Published: June 30, 2009 09:39 pm      

7-1 Good Reads

EDMOND — ‘MUDVILLE’

BY KURTIS SCALETTA

Roy McGuire loves baseball. But playing the game can prove tough when you’ve grown up in Moundville, a town where it has rained consecutively for 22 years straight.

It’s been raining is Moundville since the day of the big baseball game against rival team Sinister Bend more than two decades ago. Some people are convinced Moundville is cursed, but Roy thinks more in percentages: “If you think about all the towns in the world and all the years the earth has been around, it was bound to happen somewhere sooner or later.”

Now with baseball camp ending, Roy is headed back to the dampness of his hometown and a summer spent helping his dad with work.

But life is about to throw Roy a curveball. First, he finds that he has acquired a roommate in Sturgis, a local foster kid that his father has taken in, who actually likes Roy’s father’s inedible dinners.

And then, the rain that had become as familiar as a broken-in baseball glove ends. With the sun shining upon him, Roy thinks it’s high time that Moundville started playing ball once again.

So he begins to form the brand-new Moundville baseball team, consisting of local players eager for the rematch against Sinister Bend that has been years in the making. And maybe the sunshine has struck out the rain once and for all.

Ages 9-12.



‘BLACK DIAMOND & BLAKE’

BY DEBORAH BLUMENTHAL

“Black Diamond & Blake” tells the story of an unlikely but unshakable bond between a racehorse and a prisoner.

Black Diamond is the fastest and best racehorse at the track. With each win, the love from his jockey and the crowd swells, but when he stumbles and hurts his leg, Black Diamond’s illustrious career ends in a flash. He is taken to a new home in a prison and is given a second chance, and a special inmate will change his life forever.

This story of friendship is ideal for animal lovers young and old. An Author’s Note, detailing the real-life programs in prisons throughout the country that teach inmates how to care for horses and other animals who might otherwise be homeless or euthanized, lends an educational tone to the tale.

Ages 5-8.



‘YOU NEVER HEARD OF SANDY KOUFAX?!’

BY JONAH WINTER

In this picture-book biography of the famous left-handed pitcher, an old-timer tries to explain to a child who Sandy Koufax was, and what made him so amazing.

We learn that the beginning of Sandy’s career on the Brooklyn Dodgers was rocky, that he was shy with his teammates, and that he was one of the only Jewish players in the game at the time.

We hear that he actually quit, only to return the next season changed: firing one rocket after another over the plate, then throwing no-hitters year upon year.

We watch him refuse to play in the first game of the 1965 World Series, because it was a Jewish High Holy Day, an act that solidified his status as hero among Jewish Americans.

And we see him in pain because of an overused left arm, eventually retiring at the peak of his career. Finally, we are told people are still “scratchin’ their heads over Sandy,” who remains a modest hero and a mystery to this day.

Ages 6-10.



‘FATE’

BY JENNIFER LYNN BARNES

For the past two years, Bailey Morgan has tried to lead life as a regular high school student — which isn’t easy when she has the powers of an ancient mystical being at night. Her personal life is falling apart, college applications loom, and on top of that Bailey literally has the fate of the world on her shoulders.

But she gets some much-needed help from the Sidhe, an ancient race that believes that the end justifies the means. As she gets entangled in their web, Bailey begins to realize it is time to make some difficult choices about who she wants to be.

After all, senior year is a time for change. But does she really have the right to choose her path?

Ages 12 up.



 ’BRUTAL’

BY MICHAEL HARMON

Being uprooted from home isn’t easy for any teenager — especially for 16-year-old, mohawk-haired Poe Holly, who is forced to trade the life she loves in Los Angeles for the suffocating suburban lifestyle in small-town California.

She misses life in L.A.: her friends, her punk band, and even the screaming matches she had with her mom, who is a stark contrast to her aggravatingly calm father (who happens to be the guidance counselor at her school).

In the midst of the cookie-cutter prom queens and jocks, Poe manages to forge friendships with Theo, the anti-establishment guy in the anarchy t-shirt, and Velveeta, her neighbor whose oddness causes him to be the butt of every prank at Bender’s High.

But when the pranks threaten to become deadly at the hands of invincible football star Colby Morris, Poe takes it upon herself to fight the system and stand up to that bully — and eventually to the bully inside herself.

Ages 14 up.



‘THIS LITTLE BUNNY CAN BAKE’

BY JANET STEIN

The students in Chef George’s School of Dessertology are learning how to bake, but only one — a little bunny — follows the rules.

Mouse wants to make something with Swiss cheese; Poodle weighs herself, instead of the ingredients; and everyone else is busy making a mess.

Only one little bunny is quietly at work creating a masterpiece that declares, quite literally, “This little bunny can bake!”

Ages 4 - 8.



‘I’M YOUR PEANUT BUTTER BIG BROTHER’

BY SELINA ALKO

As the American family is continuously changing, “I’m Your Peanut Butter Big Brother,” celebrates the new reality.

Inspired by Selina Alko’s own son, Isaiah, who is biracial, young readers of all backgrounds can see themselves in the book’s pages and lyrical prose.

Big brother wonders what his new sibling will look like.

He uses his boundless imagination to blend images of his mother (strawberry cream) and father (semisweet dark). He looks at the world around him — at his family, friends, and neighbors — to see all the different blends of people.

The book captures the excitement of a new baby for an older sibling, while celebrating the genuine love of family.

Ages 2 - 5.



‘MY DANCE RECITAL’

BY MARYANN COCCA-LEFFLER

After much rehearsal, the young dancers of “My Dance Recital,” both boys and girls, arrive at the town theater excited and nervous for their big chance to perform.

Lift the flaps on their dance bags to reveal shoes, costumes, and snacks for backstage.

Next, spin the wheel and watch their transformations through hair and makeup.

In the dressing room, find fairy ballerinas, cowgirl jazz dancers, and tap dance soloists — they’re all at “My Dance Recital.”

As the dancers await their turn to perform, readers go backstage to lift the legs of a kick line and learn ballet positions from a group of ballerinas.

When the curtain goes up, dancers step into motion with great leaps and graceful spins.

“My Dance Recital’s” grand finale closes with a bow and a “Bravo!”

Ages 4 - 8.



NOTE: E-mail dpeery@edmondsun.com to have your name entered into a drawing for the following titles: “Black Diamond and Blake” and/or “Fate."  Deadline is 10 a.m. July 6. Winner will be notified by return e-mail. Winner is responsible for picking up the book at The Edmond Sun office.