Gym Shorts:
Basketball Bats by Betty Hicks
In this adorable story about teamwork and persistence, Henry
and his four friends are an unstoppable basketball team, until they meet the
Tigers. The Tigers have a player on their team who looks old enough to shave
and a home court at the brand new YWCA- how on earth is Henry’s team going to
beat them? When Henry steps up and scores the majority of the points in their
first game against the Tigers, his teammates call him a ball hog. Henry comes
up with an idea to unify his team and accomplish a team-win. I loved this book
and believe it is a wonderful example of team bonding and good sportsmanship.
Horrid Henry daydreams that he is the best soccer player in
the world only to be woken up by his teacher Miss Battle-Axe. When Miss
Battle-Axe tells her class about a soccer competition her class will be able to
participate in to win tickets to the Ashton Athletic National game, Henry knows
he needs to be the winner. The only problem is Moody Margaret is the best
player in the class. When Henry tries to cheat his way into winning, Miss
Battle-Axe makes a surprising call on whom the winner is. Horrid Henry is a
character I “loved to hate” and found this story to teach a valuable lesson
about working hard for a fair win.
Banana Split From
Outer Space by Catherine Siracusa
This is a lovable science fiction story about Stanley, a pig
who owns his own ice cream shop. He has twenty-six flavors and all the toppings,
but is having a hard time gaining customers because the store is away from the
big highway. When a spaceship lands on top of Stanley’s ice cream sign, he
discovers Zelmo, a green pig from outter space. The two decide to work together
on the ice cream business and eventually land their store by the busy highway,
attracting customers and building a partnership. I liked this book because the
sci-fi element is something that is used to enhance the friendship between
Stanley and Zelmo and bring them together to create a successful business.
Soccer Cats: Hat
Trick by Matt Christopher
When Stookie sees his brother Greg’s picture in the paper
for scoring three goals in one soccer game, he has his mind set on scoring
three goals in his own game. Instead of
working hard to get three goals, Stookie ends up all over the field taking the
ball from his teammates and taking over other positions on the field. Lou,
Stookie’s best friend, resents him for how he’s been acting, just as Greg’s
best friend has been resenting him. Both Stookie and Greg realize their friends
are looking out for them and in the end, each boy learns the meaning of
teamwork and working hard to win as a team. This book was a quick read and very
relatable for young athletes who are looking to be the “best”. I really enjoyed
this book and would definitely recommend it for young readers.
The Time Hackers by
Gary Paulsen
When Dorso finds a dead body hanging in his locker, not the
first strange thing that has appeared, it disappears thirty seconds later.
Dorso and his best friend Frank are victims of a time travel computer chip that
has been implanted in Dorso’s laptop. When the two jump back in time, they
discover two other time travelers who are playing games with the historical
chip in Dorso’s computer. The boys realize they need to meet the engineer who
designed the chip in order to restore time back to normalcy. I found this book
to be interesting in that the two boys were able to catch glimpses of
historical figures and events. I can definitely see this book being favored by
young male readers in grades 5-8.
Aliens For Dinner by
Stephanie Spinner
When Richard opens a huge fortune cookie after his Chinese
dinner, an alien named Aric comes out and tells Richard about the planet
Dwilb’s plan to overtake Earth and turn it into a “theme park” of litter and
pollution. Aric explains that the aliens from Dwilb look like humans and repeat
things twice. Immediately, Richard
begins to think his mother’s boyfriend Bob is an alien from Dwilb. Aric and
Richard must find a way to get rid of all the Dwilb aliens before they take
over the Earth. This book was clever and entertaining. I can definitely see
young readers enjoying the characters of Aric and Richard.
The Time Machine by
H.G. Wells
In this classic tale about a man who invents a time machine,
his friends are skeptical about what the future will hold and if the machine
even works. When the inventor does travel into the future, he reaches the year
802,701 A.D. Once he lands, the man sees small, slender people who make
clapping noises and do not talk. They don’t even seem to notice he is there and
no one makes eye contact with him. Things get worse when he runs in to the
Morlocks but he manages to escape them and find his time machine hidden in the
base of the Sphinx. He successfully makes it back to 1895 and proves to his
friends he really did time travel by showing them flowers from the future. I
always enjoyed this classic story and enjoyed reading it again for my blog. I
believe it is a timeless tale that all children can enjoy.
A Peach Street
Mudders Story: Shadow Over Second by Matt Christopher
