Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Softball Surprise.

Maddox, Jake.  Softball Surprise.  (Jake Maddox Girl Sports Stories)  Capstone/Stone Arch  2014  72p  $23.99      ISBN 978-1-4342-4141-2  elem  Sports fiction  VG

Elementary students who enjoy sports fiction and softball will enjoy this title.  Students meet Jo Adler, a girl who loves playing softball and hopes to get selected to play for the Red Angels this softball season.  When team assignments are provided, Jo is disappointed that she was selected to play for the Yellow Sonics, but since she knows a few players, including her friend Delia, she is at ease.  Determined to make the Yellow Sonics a better team, Jo and Delia practice softball skills together and with their new teammates.  When Jo overhears about the Red Angels having won so many games, she starts to think differently about wanting to be a part of the Red Angels.  During the season, with an injury to the Red Angels shortstop, Jo is offered her spot on the team. With the information Jo now has about the Red Angels, she decides to stay on the Yellow Sonics and help make them become the best team in the league.

The author includes black-and-white illustrations, easy-to-comprehend text, a glossary, discussion questions, writing prompts, and more information about the sport of softball.

For schools
that use Accelerated Reader, an existing test is available for students to take (AR Quiz # 163482).

Eight easy-to-read stories have been published in this series so far.  They emphasize speed, skill, and fair play.  Readers discover that an athlete's inner game, persistence, and courage are just as important as a steady hand or a chance for a goal.      

Summary: “Jo is disappointed when she is not placed on the Red Angels in the summer softball league, but when she is offered the chance to switch teams, Jo has to decide if she will leave her friends and play for the winning team, or win with the Sonics.”   

Softball-Fiction                                --Charleen Forba-Mayer

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