How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen

When people first meet Lamar they think he must play basketball or at least football, but no -- Lamar bowls. He's a fabulous bowler too. Too bad his success at the bowling alley is overshadowed by his brother's accomplishments on the basketball court. But Lamar isn't going to let that get him down. There's a spot on the mantle reserved for his first trophy and he's aiming to succeed at the bowling alley, especially when he learns his idol, pro bowler Bubba Sanders is coming to town. When one of Lamar's pranks goes spectacularly wrong, he must try and repair the damage and get back in the good graces of his friends and family before Bubba arrives.

Crystal Allen is a refreshing new voice in children's literature. I adore these characters and read this book in no time. I loved how Lamar was a bowler. He could have excelled in any sport or activity other than basketball and this book would have worked, but the bowling just made it so unique. Lamar's relationship with his best friend, Sergio, seems real, with all the highs and lows friends go through. I can't wait to get some of my kids' reaction to this story. It's an A book for me.

Score! : The Action and Artistry of Hockey's Magnificent Moment by Mark Stewart and Mike Kennedy

Score is a history of scoring in the game of hockey. It describes different kinds of shots, the stars of the sport throughout the years and the most memorable shots. 
Not knowing much about hockey, I found it most informative and interesting. There are plenty of pictures, but not an overabundance of them and they don't distract from the information in the text. Hockey fans and newbies like me will find much of interest here. B rating.

Touchdown Trouble by Fred Bowen

Sam is excited when his football team, the Cowboys, beat their rivals, the Giants, with his last second touchdown, and are the only undefeated team in their league. When the whole team gets together at Sam's house for a celebratory viewing of the game on video, they discover that the touchdown shouldn't have counted. Now, they will have to decide whether or not to inform the league, the other team, and their coach about their discovery.


I love watching football, but I rarely read books about football. I think it's because the descriptions don't tell me enough to visualize the play most of the time. Or, maybe, I just don't want to read a play-by-play transcript of a game. What I like about Touchdown Trouble is how the story really isn't the game itself, but what happens at the game to affect all of the players afterwards. It's nice to have a story where the characters are faced with an ethical dilemma, but I wish that the outcome wasn't so clear from the onset. I wanted to be left in suspense a bit on what decision the boys would make, rather than know even before I got there how the vote would end.


Yes, it's a bit predictable, but I still think fans of sports books will love to read. It's probably best suited for 5th-6th graders at the oldest, although some slightly older may want to read. I give it a 'C' rating.

Pop by Gordon Korman

Marcus has just moved to a new town in the middle of summer, where he knows no one. He spends the summer working out and honing his quarterback skills alone in Three Alarm Park, in hopes that he can make the varsity football team at his new school. His summer takes an unexpected twist when Marcus is joined at his workouts by a man with mad football skills. He soon discovers that his workout buddy is famed NFL linebacker, Charlie Popovich - the "King of Pop," and that Charlie's family is desperately trying to hide a secret about him from the rest of the world.

While at first glance one may think this is just another football book, in actuality it's much more. While plenty of action takes place on the football field, plenty more takes place away from it. The reader gets hints of the difficult relationship between Marcus and his dad, and can infer some of the turmoil of the recent past. There's a fabulous undercurrent of rivalry and jealousy between Marcus and Troy, the star QB for the team and Charlie's son, over football, a girl, and Charlie, that creates a great deal of tension and conflict during the story. Not to mention the central conflict surrounding Charlie's secret and what it adds to the drama.

The reader will laugh, cheer, and cry right along with the characters in Pop and enjoy every minute of this roller coaster ride. I give it a 'B.'

Travel Team by Mike Lupica

If anyone knows me, they know that sports are so NOT me. I enjoy watching football and some baseball, but that's it. I know nothing about basketball, which is probably why I never really wanted to read Travel Team. Several of my students keep recommending Travel Team to read, so I decided to bite the bullet and read it.

Danny is the son of a former NBA player and loves basketball. He spends hours practicing in front of his driveway hoop in hopes of making the seventh grade travel team. The same seventh grade travel team that made his father a star. His only problem is that he's short -- the shortest player in his grade. When he fails to make the travel team, Danny and his father organize their own travel team, made up of players that weren't selected for the original team. Through this endeavor, Danny rebuilds a relationship with his father, who has been absent for much of his childhood.

As I said, I don't know about basketball, so I was worried about understanding the descriptions of the basketball play. Thankfully, it was descriptive so that even a novice like me could visualize the action. I especially liked how the story about Danny's relationship with his father was built around or through the basketball team story. I think those wanting to reading sports books will devour this one (and probably all of Lupica's other books), but this story will also interest many others who, like me, aren't that big into sports.  It's a solid B book for me, enjoyable!