"I'm not asking him to come and watch
me answer questions on Math Field Day
or wait all day in a hot gym for the results
of my Academic Pentathlon team. I'm
asking him to watch me play a sport,
just like he's always wanted.
All he's got to do is show up and watch
his son play ball. That's like a rite of
passage for fathers."
his son play ball. That's like a rite of
passage for fathers."
They've been friends since they started school, and now they are in sixth grade. Middle school - how will that go for Isaac and Marco? They could not be more different in terms of size or the plans they have for this first year of brand-new experiences. Each also is dealing with family problems, in terms of their fathers.
Isaac is a talented basketball player whose parents are divorcing because of his father's drinking. He knows that his lack of attention to school work has made things worse. He wants to work harder and prove himself a good student, in hopes that will stop the fighting between his parents. Marco is an exceptional student who rarely sees his father because of his new family. He wants to show his dad, who loves sports, that he can be as good at basketball as he is at math and academics. Isaac helps Marco deal with his panic attacks, while Marco listens to Isaac's concerns about his dad's drinking and his school work.
As the navigate middle school, they find new friends and interests. Their strong friendship is put to the test. When Isaac realizes how determined Marco is to prove himself on the basketball court, and understands the lengths he will go to for success, he steps up to help him make the team. It is testament to the resilience of the two, despite their own feelings that they are not meeting the expectations that others have of them.
Their first-person voice narrations are spirited, and even humorous as they help each other be the best they can be. Sensitive and appealing, middle graders will find much to like here.
If you like this one, be sure to go on a search for Eften Divided (Harper, 2020). You will not be disappointed.
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