Hughes, Alison. Kings of the Court.

Hughes, Alison. Kings of the Court. Orca  2017  192p  $9.95  Paperback  ISBN 978-1-4598-1219-2    ms/jr  Sports  VG-BN 

When a belligerent basketball coach is fired, the team wonders if their season has ended. A drama teacher, fond of Shakespearean quotes, combines fencing skills with motivational speeches based on Shakespeare to motivate the only seven players left. With humor and perseverance, the boys excel and even in a loss feel as though they are victors. Each person finds his inner strengths, including the team scorekeeper and mascot who goes on to become the lead in Henry V, the unexpected play that caps a roller coaster ride of a sports season. With a multi-ethnic and multi-racial cast, this book shows readers that self-confidence and hard work can make the impossible possible.  It is strongly recommended for young teens because of the themes of acceptance, self-confidence and overcoming obstacles.

Summary: A brutal basketball coach is fired, to be replaced by a drama teacher who loves Shakespearean quotes. The team eventually rallies around the new coach and excels even without their star scorers. Humor, perseverance and drama abound. Grades 5-8.

Basketball-Fiction, Drama-Fiction                           --Virginia McGarvey

Bildner, Phil. A Whole New Ballgame.

Bildner, Phil.  A Whole New Ballgame.     Macmillan/Farrar Strauss      2015  243p  $15.99  ISBN 978-0-374-30130-9      elem/ms     Realistic Fiction  E-BN  

If someone was looking for the absolutely all-inclusive book for grades 4-5, this is it.  The new teacher is completely unconventional.  The students represent multiple nationalities and races.  One has autism and one is in a wheelchair.  But it all works.  Throw in basketball practices and games, and interfering parents, and that sums up this title.
 

The banter among the students sounds true.  Their interests and reactions are completely real.  The unconventional teacher is a bit way out there, but he is effective.  The basketball lingo is sometimes beyond this reviewer, but the boys who are into basketball will gobble it up.  The students learn how to accept differences and work with them, and they score very well on standardized tests due to the enthusiasm and interest the teacher had instilled in them.  It is great to see innovative, creative teaching validated.
 

Boys who are into basketball in grades 4-6 will love this book.  

Summary: A unconventional teaching style, basketball, autism, and life in a wheelchair: it’s all in this title written for boys in grade 4-5.           

Basketball-Fiction, School-Fiction, Autism-Fiction          --Joan Theal