MMGM: Guys Read: The Sports Pages

It's been quite the summer of sport. I'm thinking Olympics here, and all the amazing tales from London 2012.  Right alongside that, the Guys Read project, brainchild of Jon Scieszka, followed up the Guys Read: Funny Business (2010), and Guys Read: Thriller (2011), with Guys Read: The Sports Pages (July 2012). Like the eye-catching cover, this is a huge golden trophy of a compendium.

I received an ARC from Walden Pond Press, and dived straight in. (Folks, there are going to be so many sports metaphors in this review that you're going to think you're ringside, or in the dugout, where all the action is.) The contributors' list got me salivating. The collection is book-ended by two of my absolute faves, Dan Gutman and Chris Rylander--a total one-two punch of delight. (I should say "home run of delight," because both stories are about baseball.)

In between, there's an inspired mix of fiction and nonfiction. In nonfiction, we learn about the career of hockey player Dustin Brown, captain of the Los Angeles Kings (which won this year's Stanley Cup.) We also read about the basketball career--and subsequent success as a sportscaster--of James Brown in "The Choice."

Sports covered in fiction include football (Tim Green's magnificent Find Your Fire, which is as much about the ups and downs of friendship as it is about hoisting a championship trophy); running track, in which Jacqueline Woodson (The Distance) cannily explores the mind and motivation of a Penn Relay runner who is failing to put his heart and soul into it; and mixed martial arts, in which Joseph Bruchac (Choke) dissects the training that Johnny "fish" undergoes to defeat his nemesis, the sneering Tipper Sodaman. There's also a tremendous basketball story by the always entertaining Gordon Korman (The Trophy), in which the Hollow Log Middle School Hammers become city champions, only to find their trophy stolen and their title at stake.

But, for my money, it's in the writing of Anne Ursu (Max Swings for the Fences), and Chris Rylander (I Will Destroy You, Derek Jeter) that The Sports Pages elevates baseball to its rightful place as "America's sport."

Anne Ursu

Chris Rylander

These two writers hang wonderful narratives on their sports stories. We cringe as Ursu's main character, Max Funk, enters a new middle school and tells lie after lie to impress a beautiful girl. In swinging for the fences, he strikes out--but there's a glorious twist at the end of the tale! (Read it to find out.)

And Rylander shows why he was given the SCBWI's 2012 Sid Fleischman Award for Humor. He is magnificent in this story, where our hero Wes swears revenge on Derek Jeter for humiliating him on television. I kid you not when I say that I laughed so much that, had I been drinking a chocolate milkshake while reading, I would now be the proud possessor of the world distance record for expulsion of chocolate milkshake through nose. (So make sure you're not drinking anything when you read Chris Rylander, folks.)

All in all, this is a tremendous addition to the Guys Read canon. And I have an ARC to give away. Just leave a comment with your favorite sport embedded, and you have the chance to win. International entries--and sports--welcome. I'll draw a winner by 9 am PST on Friday August 31st. (And for the record, my favorite sport is tennis.)

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Drover's Quest by Susan Brocker

From the jacket copy, courtesy of HarperCollins New Zealand:

Rumour is flying around the west coast gold fields that Tom McGee has struck it rich and found a nugget of gold as big as a man's fist. So no one is surprised when next his campsite is found wrecked and abandoned. Men have been killed for a lot less on the tough goldfields of 1860s New Zealand. 

But one person is convinced Tom is not dead. His headstrong daughter, Charlotte. Solving the mystery is not her first task, though. First, she must get to the coast. A skilful horse rider, she disguises herself as a boy and joins a cattle drive across the Southern Alps. To survive the dangerous drive over Arthur's Pass and to keep her identity hidden from the vicious trail boss, she'll need the help of her dog, her horse, and her father's friend, Tama. She knows she can do it - she has to - but what will she find? And will her new American friend, Joseph, help or hinder her quest? Charlie is in for the ride of her life - and the stakes couldn't be higher.

