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Summary
Summary
Fifth grade is one wild ride in this illustrated middle grade novel about two best friends--the first book in the funny and engaging Rip and Red series.
Rip and Red are best friends whose fifth-grade year is nothing like what they expected. They have an eccentric new tattooed teacher named Mr. Acevedo, who doesn't believe in tests or homework and who likes off-the-wall projects, the more "off" the better. And guess who's also their new basketball coach? Mr. Acevedo! Easy-going Rip is knocked completely out of his comfort zone. And for Red, who has autism and really needs things to be exactly a certain way, the changes are even more of a struggle. But together these two make a great duo who know how to help each other--and find ways to make a difference--in the classroom and on the court.
With an energetic and authentic story from author Phil Bildner and dynamic black-and-white illustrations from Tim Probert, A Whole New Ballgame is a fresh, fun book about school, sports, and friendship. Featuring a diverse cast of characters and an array of kid-friendly discussable topics, this series is perfect for reluctant readers and in-class or independent reading.
Don't miss any of Rip and Red's adventures for elementary and middle school readers ages 8-12:
â-- A Whole New Ballgame
â-- Rookie of the Year
â-- Tournament of Champions
â-- Most Valuable Players
Author Notes
Phil Bildner received a B. A. in political science from Johns Hopkins University in 1990 and a J. D. from New York University School of Law in 1993. He was admitted to the bar in both New York and New Jersey and got a job as an associate at a large Manhattan law firm. After practicing law for a year, he decided to pursue a career in education. He received a master's degree in early childhood and elementary education from Long Island University in 1995. He stopped teaching in 2006 in order to write full time.
His picture books include Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy, The Shot Heard 'Round the World, Twenty-One Elephants, Turkey Bowl, The Hallelujah Flight, and The Soccer Fence. Marvelous Cornelius won the 2016 Margaret Wise Brown Prize in Children's Literature. His young adult novels include Playing the Field and Busted. He also co-created the Sluggers series with Loren Long.
In 2007, he began chaperoning student-volunteer trips to Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. He co-founded The NOLA Tree, a non-profit service organization.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Fifth graders Rip and his best friend Red, who has high spectrum autism, deal with an unusual new teacher plus an unconventional basketball coach and in the process learn a great deal about teamwork and friendship and about meeting challenges in school. Upbeat drawings add a positive dimension. Readers will also enjoy the outstanding sequel, Rookie of the Year (2016). © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rip and his best friend Red, who is on the autism spectrum, can't wait to be on their school's fifth-grade basketball team. But budget cuts, a focus on test prep, and a new teacher/basketball coach with tattoos, ear piercings, and a wealth of unconventional ideas are shaking things up. Rip isn't sure that Mr. Avecedo's methods will work (on or off the court), especially when he has to work on a group project paired with a hostile classmate, Avery, who uses a wheelchair. But through Mr. Avecedo's guidance, Rip, who some see only as "the black kid who plays basketball," and his classmates learn to see beyond the labels society places on them. The book's messages about teamwork, test-prep dependency, and stepping outside one's comfort zone can be overpowering, but this warm slice-of-life novel from Bildner (the Sluggers series) engages and entertains even so. Probert's energetic illustrations match the positive exuberance of the story as both test day and the big game approach. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
When fifth graders Rip and Red get an unconventional new teacher, there are big changes--which for Red, who's on the autism spectrum, spell big anxiety. Narrator Rip's empathy for his friend helps both boys not only adjust but excel in surprising new ways. Bildner's portrayal of an ASD child is sensitive and thoughtful in this entertaining, diversely populated school story. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Fifth grade is, as the title indicates, a whole new ballgame for best friends Rip and Red. Mason Irving is called Rip by everyone but his best friend, Blake Daniels, nicknamed Red. Rip is "the black kid with the hair who lives and breathes basketball." Red is the kid on the autistic spectrum who can't really play basketball, except that he's a phenomenal free-throw shooter. The duo is part of a class at Reese Jones Elementary, where students are known by simplistic tagsthe kid in the wheelchair, the kid who gets to wear a hat, "the kid who still drools." Rip knows that's how people see them, but he also knows "that's not who we are," and after a year with Mr. Acevedo, "the man with the piercings and tattoos," the class transcends differences and labels and becomes a community of friends. Unlike many school stories for this age, Bildner's is gentle, inspiring, and full of affection for children, born of his own years as a teacher. If the students are inspiring, so is Mr. Acevedo, who risks his job to do such radical things as reading aloud and encouraging free reading. (He's supposed to be preparing the kids to take tests!) Probert's cartoony illustrations lend energy and personality to the likable cast of characters. A school story with heart. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.