Slam Dunk

Written by Kate Jaimet

Most enjoyed by 5th through 8th graders

Slam really wants to be chosen for the Ontario Under 17 basketball team. He's the assistant coach of the high school girl's basketball team, not to check out the girls but in the hopes that it will help him make the Ontario team. He's got some great players to coach, including Inez, his star point guard, and Ifrah, the team's six-foot center. The girls' team is on the verge of going to the playoffs, making a sweet end to a great season. But when Inez shows up at a game with a black eye, the sweet end takes a sour turn. Inez won't say how she got the injury and Slam is sure it's the work of a nasty opponent. But when Inez and her mother begin receiving hate mail delivered to practices, Slam realizes he's up against an enemy a lot rougher than another basketball player.

If you're a fan of basketball, 'Slam Dunk' is a book you'll want to read. Part sports story, part mystery, it's a great look at how a team pulls together for a teammate. Slam, Inez, Ifrah, and the other players are likeable and believable. The action moves pretty quickly, both on and off the court. If you need to get psyched for basketball season already, here's the book for you!

Track Attack

Written by Betty Hicks

Illustrated by Simon Gane

Most enjoyed by 2nd through 4th graders

AR Reading Level 3.0

AR Points 1.0

Meet Jazz. She's a super-fast runner, ready for a super track season racing in the 100-meter dash. Her problem? Her dad! If only Dad weren't so embarrassing to have around. Dad used to be a track star and he's sure he's got all the perfect runner's moves for Jazz. But many of Dad's suggestions go against what Jazz's coach teaches the team. And his track-side antics leave Jazz wanting to hide with each race. Is there a nice way to ask Dad to cool his excitement? Will his behavior hurt Jazz's track season?

'Track Attack' is part of a series called 'Gym Shorts', each title focusing on one aspect of physical fitness. What I really liked about this book is the way it included fitness information into the story. Coach shares tips about proper running form with Jazz and her teammates, letting you, the reader, in on the tips too. There are a few race warm-up exercises to help you get ready for races. None of these tips and tricks takes away from Jazz's story, meaning you'll learn some great fitness stuff without realizing it!

Jazz figures out how to handle her dad with the help of her teammates. She also learns to be a better runner, something you'll want to start doing when you finish 'Track Attack'!

The Magic Hockey Stick

Written by Peter Maloney and Felicia Zekauskas

Most enjoyed by hockey fans in Kindergarten through 3rd grade

What would you do if you won Wayne Gretzky's hockey stick? Do you think it would make you a better player? For the narrator of 'The Magic Hockey Stick', that's exactly what happens when her parents come home with Wayne's stick. Won at a charity auction, her father tells her to keep the stick in a safe place, but she just can't resist sneaking it off to hockey practice. Pretty soon, she's scoring one or two goals each game and leading her team to a winning season. But when the great Gretzky himself goes into a slump, there's only one thing she can do.

It's pretty hard to keep your game up without your favorite hockey stick or baseball bat or running shoes. Young readers will identify with our narrator when she has to decide whether to give up her new stick, especially since it's improving her game. But she knows she can't stand by when her favorite hockey player needs help! With rhyming text and colorful illustrations, 'The Magic Hockey Stick' is just the book for hockey players and armchair hockey fans everywhere!

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

By Kadir Nelson

Most enjoyed by baseball lovers in 5th through 8th grade

Spring training has started, Cubs and White Sox tickets go on sale in a few days, and the temperatures are in the single digits. What better time to talk about baseball! 'We are the Ship' is a book that celebrates the joy of baseball while at the same time providing a lesson in the history of race relations in our country.

For years, black and white baseball players could not play together on the same team. It wasn't a written rule; just one accepted and understood by white owners of professional baseball teams. Since they were not allowed to play professional baseball, African Americans formed their own teams. Most of these teams weren't very successful until Rube Foster came along and organized the Negro Baseball League. Rube knew that if blacks were one day to break into professional baseball, they needed to be as good as white baseball players. An African American league would give the players a chance to prove their ability.

Today, it's hard to look back on that time and imagine passing up the opportunity to see some of baseball's legends play just because of their skin color. The Negro League was home to the likes to Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Cool Papa Bell. It was the starting place for Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. These players faced incredible hardships yet it never squashed their love of baseball. Teams traveled from town to town on buses, often going miles out of their way on backroads to avoid going through towns where blacks were not welcome. When white teams could stop at a restaurant to get someting to eat, African American teams had to pass up those same places because they were not welcome. Imagine playing a double header with only two hot dogs and a soda in your belly because that's all you could get. Wouldn't think of it today, would we?

Kadir Nelson has written a fascinating history of Negro League baseball. Easy to read, it makes you wish you could go back in time to see many of the players mentioned play. I loved reading about some of the players, especially their knicknames - 'Turkey" Stearns, "Biz" Mackey, and "Mules" Suttles. The artwork in the book is truly amazing. I suppose since it's a baseball book, it's not quite right to call the pcitures beautiful but that's just what they are. The paintings of the various players makes you want to reach out and touch them. Check out the picture of Rube Foster and his American Giants arriving in town by train. You'll wish you could step into the picture and get an autograph or two.

'We are the Ship' has my vote for a 2009 Caldecott Medal. Check it out and see if you don't agree.