Archive for the ‘Baseball’ Category
Thursday, December 11th, 2008
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| Author: | Chaim Potok |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 12 and up |
| Genre: | Fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1967 |
WAS:Orthodox Jewish boy trying to decide what to be when he grows up.
Flippant. Flippant. And, entirely unfair to this book.
It is the middle of World War II and most citizens of the US are still unaware of what is happening to the Jews of Europe. Reuven Malther, an Orthodox Jew, is severely injured in a baseball game by a ball pitched by Danny Saunders, a Hasidic (much more fundamentalist) Jew. They become friends and as a result they, and we, learn a great deal about the different styles of parenting, religious observation, and reactions to the formation of the state of Israel, among believers in different branches of Judaism. |
More generally, this is a story about parents struggling to figure out how to raise their gifted sons to honor their religious heritage and to reach their potential.
And it is about gifted boys realizing that they may not be called to follow in their fathers' footsteps.
"A very sad book," my 12 yr. old says. "But well worth reading." My other daughter called me from college to recommend the "sequel" (It's not about the same characters, but the themes are similar): My Name is Ascher Lev. |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Chosen, The |
Tags:Baseball, Gifted, Hasidic, Holocaust, Jew, Jewish, Parenting gifted children, World War II homefront
Posted in Baseball, Child-raising, Conceptual: age 12 and up, Culture, Fiction, Gifted, History, Parenting gifted children, Reading level: age 12 and up, School, Sports | Comments Closed
Thursday, July 6th, 2006
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| Author: | Jerry Spinelli |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 8 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1990 |
Modern day tall tale, beautifully written by Jerry Spinelli, whose Stargirl we also loved.
Maniac's athletic gifts and personal fortitude give him entree behind the window curtains of many homes in his small Pennsylvania town, where he is privileged to share meals and experiences with old and young, black and white, humans and zoo animals. Maniac re-pays the kindness of strangers by helping to bridge, although not heal, the town's racial divide. |
Winner, 1991 Newbery Medal |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Maniac Magee |
Posted in Baseball, Conceptual: 8 and up, Culture, Dealing with bullies, Death is a central theme, Dickensian, Fairy tales, Fiction, Gifted, Reading level: age 8 and up, Sports | Comments Closed
Monday, June 5th, 2006
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| Author: | Michael Chabon |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 5 and under |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Year of publication: | 2002 |
Very long tribute to the magical powers of baseball to heal divisions between people and damage to the Earth. Intense enough so that my daughter who is not exceptionally interested in baseball kept having to check back with me to reassure herself that the story really would end in a satisfactory way (happily, that is). It also kept her intensely interested, and it gave her a new -- awe for -- the concept of the "Coyote". |
| Similar books |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Summerland |
Posted in Baseball, Conceptual: 8 and up, Dragons and/or mythological beasts, Fiction, Reading level: age 12 and up, Science Fiction, Sports | Comments Closed
