Playoff Dreams

by Fred Bowen

Overview

As one of the best players in the league, Brendan wants nothing more than to see his team make it to the playoffs. But he just can't seem to make them win!

After Brendan learns about legendary Cubs player and Hall of Famer Ernie Banks at a Chicago Cubs game, an unexpected event happens and Brendan begins to see his team in a new light. Could his playoff dreams really come true?

Playoff Dreams explores what's most important to baseball fans and players alike: the love of the game. The afterword tells the real story of Ernie Banks and his career.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561455072
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	08/04/2009
Series:	Fred Bowen Sports Story Series , #3
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Fred Bowen was a Little Leaguer who loved to read and is still a lifelong sports fanatic. He is the author of the action-packed Fred Bowen Sports Story series, currently totaling more than twenty titles. For thirteen years, Bowen coached kids' baseball and basketball teams. He has also written a weekly sports column for kids in the Washington Post since 2000. He was a lawyer for many years before retiring to become a full-time children's book author.Bowen lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife Peggy Jackson. They have two grown children.

Editorial Reviews

"Bowen is quickly joining the ranks of today's most popular sports-fiction authors. . . . he skillfully interweaves fact and fiction and uses historical sports plays and concepts as a backdrop for the story." —School Library Journal

"Long-suffering Cubs fans of all ages (especially kids) will identify with the plight of a young Chicago boy whose knothole team can't seem to make the grade. Then the presence of a Wrigley Field legend and his sunny-side-up approach to baseball changes everything." —USA Today Baseball Weekly

From the Publisher

Gr 2-5Brendan is the best player on his team, but he feels "it's gonna be a long season," if his team doesn't start winning some games soon. After his Uncle Jack takes him to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, Brendan learns about other players who have been talented but have never made it to the playoffs or the World Series. His uncle explains, "It's like your team....They aren't winning, but you wouldn't want to play for another team, would you?" This is the fourth book in a series that uses actual sports heroes to reinforce a positive attitude among young athletes. Here, it is Ernie Banks, who hit over 500 home runs but usually played for a team that finished near the bottom of the league. Appealing pen-and-ink illustrations enhance the text, but the cover art doesn't reach out to potential readers. A fine purchase if other titles in the series have circulated well.Blair Christolon, Prince William Library, Manassas, VA

School Library Journal