Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Walden Pond Press (July 10, 2012)
Pages: 272
Audience: Grades 4 to 8
Source: Copy from the Publisher
Sports * Fiction *
Description from Publisher:
A lineman with something to prove
A vendetta against a baseball legend
The rise of a real-life NHL all-star
The luckiest grapefruit in sports history
Open up The Sports Pages, the third volume in the Guys Read Library of Great Reading, and you're in for all of this and more. From fiction to nonfiction, from baseball to mixed martial arts and everything in between, these are ten stories about the rush of victory and the crush of defeat on and off the field. Compiled by kid-lit all-star Jon Scieszka, Guys Read: The Sports Pages is a thrilling collection of brand-new short stories from some of your favorite authors and athletes.
Jon Sciezska, former National Ambassador of Young People's Literature, founded Guys Read to "help boys become self-motivated, life-long readers". One of the ways that Sciezska is working to make this mission a reality is by developing a series of books containing a collection of short stories that appeal specifically to boys. Sciezska has pulled together an all-star list of Middle Grade and Young Adult authors to develop stories around a theme. The current book is Guys Read: The Sports Pages. Each of the 10 stories in this collection celebrate or highlight some aspect of sports. I particularly enjoyed Dan Gutman's recollection of the 1986 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets in the story "How I Won the World Series". Probably because I remember watching those exact games. Though I enjoyed many of the stories in this volume, as with the other volumes, there are definitely stories that I have to remind myself that I am not the targeted audience. Some stories will be appreciated way more by a 10 or 12 year old boy than by me, and that is a good thing.
What I have come to love about this series is that I can easily read one of the stories to a group of students as part of book talking the book and know that I will quickly have students (boys and girls) raising their hands to be the first to read a copy of the book. Another aspect of the Guys Read Books is that many boys I know complain about sitting long enough to complete a book. There is a lot competing for their time. However, with a collection of short stories, readers can chose a story that appeals to them. It doesn't have to be the first story either. You can read the stories in order listed or jump around. Additionally, one story can be read easily during a silent reading time at school providing the reader with a sense of accomplishment.
Don't forget to check out the Guys Read Library of Great Reading Website. There are lots of great resources and book recommendations on this site.
To celebrate the release of Guys Read: The Sports Pages, Walden Pond Press will send out a set of all three (3) books in the Guys Read series. This is a great way to increase your classroom or school library with a set of books that are sure to attract readers.
1. Though comments are very much appreciated, please do not enter any personal information in the comments section (including your email, website, etc.). If you do enter personal information, your comment will not be posted.
2. You must complete the entry form to official enter the giveaway.
3. The Contest runs from July 3, 2012 to 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on July 10th.
4. You must be 13 years or older to participate.
5. If you are selected as the winner, you will be notified by email. If you do not respond within 48 hours, I will select a new winner.
6. US participants only.
