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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
Five stars because Mr. Acevedo is the teacher I wish I had the guts to be. Also, Bildner does a great job telling a story with a diverse cast of characters and I appreciated the way he portrayed students with disabilities without making them a distraction from the main plot. This would make a fun read aloud in grades 3 and up.
More than Sports Fiction
This isn’t your typical basketball book. The story of Mason Irving or “Rip” goes deeper than the play-by-play of any game. It speaks to the manner in which children are currently educated, the ways teachers feel pressured to teach for testing and not for life, and the insufficient financial support schools receive. It’s also a story about overcoming all of these obstacles or learning to “dance in the rain.”
This isn’t your typical basketball book. The story of Mason Irving or “Rip” goes deeper than the play-by-play of any game. It speaks to the manner in which children are currently educated, the ways teachers feel pressured to teach for testing and not for life, and the insufficient financial support schools receive. It’s also a story about overcoming all of these obstacles or learning to “dance in the rain.”
I loved this book way more than I thought I would! This would be a great read aloud for grades 3-5.
This book is perfect for students and perfect for educators. It's inspiring to anyone who picks it up and I think it gives a real-life look into what teachers face in their classrooms. The character of Red is well-written and realistic. Rip is also realistic and very much an 11-year old boy.
I liked that this book brought up so many issues current classrooms and schools face. As a fifth grade teach, I know that my students will easily identify with Rip. They'll cheer for Red and be outraged by Avery's comments. I wish the book didn't have so many nasty things, as I think that's dumbing down the story by trying to get kids into it with talk about poop and cotton candy ice cream puke. A few nasty things are okay, but I found it to be way over the top. I also wish it didn't use words like friggin' and crap, which schools, especially elementary schools, often don't allow. Yes, it's what kids this age say, but they don't need more exposure to it. That may seem very conservative, but in the Midwest, it's taboo in school.
I'm still debating about reading this to my class or not.
I'm still debating about reading this to my class or not.
3.5. Would pair well with School Story by Andrew Clements. Could lead to discussion of what students think we should use in place of testing.
What a great book. Bildner catches the alchemy of a close friendship, the rhythm of 5th grade, the magic of that one great teacher. All with basketball. No a-ha twist. Instead a satisfying arc that you are happy to go on.
3.5 stars
This is a fun book that falls on the younger end of the MG spectrum. It has a diverse class and a lot of humor.
This is a fun book that falls on the younger end of the MG spectrum. It has a diverse class and a lot of humor.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Starting off the year with a book club book! We read this for Middle Grade Book Club and I am glad that we did!
We start off this book with a brief introduction to our two main characters, Red and Rip, and are then introduced to their new Language Arts teacher, Mr. Acevedo. Mr. Acevedo is fresh out of college and has a lot of thoughts about how to best instruct students--no tests, no test prep, and a whole lot of teamwork. At first, his teaching style was a bit off-putting to how I imagine a 5th-grade Lindsey would have handled her first-day jitters. However, his teaching methods prove successful as the students not only use what they learned to ace a mandated state test, they also gain some fantastic social skills like healthy ways to deal with change, working with difficult individuals, and more.
I have to say that some of the characterizations, most notably Avery, seemed a bit unrealistic. Someone so offputting to her classmates (or maybe just Rip?) seemed a bit out of pocket for someone who has attended school there her whole life.
I like how the author integrated some potentially unknown words, idioms, and sayings/proverbs into the book. Red, one of the main characters, is autistic and he has some difficulties understanding certain phrases, and oftentimes an adult or friend will explain it.
While this was by no means one of my favorite middle-grade novels I have read, I would definitely read the next one in the series.
We start off this book with a brief introduction to our two main characters, Red and Rip, and are then introduced to their new Language Arts teacher, Mr. Acevedo. Mr. Acevedo is fresh out of college and has a lot of thoughts about how to best instruct students--no tests, no test prep, and a whole lot of teamwork. At first, his teaching style was a bit off-putting to how I imagine a 5th-grade Lindsey would have handled her first-day jitters. However, his teaching methods prove successful as the students not only use what they learned to ace a mandated state test, they also gain some fantastic social skills like healthy ways to deal with change, working with difficult individuals, and more.
I have to say that some of the characterizations, most notably Avery, seemed a bit unrealistic. Someone so offputting to her classmates (or maybe just Rip?) seemed a bit out of pocket for someone who has attended school there her whole life.
I like how the author integrated some potentially unknown words, idioms, and sayings/proverbs into the book. Red, one of the main characters, is autistic and he has some difficulties understanding certain phrases, and oftentimes an adult or friend will explain it.
While this was by no means one of my favorite middle-grade novels I have read, I would definitely read the next one in the series.
Loved promoting this at local elementary schools leading up to the 2016 Summer Reading Program (sports-themed!).
Great sports action scenes with believably passionate characters, Nice variety of perspectives in the stars of the show.
I was surprised by how much focus was on classroom teaching methods. I described it to friends as "educational escapism." It felt a little contrived, but that coulda been my personal bias. Anyway, I'm really glad there was a heavy emphasis on the sports action too.
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Great sports action scenes with believably passionate characters, Nice variety of perspectives in the stars of the show.
I was surprised by how much focus was on classroom teaching methods. I described it to friends as "educational escapism." It felt a little contrived, but that coulda been my personal bias. Anyway, I'm really glad there was a heavy emphasis on the sports action too.
Like like like!