A cuddly, intelligent rodent becomes the hero of a sports tale that oozes charm.
A middle-grade novel focuses on a boy, his pet rat, and a shared love of baseball.
Lucky is one lucky rat. Rescued by a woman with a 10-year-old boy named Jack, he lives a fairly stress-free life with his brother, Gus-Gus, as household pets. The rats can talk to each other, having conversations that humans only hear as squeaks. When baseball season starts, Jack introduces them to baseball on TV, and Lucky loves it. It gets even better when Jack starts Little League, bringing Lucky to the games with him. There, Lucky is befriended by Fred, a dog who explains the rules of baseball to him. Lucky, it seems, has found his calling, becoming the team mascot and soon giving Jack and his fellow players signals from the sidelines. This leads Jack’s team, the Bulldogs, to victory over the Devil Rays, its archenemies. It also causes Danny, one of the Devil Rays’ players, to threaten Lucky, with the boy subsequently throwing a baseball and injuring the little rat. Soon, Lucky is on the mend and back at the baseball field, where Jack and his friends Dayna and Trevor lecture Danny about hurting helpless animals. In a climactic game, the Bulldogs again face the Devil Rays. The Goldenbergs, a mother-and-son team, have concocted a sweet tale of friendship not only among three wiser-than-their-years kids, but also between Jack and his two pet rodents. There are some nice descriptions throughout the book—Jack “smelled of candy, French fries, and home,” says Lucky in one captivating passage—and Cutler’s simple illustrations at the beginning of each chapter help draw a picture of the clever rat and his antics. There are some moments when Jack and his friends seem more mature than 10-year-old kids would be. For instance, when Trevor and Dayna come to visit after Lucky is injured, they bring doughnuts. “We come bearing gifts,” Dayna says, a rather grown-up phrase for someone her age. But that’s a minor quibble. This is a largely delightful story about children and pets with a few life lessons thrown in for good measure.
A cuddly, intelligent rodent becomes the hero of a sports tale that oozes charm.Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2022
ISBN: 9781646638598
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Koehler Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A stellar collaboration that introduces an important and intriguing individual to today’s readers.
Two bestselling authors imagine the boyhood of the man who became the legendary boxing icon Muhammad Ali.
Cassius was a spirited child growing up in segregated Louisville, Kentucky. He had a loving home with his parents and younger brother, Rudy. Granddaddy Herman also was an important figure, imparting life lessons. His parents wanted him to succeed in school, but Cassius had difficulty reading and found more pleasure in playing and exploring outdoors. Early on, he and Rudy knew the restrictions of being African American, for example, encountering “Whites Only” signs at parks, but the brothers dreamed of fame like that enjoyed by Black boxer Joe Louis. Popular Cassius was especially close to Lucius “Lucky” Wakely; despite their academic differences, their deep connection remained after Lucky received a scholarship to a Catholic school. When Cassius wandered into the Columbia Boxing Gym, it seemed to be destiny, and he developed into a successful youth boxer. Told in two voices, with prose for the voice of Lucky and free verse for Cassius, the narrative provides readers with a multidimensional view of the early life of and influences on an important figure in sports and social change. Lucky’s observations give context while Cassius’ poetry encapsulates his drive, energy, and gift with words. Combined with dynamic illustrations by Anyabwile, the book captures the historical and social environment that produced Muhammad Ali.
A stellar collaboration that introduces an important and intriguing individual to today’s readers. (bibliography) (Biographical novel. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-316-49816-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown and HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