I've got my full review up on PROJECT MAYHEM today. Let me just say that I've become a fan of Susan Brocker's. Unfortunately, being a New Zealander, her novels are not widely available in this country. But over at PROJECT MAYHEM, you get the chance to win yourself a signed copy. So hie thee thither, and join the Mayhem!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Margo Sorenson's ISLAND DANGER

One of the best things about this blogging-and-other-social-media lark is all the GREAT people one meets! Heck, sometimes I feel I interact more with my blog "friends" than I do with my F2F (face-to-face) pals--and in that I'm including the great Don Vito who's just returned from his annual holiday in Sicily!

One of the writers I've recently met is Margo Sorenson. She's the author of 27 books for children, plus (to the Don's great delight) she speaks Italian, having lived in Italy as a child. She's also lived in Hawai'i, so we're all totally envious!

Aloha, Margo!

And Hawai'i is where her latest novel, ISLAND DANGER, (recently released by MuseItUp Publishing) is set. The main character, Todd Halliday, is being sent against his will to spend the summer with his uncle, aunt, and cousins on Oahu. He's visited before, and he chafes at his uncle's military bearing and at his cousin Chris' rule-following.

What Margo Sorenson does really well is get us into Todd's head. At the start of the novel, he's not a particularly likable 14-year-old, and he's dismissive of a number of things (especially his cousin.) But we come to understand that what he really wants and needs is attention. Initially, he goes about it all the wrong way, hoping to find an arms cache and get some media glory. However, during the course of the novel, he comes to realize that Chris is not the "dweeb" and tattletale he first thinks. Todd also stands up to one of his uncle's anti-Hawai'ian tirades, and comes to have empathy for a family of Hawai'ians camping in the forest. By the end of the novel, we've come to appreciate Todd and his growth as a person--which is something all good novels accomplish.

I really enjoyed ISLAND DANGER. It's a fast-paced and thrilling adventure, and would be particularly appealing to that hard-to-reach middle grade demographic that likes sports, surfing, and danger.

(By the way, another of the bloggers I admire, Deb Marshall, had a fantastic review of Island Danger last week, plus a great interview with Margo. And I think today is the last day to earn a chance to win a free copy of ISLAND DANGER--which is exclusively an e-book--from Deb. Head there now, and tell her the Don sent you. Or go straight to Muse It Up and buy it HERE.)

Why I Like Having a European Boss

Dining alfresco in Sicily

European bosses are the best. (Well, not at this precise moment, just after Italy's soccer stars got shellacked by Spain in Euro 2012. There's been some breaking of furniture in the TV room.)

But, apart from odd bursts of ill-temper, a European boss understands something very important: You HAVE to go on vacation. And not just one of those paltry American vacations of a week or ten days. A true vacation lasts at least a month. It does not comprise of going to Disneyland, or even Atlantic City. No, the Don returns to Sicily and spends long, languourous days in the orange groves. He reads, swims, and plays the occasional round of golf. There's lots of pasta, chianti, and accordion playing. Everyone has to give in their Smartphones and iPads--even that Twitterophile, Luca Brasi Jr.--and disconnect completely.

Therefore, for the rest of July, the blog here will be dark. The Don agrees I don't have to accompany him back to Palermo--so I'll be heading for the Oregon Coast followed by the Washington Cascades. There will be no wireless there, just the snow-capped peaks and the racing rivers. A time to replenish the soul, and catch up with the reading.

See you in August!!

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: The Wonder of WONDER

WONDER by R.J. Palacio was one of the books I promised myself I would read during the summer vacation. I had heard so much about it--from fellow MMGM bloggers like Barbara Watson and Tweeters like Colby Sharp--that I just had to dive in. (R.J. Palacio's website has a number of interesting facts about both her and about the book. If you have time to visit, do so.)

Here's what happened: I cried. And cried. And cried. I was crying by page 7, and pretty much cried from then on. It got so bad that the Don suspected a leak in our sprinkler system. WONDER was unputdownable--and as soon as I finished, I started reading it again. (This would be a wonderful novel to read aloud to school-age children--but I won't be the one doing the reading. I'd be so overcome, the students would have to lead me off to lie down in the nurse's office.)

