writing for fantasy sports sites for free, readers see the path that Berry took to get where he is today. Berry also goes beyond his professional career and shares some of the highs and lows of his personal life culminating in his recent marriage that came with an instant family as well as adding to that family with the birth of twin girls all within a year’s time.

This book covers the gamut of fantasy sports: the incredible wins, crushing losses, risqué trade
propositions, trash talk, and embarrassing tattoos for finishing last in your league. It also highlights the
camaraderie among league mates, the close knit bond that can help someone through a tough spot in
life, and the joy, as well as tears that can be shared through major life events.  To sum it all up I would
have to borrow some words directly from the book, “It’s like a love letter to fantasy sports,” specifically
from a man whose life has truly been changed by fantasy sports.

Overall, I don’t think you have to be a fantasy sports fan to enjoy this book. Sure, it helps to be familiar
with fantasy sports, but I believe even if you have just a passing interest, you will enjoy this fascinating
look at the world of fantasy sports. If not that, enjoy the story that is Matthew Berry’s Fantasy Life.

Four out of five stars

ATHLETE VS. MATHLETE: DOUBLE DRIBBLE by W. C. Mack

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher at ALA this summer.

The twins - athlete Owen and mathlete Russell - are back. They're still both playing basketball, but there's a new set of twins on the team - Marcus and Mitch. They are identical, brilliant, and basketball superstars. Where do Owen and Russell fit if they aren't "the twins" anymore - and if they're riding the bench?

I reviewed the first book in this series this summer - I loved it! And I enjoyed this one as much as the first. The contrast between Owen and Russell makes for great storytelling as each takes a turn at the job. Owen's jealousy of the new twins felt authentic, but it didn't make him very like-able. Russell is a good contrast there, again, as he set aside his feelings to really look at Marcus and Mitch as individuals. This is a great story about family, team and identity. I can't wait to share it with students!

4 out of 5 stars.
No AR rating as this book doesn't release until November 5.

JUMP SHOT by Tiki and Ronde Barber with Paul Mantell

I used Grammarly to grammar check this post because it's the beginning of the school year. I have 100 new names and faces to learn, piles of library books to shelve and 14 loads of laundry to run!

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher. Jump Shot releases on November 5th.]

Tiki and Ronde have finished their season of football, and the winter is dragging. The basketball coach has one open spot and asks the boys if one of them wants to play basketball. The twins discover the team star has sucked the joy and confidence from the team. Maybe if they can figure out why the kid is so angry, they can salvage a winning season for the team.

I have not read any of the other books in this series, even though I have a couple in the school library. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. I will definitely be adding the other books in the series to the library. This will appeal to my sports fans as well as other readers who just enjoy a good story with interesting characters. There were all sorts of great things going on in this book - the boys learned empathy for others, and rather than judging characters for their surface behavior, they looked for deeper issues. The adults in the story did not step in to fix things (One should have as it was his job), allowing the boys to exercise leadership and learn to speak the truth in a caring way. I enjoyed the way the boys' football skills of defense and offense tied into the basketball story. For one game, the brothers got to play on the court together, which was fun. I would say I followed about 85% of the basketball terms (there is a glossary in the book) but what I didn't know didn't keep me from enjoying the story.

4.5 out of 5 stars
Other books in the series are written at a fourth or fifth grade reading level, according to the formula used by Accelerated Reader.

CHAPTER BOOK: Athlete vs. Mathlete by W. C. Mack

Owen is the basketball star. He played on the 6th grade team and should be a shoe-in for the 7th grade team - except they have a new coach who wants everyone to try out again! How absurd! And, as if that isn't bad enough, the coach sees Russell in the hallway and says he has to try out, too. Who's Russell? Owen's genius twin brother. Sure, Russell is tall (They are fraternal twins), but he has NO basketball skills. He's going to be a laughingstock - and Owen is sure he will be too, by association. But Russell turns out to have a jump shot and a real role on the team. If Owen isn't the only athlete in the family any more, who is he?

Russell has no interest in being on the basketball team. He has his Masters of the Mind team to lead and competition to prepare for. But when he sees some success on the court - and his dad starts paying more attention to him - Russell starts to wonder if he can have it all, sports and school. But basketball is enough of a distraction to give someone else a foothold in the Masters of the Mind. Russell has to decide who he wants to be.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I picked it up to scan it to see if it would be appropriate to give away to students and I was completely drawn in to the story and decided to read it cover to cover that day. It's a great story about identity as both boys, very different in temperament and interests, have to decide who they are and who they want to be. Interesting family dynamics are described but aren't the focus on the story. I'm looking forward to sharing this with my son as well as with students at school. A sequel releases in November.

Four out of five stars
AR reading level of 3.9

Recommended for: fans of sports stories and school stories, mid- to upper-elementary students, classroom reading. The "lower" reading level could make this a good match for reluctant readers or students reading a grade or so below grade level but it still looks appropriate for tweens.

CHAPTER BOOK: Home Court (STAT - Standing Tall and Talented) by Amar'e Stoudemire

A young man studying Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., discovers in a practical way how important it is to stand up for the right thing and how it helps to have the support of your community. Amar'e and his friends have to decide if they are going to let some bigger, tougher guys take over their neighborhood basketball court, or if they are going to stand tough for their space and their community. Based on the life of the author, NBA star, Amar'e Stoudemire.

I really enjoyed reading this story. Having read other stories written by folks who are famous for things other than writing, I was skeptical about how good this might be. I was pleasantly surprised. This story will appeal to both my boys and girls at school. I think my third graders and older students will want to check this one out. And I've already bought the sequel and have book three on my watch list. This series could fill a nice gap in my library collection for books that will appeal to a wide range of students.

4 out of 5 stars
AR reading level of 4.4

No cautions