Wednesday, April 27, 2005

The Million Dollar Strike

Dan Gutman started this series with The Million Dollar Shot, in which a basketball contest will be won or lost. Next came The Million Dollar Kick, with soccer at the center of the story. Then he brought us The Million Dollar Goal, about twins and a hockey contest. Finally we have The Million Dollar Strike. It's not about baseball... it may be the only kids' book out there about bowling! You read me right. Ouchie, otherwise known as Ryan, and his best friend Squishy, aka Stephen, love to bowl. The problem is the only bowling alley in town is about to be torn down. They team up with the strange, but interesting, guy who owns the place to sponsor a Million Dollar Strike contest to bring in customers. Will they save the Bowl-A-Rama?

Friday, April 15, 2005

The Stupendous Dodgeball Fiasco

If you liked Frindle, or one of Andrew Clements' other books, try this one. Phillip feels like he just doesn't fit in. He was ok at the juggling, but stunk at riding the unicycle. He doesn't think he'd be good at lion taming, and he's sick of cleaning up after elephants. Oh, did I mentioned that Phillip's family works for a circus? Phillip just wants to be a "regular" kid, not the son of a clown and the fat lady. He gets that chance when his parents allow him to go and stay with his aunt and uncle in Hardingtown, the unofficial dodgeball capital of the world. As Phillip is going to find out, he may be able to run away from the circus, but will he be able to survive Hardingtown? This is the author's first book, and I can't wait to read more by her! (Author: Janice Repka)