What it's about: August "Auggie" Pullman, 10 when the novel starts, has a cranio-facial anomaly. He's been homeschooled, mostly because he has had so many surgeries, but his parents now think that for 5th grade he should attend the nearby Beecher Prep. The novel explores the kindnesses and unkindnesses he experiences there, and his movement from fear to triumph.

Several things R.J. Palacio does masterfully:

1) We've all heard about VOICE, and WONDER captures the middle school voice perfectly. What's more, there are a number of narrators other than Auggie--from Auggie's sister Via (Olivia), to his friends Summer and Jack. All of the narrative voices are distinct and pitch-perfect for those characters.

2) An Intact Family: Really, this is fairly rare in middle grade, where parents in particular are often dead, divorced, or absent in some way. Auggie has two supportive parents, who nonetheless sometimes fail to understand his deepest desires, while doing the best they can. Via, his 14-year-old sister loves him desperately, but also acknowledges how much she's had to let go in her own life because Auggie needs so much of everyone's attention.

3) Dealing with numerous characters in a way that makes each one memorable: Hard to do in school stories. Yet Palacio makes even the most minor character have something about them that is memorable.

4) Teachers who are actual hard-working teachers, not mean or buffoons. If you read enough middle grade, you'll know what I mean. Mr. Browne's "precepts" are fantastic--introducing students to a monthly saying such as When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.

5) Light touches of humor. Humor is what makes Auggie come alive for his friends, so that they are able to see that he is SO much more than his facial disfigurement. Just in case you think it was completely weep-city, I did laugh quite a lot. (I especially liked the part when Via's boyfriend pretends to be a mafioso to scare off some bullies--hooray for violin cases masquerading as machine gun carry-alls!)

When I finished WONDER, I had the urge to go out and buy this book for everyone I know. It is, in my opinion, destined to be a classic. And now, I shall return to my drifts of Kleenex, and read it all over again.

(Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is the brainchild of Shannon Messenger. For other participants, please see my sidebar. And, happy reading!)

Sometimes Middle Grade Mafiosi read non-MG books...

I don't have a Marvelous Middle Grade Monday book for you today, but I do want to reassure you that I've been reading. A lot. Most of it's been A Game of Thrones and its sequels, but right now I'm almost at the end of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. It' s a merengue of musicality, opening my eyes to the terror that was the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic in the 1930s-1960s.

Sometimes it's good to flex the reading muscles in other areas, like working on your biceps rather than your abs. It'll be interesting to see how much infiltrates my writing too.

Have you strayed off your usual reading track lately? If so, what have you been reading?

Grand Prize Winner Announced

Imagine the scene:

The Don, surrounded by serried ranks of mafiosi. He strokes his favorite cat, Salvatore. He speaks.

The Don: So, Michele, you have the winner for me?

Me: Yes, your Don-ness

The Don: Enough of the fancy schmanzy, Michele. Bring me the hat. (He trawls stubby fingers through the pieces of paper in the hat, draws one out.) Here's the winner.

Luca Brasi, in a high-pitched voice: Is it me, Uncle Vito?

The Don: Did you comment, Luca? Did you take part in Michele's blog celebration? No? Then shut up.

(Luca steps back, shamefacedly.)

The Don: Okay, Michele. Who's the winner? He gets an agent, right?

Me: Er, no Godfather. He or she gets 25 bucks.

The Don: 25 bucks?! What is this, a second-rate operation? You might as well give them 25 lire--or what do they call 'em now? Euro? My grand-daughter gets 25 bucks for washing my car. The winner of this thing should get an agent. My nephew, Luigi. He only takes a 60 percent commission.

Me: (thinking Holy Mother of God): Okay, Godfather. We'll give the winner 25 bucks and Luigi. And the winner is...

Kristen Wixted

(Sorry, Kristen. I'll make sure Luigi gets sent to Boston, Indiana!)

Seriously, hooray for Kristen. She's a great MG writer, she's funny, and she writes a great blog at Don't Forget the Samovar. If you don't know her, go on over and meet her right now.

Thanks, everyone, for all your comments and support this past year. I am humbled and happy. We had a great week, Luca was thwarted, and Luigi's getting an all-expenses paid trip to the Indy 500!! Grazie!