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Sports Story Collection for Both Boys and Girls


LAY-UPS AND LONG SHOTS: An Anthology of Short Stories by Joseph Bruchac, Lynea Bowdish, David Lubar, Terry Trueman, CS Perryess, Dorian Cirrone, Jamie McEwan, Max Elliot Anderson, Peggy Duffy.  Darby Creek Publishing, 2008.

ISBN: 978-1-58196-5          112 pages          $15.95
Darby Creek Publishing’s new young adult sport-themed story collection, LAY-UPS AND LONG SHOTS, is a winner. The mix of sport stories for both boys and girls makes this a rare collection of high interest topics with true literary appeal.
“SWISH: A Basketball Story” by Bruchac presents an untalented but ardent basketball player who discovers what’s most important in his life.
“Fat Girls (Can’t) Don’t Run” by Bowdish introduces an overweight 6th-grade girl who surprises her gym class and especially herself.
“Bounce Back” by Lubar shows Tyler practicing so intensely for a ping-pong tournament he sets himself up for failure.
“H-O-R-S-E” by Trueman is a true jewel. A 12-year-old boy faces his friend and nemesis in the ultimate game of hoops. This story is interspersed with vibrant free verse poetry.
“Amazing Dirt Girl Rides Again” by Perryess focuses on 7th-grader, Amanda, who in her effort to be cool for a heart-throb, jeopardizes her relationship with her best friend.
“Riding the Wave” by Cirrone is set in Florida where a 14-year-old girl–who’d rather sun than surf–changes her mind about trying out the board when the most unlikely surfer struts his stuff.
“Red Shorts, White Water” by McEwan features rafter, Ted, who tries to impress an older girl with his white water skills and instead faces major embarrassment.
“Big Foot” by Anderson takes Jeff, with his over-sized foot, into a new town where he ultimately earns respect from the normally derisive football team when he shows just how far he can kick. 
“Song of Hope” by Duffy deals with an enthusiastic girl soccer player’s problems when she tries to bridge the cultural divide between her Korean mother and herself.
  

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January Highlights Fun

HIGHLIGHTS magazine online has tons of fun of kids this month. You can download the Hidden Picture, “First Snow,” and try to find all the hidden items. 

there are crafts, puzzles, stories, poetry and more. 
Or you may want to try a couple of the puzzles on my website.
Analog Puzzle 1 and Analog Puzzle 2 are word puzzles similar to crossword puzzles.
After you try these two, see if you can make up one of your own!
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Matt!!!
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New Fantasy Books with Girl Main Characters

I’ve been reading some great books during the holiday break, and I wanted to share a couple of the new fantasy books with you. Both of these books have girl main characters and some similar story elements, but they are decidedly different in their voice. Plus, they are both great page-turning reads that can’t be put down.

THE GIRL WHO COULD FLY by Victoria Forester.
Piper McCloud, a home schooled, lonely child, discovers early in her life that she has a special ability–she can fly. When she finally can’t keep her secret hidden any longer from the world, she is whisked away by a secret government organization to an underground school with other special children. At first she enjoys hanging out with these talented kids–the Mustafa twins who can stir up storms, Violet–who can shrink down to almost nothing, Daisy–who is strong enough to lift a tank, Smitty–who has x-ray eyes, and several more unique students.
But when Piper discovers everything isn’t as it is supposed to be in this secret hideaway established to study unusual phenomenon, she sets out to free the children–even if it costs her everything.
Two thumbs up for this fantasy tale which explores society’s tolerance for the out-of-the-ordinary. This book would make a great read for a middle grade book discussion group.
SAVVY by Ingrid Law.
This title earned the 2008 Boston Globe Horn Book Award. It is an outstanding read for upper middle grade readers. 
Mibs (short for Mississippi) Beaumont is about to have her 13th birthday, which for the Beaumont family is a major milestone. Each child has inherited a special savvy (or power) which manifests on their 13th birthdays. Her older brothers, Rocket–17 and Fish–14, can command electrical power or rouse up hurricanes, respectively.
On the eve of Mibs’ big birthday, her world takes an unexpected turn when her father is involved in a car accident and seriously injured. He’s placed in a hospital over an hour’s drive away, and Mibs believes her new savvy might have the power to heal him. So she (along with an unlikely team of friends and family) stow away on a the Heartland Bible Supply Company’s pink bus to make the trip to the hospital. But the trip, of course, doesn’t go as planned. 
The story is filled with fun characters like Bobbi, the preacher’s 16-year-old daughter, and Lill, the always late waitress stranded by the roadside, and Lester, the down-and-out Bible supply bus driver. SAVVY explores young reader’s insecurities while taking them on a roller coaster ride of plot twists and turns. Another two thumbs up for a memorable read.
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Happy New Year!

Happy 2009!

I hope this year brings you many opportunities. 
I hope you discover exactly what you need–even if it wasn’t exactly what you wanted.
I hope you find joy in your work and in your play.
And if you’d like to play at making some snowflakes to celebrate January, click here for instructions. These snowflakes are super fun to make, but they won’t work too well if you’re wanting to make a snowman. For that, you’ll need some real snow. 🙂
Enjoy!
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Have a HOLLY Jolly Christmas


My dog HOLLY couldn’t wait to share her adventures with you.

