Science Fiction & Sports Lit

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 and the Soccer Fiend by Francesca Simon

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

Nicky Chong is a superstitious baseball player who always performs the same rituals before each game. The night before a big game, Nicky is afraid his father has jinxed him before he can break the record for most RBIs in one game. But a bigger worry is on the horizon for Nicky: an hour before his big game, Nicky and his friend Turtleneck are locked in Nicky’s shed! After falsely accusing his father of locking him in the shed, Nicky is allowed to play in the game regardless of his tardiness and was able to get 2 RBIs, making him one step closer to breaking the RBI record. Nicky also learns that Stick from the opposing team was the one who locked him in the shed and finally learns to let go of his superstitious ways. This story touches on many life lessons including honesty, good sportsmanship, and hard work. I would absolutely recommend this book to young readers