Drive to the Hoop

by Jake Maddox, Pulsar Studio (Illustrator)

Overview

A girl on the JV basketball team was injured, and Mel has been asked to take her place. Mel is thrilled. But the girls on the freshman team aren't happy for her. In fact, they're being downright mean. How can Mel play to win when she doesn't have teammates on her side?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781434225009
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/01/2011
Series:	Jake Maddox Girl Sports Stories Series
Pages:	72
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Who is Jake Maddox? Athlete, author, world-traveler – or all three? He has surfed in Hawaii, scuba-dived in Australia, and climbed the mountains of Peru and Alaska. His books range from the most popular team sports to outdoor activities to survival adventures and even to auto racing. His exploits have inspired numerous writers to walk in his footsteps – literally! Each of his stories is stamped with teamwork, fair play, and a strong sense of self-worth and discipline. Always a team-player, Maddox realizes it takes more than one man (or woman) to create a book good enough for a young reader. He hopes the lessons learned on the court, field, or arena and the champion sprinter pace of his books can motivate kids to become better athletes and lifelong readers.

Table of Contents

Bad news — Good news and bad news — Visiting — The worst practice ever — "Everybody hates me!" — A new friend — Try, try again — New girl — Setting goals — A team.

Interviews

Best-selling sports fiction Jake Maddox series will draw in reluctant and struggling readers;,Good for teaching plot and character development;,Features problem/solution sequence of events;,Discussion questions and writing prompts encourage students to engage and think critically;

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3–6—In Cheer Captain, Julia wants to become captain of the cheerleading squad at her new middle school. However, she worries that if she does, it could harm her friendship with Ava, another cheerleader and a friend. In Drive to the Hoop, Mel is also new in town. She has a chance to move up from the freshman basketball team to JV, but this upsets the other freshman players. Mel, like Julia, wonders if she can form friendships while being successful in her sport. Both easy chapter books deal with popularity and competition from a female perspective, which is a nice niche to fill. Unfortunately, the stories are contrived, and the illustrations are poorly executed. These hi/lo titles are extremely formulaic but are likely to circulate and could be considered for larger collections.—Elizabeth Swistock, Jefferson Madison Regional Library, Charlottesville, VA

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