Yes, as you can see from the photo on the right,
she’s taken the Snowflake Express to the North Pole and joined Santa’s elves. 
And she’s not just any old elf. No. She is the Head Elf’s Chief Executive Assistant. With her uncanny herding abilities and her very hard, cold nose, she pokes and prods any wayward
elves into action. Santa has to keep the toy assembly line going.
The countdown is on….only 7 more days until Christmas Eve.
I’m very proud of her, of course. But with a name like HOLLY, how could she not be a wonderful elf?
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Free Online Games and Crafts for Kids

This site provides fun online games for you to try: POP CAP GAMES. You can download them or play them online.

Author illustrator Eric Carle has a cool craft activity for you to try at his website. Make a collage  

like he sometimes uses for his illustrations. To see examples of his art work, read THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR or one of his other books.  
I hope you are able to find time for fun this holiday season–and the best fun is always shared with family and friends.
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How to Make Gingerbread Houses Online


This is the perfect time of year to create a tasty gingerbread house. HIGHLIGHTSKIDS.COM has this cool online site. Now gingerbread house fans can make one without any of the mess.

 

Jan Brett also has an online GINGERBREAD BABY HOUSE. You can design your very own. And a GINGERBREAD BABY COLORING PAGE you can print. Then you’ll want to find a copy of Ms. Brett’s newest book, GINGERBREAD FRIENDS, and discover all the adventures the Gingerbread Boy has when he sets out to find some friends.
Or you might want to read some other gingerbread tales. For a new twist on the story, try THE GINGERBREAD COWBOY by Janet Squire. You can probably find a copy at your local library or bookstore.
But if you are ready to make a real gingerbread house, find a book like Jennifer A. Ericsson’s GINGERBREAD HOUSES FOR KIDS and start creating.
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New Boy Books I’ve Been Reading

BIRD LAKE MOON by Kevin Henkes (published by Greenwillow) is a boy book that deals with issues of divorce and death. Twelve-year-old Mitch Sinclair reluctantly accompanies his mom to his grandparents’ lake house after his dad announces he wants a divorce. The tension mounts quickly as Mitch finds it hard to accept the divorce, and his grandparents seem less than enthusiastic about their long-term house guests.

Mitch adopts an empty house next door as his getaway place, but too soon the long-gone owners of the house return. They are a family of four–Mom, Dad, Spencer (10) and Lolly (7). They bring with them the sad memory of a first son who drowned in the lake eight years ago.
Mitch and Spencer become friends, even after Spencer discovers Mitch’s prank to release the family dog. They discover a bond in their losses–Mitch’s father and Spencer’s brother. Both of them come to realize they must rise above their problems and take control of their lives.
The book is well-written with characters many young readers can identify with. While this book is not a fast-moving action thriller, it offers a glimpse into modern life which many children can relate to and which they would find interesting. For those readers ready to try another Henkes’ novel, direct them to OLIVE’S OCEAN–another introspective book which deals with death and coming of age.
GHOST LETTERS by Stephen Alters (published by Bloomsbury) has a combination of adventure, supernatural, and historical elements. Gil–a fourteen-year-old who has just been expelled from McCauley Prep School because he copied a poem off the Internet and claimed it as his own–is exiled to seaside Massachusetts to stay with a grandfather he barely knows while his busy jet-setting parents decide what to do with him.
In the three-week interim, he finds a mysterious blue bottle at the ocean’s edge and begins sending messages back and forth over time to an Indian boy caught up in an 1896 British conflict in the tea growing area of Ajeegarb.
While Gil is trying to tying to make sense of these strange messages, he meets Nargis–a local girl his own age–at a trash dump where they discover another mystery–a smelly skeleton hand belonging to a 19th century local spinster, the victim of lost love.
There is also a mysterious ghostly letter carrier and a poetic genie involved in all this. Sometimes the fantastical elements seem a bit too much, but the book is a page turner. Gil and Nargis are determined to solve the mystery and to help their new friend in India escape the horrors of war as well as reunite the star-crossed lovers.
With the threat of being sent to military school looming over him, Gil manages to use the supernatural powers to his advantage, and in doing so a happy ending ensues for all.
This book provides interesting mysteries woven into a historical setting and interlaced with numerous fantasy elements. Boy readers should enjoy this fast-paced tale.
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Children’s Book Biz News from Anastasia Suen

Anastasia Suen, children’s author of 110 books and an excellent writing teacher, shares her knowledge and inside news in 4 different blogs.

Kid Lit Kit (using books in the classroom)
Picture Book of the Day (activities/writing ideas for books)
Book of the Week (highlights a book with links for further exploration of the topic)
Children’s Book Biz News (updated info on editors, agents, & books)
I’m happy to say that I made last Friday’s post at CHILDREN’S BOOK BIZ NEWS. 
Thanks, Anastasia, for the highlight!