A Whole New Ballgame (Rip and Red #1)

Gr 4-6—Red and Rip are best friends just beginning fifth grade. It's the first day of school and everyone appears to know who the teacher will be and how the year will progress—but not so fast...there is a new teacher, a young man with piercings, tattoos, and a whole new way of teaching. Mr. Acevedo loves reading, will not abide test prep or standardized test-taking, and has a love of basketball. Readers will realize early on that Red is on the autism spectrum. Like their new teacher, Red and Rip share a passion for basketball. Narrated by Rip (better known as Mason Irving to Red, who insists on calling his friend by his full name and never his nickname), the book depicts the evolution of a group of fifth graders who learn a lot, grow a lot, and help one another. The relationship between Rip and Avery Goodman (a girl in a wheelchair with anger issues) centers on a class project about gross things and highlights what nasty stuff gets caught on Avery's wheelchair wheels. Though the plot and its conclusion may be somewhat predictable, the charming and diverse characters as well as the engaging voice of Rip more than make up for it. VERDICT Pure fun with a lot of heart.—Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City

Rip and his best friend Red, who is on the autism spectrum, can't wait to be on their school's fifth-grade basketball team. But budget cuts, a focus on test prep, and a new teacher/basketball coach with tattoos, ear piercings, and a wealth of unconventional ideas are shaking things up. Rip isn't sure that Mr. Avecedo's methods will work (on or off the court), especially when he has to work on a group project paired with a hostile classmate, Avery, who uses a wheelchair. But through Mr. Avecedo's guidance, Rip, who some see only as "the black kid who plays basketball," and his classmates learn to see beyond the labels society places on them. The book's messages about teamwork, test-prep dependency, and stepping outside one's comfort zone can be overpowering, but this warm slice-of-life novel from Bildner (the Sluggers series) engages and entertains even so. Probert's energetic illustrations match the positive exuberance of the story as both test day and the big game approach. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Aug.)

"Pure fun with a lot of heart." —School Library Journal

"This warm slice-of-life novel from Bildner engages and entertains." —Publishers Weekly