Whale Talk September 8, 2008

Title: Whale Talk

Author: Chris Crutcher

Summary:  Chris Crutcher is one of those unique writers who manages to get his work challenged almost as often as he receives literary awards and lands on best book lists.   Whale Talk  is perhaps one of his most controversial and one of his best.  It’s told from the point of view of T.J. Jones, a black, Japanese, white high school senior born to a hippie, drug-using mom and adopted as a toddler by a loving white couple.  While T.J. may be the narrator, this is not just his story.  It’s also the story of a group of misfit teens who are inspired to achieve something of their own, a little mixed race girl struggling against a brutal home life, a good man who spends every day trying to make up for a 20+ year old horrible accident, and the racism and prejudice that tie their lives together. 

Who will like this book: While the basic plot of this story centers around T.J. assembling and leading a rag-tag swim team populated with the biggest school misfits, this isn’t just a book for sports fiction fans.  This book delves into topics of child abuse, racism, and bullying with a raw honesty that is heartbreaking at times. 

If you like this, try this:Any other books by Chris Crutcher, Speakby Laurie Halse Anderson, Tangerine by Edward Bloor

Recommended by: Jen, Branch Teen Librarian

The Blind Side August 8, 2008

Title: The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game

Author: Michael Lewis

Summary: The game of football changed forever on November 18, 1985. As millions watched on Monday Night Football, Joe Theisman was sacked by Lawrence Taylor, and suffered a career-ending leg fracture. Taylor hit Theisman from the blind side; the quarterback never saw it coming. As a result, team owners and coaches scrambled to find a way to protect the quarterback’s blind side and the position of left tackle was transformed. Once just another interchangeable big man on the line, he is now often the highest paid player on the team. Good left tackles possess a freakish combination of speed and size, and they are very hard to find.

Michael Oher was born to a drug-addicted mother in Memphis. He doesn’t know his father, or even his own birthday. Growing up on the streets, he faced a very difficult future. But opportunities for an education and a career in the NFL all emerge, because at 6′6” with the speed of a basketball player, Oher was born to play left tackle. The Blind Side is more than just a riveting sports book. It makes you wonder: If Lawrence Taylor hadn’t landed that monster hit, would Micheal Oher be starting his senior season at Ole Miss today?

Who will like this book?: Football fans. People who like to read stories about life on the streets and kids who triumph over difficult odds.

If you like this, try this: Moneyball, also by Michael Lewis. Game by Walter Dean Myers.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Counting Coup June 28, 2008

Title: Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn

Author:Larry Colton

Summary:  Sharon LaForge moves on the basketball court with fluidity and grace driven by an intuitive understanding of the game.  She is a gifted athlete and will lead her school team to a state championship, but no college recruiter will ever show an interest in her.  No offer of scholarship will ever be sent to Sharon because, as most people on her reservation believe, schools don’t like to take a chance that their athletic investment may not adjust to life off the reservation. 

Author Larry Colton went to Crow Agency searching for an answer as to why young Native American athletes, who dominate the basketball court in high school, leave school without a single college offer. What he found was Sharon LaForge.  In telling Sharon’s story, Colton tells the story of her fellow teammates, her family, her Indian community, and his own experiences with the people inside that community. 

Who will like this book?:  Fans of sports books and those interested in Native American life on a reservation.  Don’t be confused though, this isn’t a dry anthropological study of culture, but rather a very personal look into a young woman’s life, the choices she makes, and her community. 

If you like this, try this: In These Girls, Hope is Muscleby Madeleine Blias and Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team, and a Dreamby H.G. Bissinger

Recommended by:Jen, Fairfield Woods Teen Librarian

Oh. My. Gods. May 30, 2008

Title: Oh. My. Gods.

Author: Tera Lynn Childs

Summary:  Child’s story reads rather like a light, girly version of Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief.   Phoebe Casto is a high school track superstar.  All she has to do is maintain a B average and have another winning race season and she is all but guaranteed a scholarship to her dream school, USC.  However, all her plans are thrown for a serious loop when her mother comes back from a week long trip engaged.  After a quick civil ceremony, Phoebe is rushed halfway around the world to a secluded, secret Greek island.  Once there, she learns that her new stepfather is the headmaster at a school for descendants of Greek Gods.  If maintaining a solid GPA and a winning race season was a challenge at her old school,  it’s now a Herculean task considering Phoebe’s competition now have superpowers and some pretty serious attitude problems.

Who will like this book?:  Fans of mythology placed in a modern context.  Also it holds appeal for sports book fans.

If you like this try this: Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and Catherine Murdock’s Dairy Queen.

Recommended by:Jen, Fairfield Woods Branch Teen Librarian

Travel Team May 20, 2008

Title: Travel Team

Author: Mike Lupica

Summer Reading List: Fairfield Middle Schools - 7th Grade

Summary: Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court, but he has the biggest game.  Unfortunately, Danny’s amazing talents aren’t enough to compensate for his height and he gets cut from the eighth grade travel team his father once led to a national championship.  Danny’s absentee father, a former NBA player who suffered a crippling injury during his first season, steps up to create an opportunity for every kid who plays the game with heart, regardless their skill level or height. 

Who will like this book?: Obviously, sports fans will like this book.  But, this book is one that can be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys a great underdog story.  Fans of books dealing with family issues and less than-perfect parents will also enjoy this book.

If you like this, try this:Any other book by Mike Lupica and Jerry Spinelli books such as There’s a Girl in My Hammerlock and Crash.

Recommended by: Jen, Fairfield Woods Teen Librarian

A Fighter’s Heart May 3, 2008

Title: A Fighter’s Heart: One Man’s Journey Through the World of Fighting

Author: Sam Sheridan

Summary:  Author Sam Sheridan gets right to the heart of the matter: In order to succeed as a fighter, you need more than a passion for the sport. The best fighters possess a dedication and fearlessness that few people can muster. This book is exactly what it says it is: the author details his years of traveling around the world learning about and training in the various forms of martial arts. He goes to Bangkok to study Muay Thai, L.A. to meet with Olympic boxing hopefuls, Rio to train with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu masters, and Iowa for MMA lessons with the legendary Miletich camp. Along the way, he fights, he suffers injuries, and he learns about the depth of commitment these extraordinary men have for their sport.

To put it simply, these terms and names either mean something to you or they don’t. If you are a member of the rapidly expanding fan base of mixed martial arts, or other fighting styles, this book is indispensable.

Who will like this?:  Guys into MMA or more the more traditional martial arts. And don’t let the gory cover fool you - this is a fascinating biography for anyone in high school doing a project or report.

If you like this, try this: American Shaolin by Matthew Polly. Iceman: My Fighting Life by Chuck Liddell.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian