Travel Team by Mike Lupica

Title: Travel Team
Author: Mike Lupica
Publisher / Date: Penguin Group / 2005 (Reprint)
Genre: Young Adult Novel, Fiction
Themes: Sports, Overcoming Odds, Family Relationships, Friendship
Summary: Danny lives with his single mom and has always been small for his age. At 12 he wants nothing more than to be taller and make the travel basket ball team. He can deal with his height, but dealing with not making the travel team is another issue. His father, a one time basketball star, is dealing with his own disappointment after being injured in a car accident. He will never play again as a pro, but decides to put his passion for the game into forming a new team for Danny and others who should have made the travel team but were unfairly cut from the team.
Curriculum Connections: Language Arts: Leisure Reading
Notes: Contains realistic language including an occasional curse word. Lupica has a natural talent for hooking the interest of boys, especially those who tend to be reluctant to read on their own. Click here to visit the author's website and to find similar titles.  *The author's website also has a video of a recent interview with Lupica on the Today Show. 

Search On!

Today I discovered a new tool (or is it more like a toy?) from Google called Google Search Stories. So I had to give it a try. In less than 10 minutes I had created my own search story.  I have to hand it to Google for being so creative with their advertising. As an "information specialist" I realize that Google isn't always the best place to begin a search, but let's face it... it is the most commonly used search tool out there. Thinking like a media specialist, my wheels are turning about how Search Stories could be used in the classroom. I think using a search story could help to build interest as you introduce a new unit. For example: if you're studying Western Expansion and Explorers, a teacher could create a Search Story beginning with the broad topic of Western Expansion, enter the time frame of your focus along with several famous explorers and map images of their exploration routes. You could end the Search Story with  the question "What if they never sailed?" as a discussion starter.

Something Stinks!

I love how information just comes to me. I don't seek this stuff out. It just finds me. I'm a "friend" of School Library Journal on Facebook. The benefits of this "friendship" is that I get to stay current with what's going on in the land of the SLJ at the same time I'm checking my friends' latest status updates. A recent SLJ Facebook post caught my eye and immediately made me laugh out loud:  Boys Trail Girls in Reading; Can Fart Jokes Help? an article by Leanne Italie, Associated Press. I said aloud, "Why am I not surprised?" I live in the land of gross humor every day. And ya know? It really stinks sometimes! It gets old really fast for a mom. My sons, ages 6 and 9 heard the sudden outburst of laughter. "What's so funny, Mom?" So I showed them the title. Their response: uncontrollable giggles. Then, "Oh! Can we read it?" I'm personally not a fan of gross-out humor. But I'm wise enough not to underestimate its power in children's books --if it gets kids reading. I've read every one of the Wimpy Kid books with my boys and I'm a believer: stories with high gross-out factors draw many reluctant readers in before they even realize they are reading.  Jon Scieszka, author and creator of Guyreads.com says, "We have to meet (boys) where they are." I guess that includes Grossland sometimes... I can deal with that, as long as Grossland is just a little side trip and not a destination.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher / Date: Amulet / 2007
Themes: middle school; humor
Genre: fiction, chapter book
Summary: Greg writes about his life as a middle schooler in his journal or diary (though he specifically says it is not a diary). Author / Illustrator, Jeff Kinney's cartoon like drawings throughout the book and diary-like pages give the book a unique appearance that sparks interest. Though the book contains mild gross humor and language that many would consider disrespectful, it's redeeming qualities are that the humor and the success this book has had for getting even reluctant readers interested in reading. 
Curriculum Connections: Grades 2-6: leisure reading
Notes: Consider the age and maturity level of the reader / audience. This book isn't for everyone.

All Star! Honus Wagner and the Most Famous Baseball Card Ever

Title: All Star! Honus Wagner and the Most Famous Baseball Card Ever
Author: Jane Yolen
Illustrator: Jim Burke
Publisher / Date: Penguin Group / 2010
Genre: biography, picture book
Themes: baseball, biography, sports
Summary: Yolen tells the story of Honus Wagner, whose family was from Germany. Wagner grew up poor and worked in the Pennsylvania coal mines. Wagner's amazing athletic ability eventually landed him a career in major league baseball in the early 1900's, winning the National League batting championship for 8 years. He even had his own baseball card which was then placed in cigarette containers. Since Wagner did not want children buying cigarettes in order to obtain his baseball card, he asked that his card be removed. Since the cards were pulled, only a few were sold and have become the most famous and most expensive baseball cards ever. Yolen notes that one of these rare Wagner cards sold at an auction in 2007 for nearly three million dollars. 
Curriculum Connections: Grades 2-5 Social Studies: famous Americans; Math (calculate how much Wagner earned per year and compare that to MLB players' salaries today; compare Wagner's stats with other famous baseball players)
Notes: Baseball fans are sure to love this biography!