![]() Takedown by Laura Shovan is one of the novel choices I gave my students this school year. From a teacher perspective it contains some concepts I wanted to highlight - point of view, dynamic characters, figurative language, a male and female protagonist, and different perspectives; plus, it is a good story, Overall I feel like my students enjoyed this read that highlights two wrestlers (Lev and Mikayla) who become training partners and form a strong bond as they learn to stand up for each other and themselves while navigating the often difficult world of becoming a teenager. I also enjoyed that this novel highlights a sport that is not often presented in fiction - wrestling. My students seemed to be interested in learning about the sport and the moves mentioned within the book. They also related to the characters and the difficult decisions they had to make for themselves. As an added bonus, Lev is Jewish while Mikayla is not, so the reader was introduced to some religious and cultural elements of each protagonist. Approximate Grade Level - (5th-7th grade) Although students younger than 5th grade can most certainly read the book, I do not feel they will yet be able to fully relate to the eleven/twelve year-old-protagonists who are on the cusp of becoming teenagers. Be forewarned that there is a lot of "girl power" in this novel, as well as, some religious references (to people in the Bible and Jewish customs).
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![]() "Stick" is the nickname for talented, wide receiver Brett Patterson who both loves and hates football. Stick loves playing football but hates what it has become which is all about winning and not the love of the game. He is pressured by his coach and his father to be the best and he ends up quitting the team with a little advice from his quirky new friend Preston. But don't worry, things work out by the end of the book. Although this book is about football, it has a lot of layers and weaves in some lessons about acceptance, perseverance, making the right choices, standing up to bullies, and overcoming addiction. I ended up really enjoying this book and think students will as well. I will warn that there is quite a bit of profanity within the text and some abusive scenes as well as underage drinking and alcoholism, so make sure you are ready to encounter these throughout the pages. Approximate Reading Level - The reading level is probably close to 7th grade and up, but because of some of the language and content, I would steer it more towards high school students. ![]() I have long been a Lakers fan, and when I saw the forward of this book was penned by Pat Riley, I had to give it a read. To be honest, I had not research what the book is about and only had a cursory knowledge of who Chris Bosh is, but I was pleasantly surprised with what this book has to offer. Chris Bosh writes this book as a series of letters to young athletes who are playing basketball or another sport. Through the letters he gives encouragement for struggles the athletes may well be facing as well as lesson on how to handle tough situations in sports and life. Bosh draws on his experiences coming up in basketball as well as his time in the NBA. He shares what he has learned from greats like LeBron, Kobe, and Coach K. Bosh also discusses how he has coped with leaving basketball behind with the diagnosis of a blood clotting issue he is faced with. You do not have to be a basketball player or fan to draw lessons from this book, although it might help. I would recommend this book to students who love sports and are aspiring athletes, especially if they struggle with the mental aspects of the game. Approximate reading level - 8th-12th (some mild cussing included in the book) |
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