Attention, fall sports fans! Your favorite reading has arrived, scoring major points on the field and in the hands of avid sports readers everywhere. Football, soccer, cross country and cheer -- a little bit of everything makes sports under blue skies, mild temperatures and fall vistas even lovelier.
And like real life, these books cover more than just what happens on the field. The plots weave the messy part of living in with the clean-cut black/white, win/lose beauty of sports, just as we see in the lives of real athletes.
FAMILY HUDDLE. By Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Archie Manning. Scholastic. Ages 4–8. $16.99.
Cooper, Peyton and Eli Manning grew up in a football family. Their New Orleans Saints quarterback dad, Archie Manning, raised them to love the game. Two of the three boys, as most of America knows, are NFL quarterbacks on winning Super Bowl teams. This cute picture book takes readers through a day in the life of these football stars when they were much, much younger, but just as enthusiastic about their sport.
While visiting their grandparents in Mississippi, the brothers run a few plays. Sometimes other kids join in the game. At the end of the day, their dad jumps into the backyard fun. This action-packed picture book will entice sports fans of all ages to sit down for a little armchair quarterbacking.
The Mannings have been named the 2009 (and first) Scholastic Book Clubs' ClassroomsCare Ambassadors of Reading. With a major focus on getting boys to read, the Mannings and Scholastic are teaming up to get a million books into the hands of kids across the country.
THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. By Kate Messner. Walker & Co. Ages 10-13. 198 pages. $16.99.
"Brilliant" aptly describes this autumn-infused read. Gianna Z., an artistic cross-country runner, finds peaceful escape from seventh grade in running. Gianna's mother is preoccupied with her many Junior League meetings and functions. Her father has a 24/7 on-call job as a funeral-home director, and her little brother's pesky approach to life can tire Gianna. Gianna's anchor is her Italian grandmother, whose forgetfulness begins to worry the family.
Gianna has problems with her own forgetfulness, stemming from procrastination more than a medical problem. Easily distracted, Gianna might be benched from sectionals if she doesn't buckle down on her leaf-gathering science project. Another girl, a stereotypical mean one, wants Gianna's spot.
Dealling with her grandmother's early Alzheimer's and her frazzled parents, Gianna muddles though middle-school challenges with the help of her friend Zig and with Nonna's grace in dealing with her illness. This book covers so many topics well; it is a top pick for 2009.
POP. By Gordon Korman. HarperCollins. Ages 12 and up. 260 pages. $16.99.
So often we recommend books for moms and daughters to read and discuss. We have found an ideal book for guys and men to read together. The plot focuses on the ravages of Alzheimer's. In this case, excessive concussions from professional football bring an early onset of the disease for a man named Charlie.
When Marcus moves to town, he anticipates playing football for one of the best programs around. To get his game in shape, he begins working out at the local park. He meets Charlie, a man who exudes sheer joy for the game. Marcus can't quite match up the dots of the man's erratic behavior as the two become friends.
As Marcus tries to carve out a space on the tightly knit, unfriendly team, he becomes more deeply involved with his new friend. Marcus also raises the ire of the quarterback -- Charlie's son -- with both his ability and the attention he is getting from the head cheerleader, who doubles as a veritable football guru. Action-packed with football lingo and lore, this is a guys-must-read.
cyoung9@triad.rr.com.
View book reviews at the Journal in Education site at www.jie.journalnow.com.
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