Rookie of the Year - Hardcover

Bildner, Phil

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374301344 ISBN 13: 9780374301347

Verlag: FARRAR STRAUSS & GIROUX, 2016

Inhaltsangabe

Fifth grade is turned upside for two best friends when a spunky new student joins their class in this illustrated middle grade novel―the second book in the funny and engaging Rip and Red series.

Just when they think they've got the hang of things, Rip and Red find that fifth grade continues to challenge them in head-spinning ways. Tiki, a new girl whose Egyptian dad is an animal-rights activist, has just joined their class. She's charismatic, funny―and she's got game! Rip has his world turned upside down as Tiki proves to be tough competition on the Clifton United basketball team and leads a rebellion against the lousy new food service in the school cafeteria. Red, who has autism, is struggling with the upheavals as well. But as these two funky and funny best friends discover, sometimes radical change is the right move, on the court and off.

With an energetic and authentic story from author Phil Bildner and dynamic black-and-white illustrations from Tim Probert, Rookie of the Year is a fresh, fun book about school, sports, and friendship. Featuring a diverse cast of characters and an array of kid-friendly discussable topics, this series is perfect for reluctant readers and in-class or independent reading.

Don’t miss any of Rip and Red’s adventures for elementary and middle school readers ages 8-12:
● A Whole New Ballgame
● Rookie of the Year
● Tournament of Champions
● Most Valuable Players

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Phil Bildner is a former New York City public school teacher who lives in Newburgh, New York with his husband, dog, and cats. He is the author of many picture books and novels, including the acclaimed coming-of-age story A High Five for Glenn Burke as well as the middle grade Rip & Red series.

Tim Probert has illustrated children’s books, including Pickle by Kim Baker, as well as magazines and advertisements. He is also a director at the animation studio Aardman Nathan Love. He lives in New York City.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Rookie of the Year

By Phil Bildner, Tim Probert

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Copyright © 2016 Phil Bildner
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-374-30134-7

Contents

Title Page, 
Copyright Notice, 
Dedication, 
Cafeteria Basketball, 
The Early Pass, 
The Lunch Bunch, 
Takara Eid, 
Tiki Time, 
Name That Food, 
Practice Unexpected, 
A Whole New Ballgame, 
CC and Tiki, 
Operation Food Fight, 
Clean or Dirty?, 
The Strategy, 
Sprinting, 
Short and Sweet, 
Pizza and Pushing the Envelope, 
Read Aloud, 
Rookie of the Year, 
Working Me, 
Plots and Plans, 
Starting, 
Benched and Floored, 
Mission #1, 
The Opener, 
The Hot Seat, 
The Bench Mob, 
Mission #2, 
Where I Read, 
Road Test, 
Perked Up, 
Odd Man Out, 
Happy Writing Day, 
Journal Entry, 11/27, 
Swooping and Hooping, 
Good, 
Pushing the Envelope, 
Mission #3, 
Caught, 
The Hot Seat, Again, 
Something's Up, 
One on One, 
Bench Mob!, 
Sentencing, 
A Girl in My Bedroom!, 
Gone, 
Table for Four, 
Alone, 
Leading the Way, 
Showdown!, 
Acknowledgments, 
Also by Phil Bildner, 
About the Authors, 
Copyright, 

CHAPTER 1

Cafeteria Basketball

"It all comes down to this," I said, announcing the play-by-play. "Ten seconds on the clock, Clifton United trails by two. Irving has the ball at the top of the key."

Actually, I was standing on a table in the middle of the empty school cafeteria, and the ball was really the crumpled tinfoil wrappers that had contained the last of my Halloween candy. I sized up the garbage can in front of the Line Starts Here sign on the wall by the food-serving area.

"Hurry up, Mason Irving," Red said.

I'm Mason Irving. That's what Red calls me. Everyone else calls me Rip.

Red was by the entrance on lookout. He gripped the headphones hooked around his neck with one hand and tapped his leg with the other.

"Irving jab-steps left." I pretended to dribble. "He slides right, looking to create some space."

Red and I were allowed to be in the cafeteria in the morning. We had a pass from our teacher, Mr. Acevedo. But I probably wasn't allowed to be standing on a table playing tinfoil basketball.

Make that definitely wasn't allowed.

"Hurry up," Red said again.

Just so you know, I wasn't going to miss this shot. The new basketball season started right after school, and this was my good-luck, half-court-heave, buzzer-beating basket before the first practice.

No way was I going to miss this shot.

"Five seconds ... four," I counted down. I brushed the dreadlocks off my forehead. "Three ... two ... from three-point land!"

I baseball-threw the tinfoil, and with my basketball eyes I tracked its flight over the tables.

It landed in the center of the can.

"Boo-yah!" I hammer-fisted the air.

"Bam!" Red cheered.

CHAPTER 2

The Early Pass

You might be wondering why two fifth graders are allowed to be all by themselves in the cafeteria, so let me explain.

Each morning, I meet Red at the end of his driveway, and we walk to Reese Jones Elementary. We cut through the school yard, zigzag through the portables (the second- and third-grade classrooms), and obstacle-course the new playground. We reach the main entrance to RJE just as the building officially opens.

The same thing, every day.

But for the last couple weeks, I've been meeting Red ten minutes earlier because he's now permitted in the building before the other kids. He's allowed to go up to our classroom, get unpacked, and settle in before everyone else. Since I walk to school with Red, I'm allowed in early, too.

Here's why:

The first two months of fifth grade were tough for Red. Then again, thanks to all the crazy budget cuts and changes, they were tough for all the kids. There were like ten new teachers, including Mr. Acevedo. There was no longer an assistant principal, and the principal, Ms. Darling, was out of the building more than she was here. For the first time, the fifth graders had to switch classes. We also had to eat lunch with the first and second graders, instead of the fourth graders. Luckily, we still got to sit in the fifth-grade-only booths.

As for Red, he doesn't do well with changes. They seriously mess with him. That's why Ms. Yvonne — the special ed teacher — suggested the building pass. Red does a lot better when he gets to places early or on time.

The thing is, the early pass only gets us into RJE. It doesn't allow us to roam the halls. That's where Mr. Acevedo comes in. He doesn't mind us leaving Room 208 so long as we're back when the other kids arrive.

It's pretty cool being the only kids in the school and walking past the front doors while everyone else is outside, especially since it's the beginning of November and getting a little cooler. And it's beyond pretty cool playing tinfoil hoops in an empty cafeteria.

CHAPTER 3

The Lunch Bunch

After I sank my long-distance tinfoil shot, we started back to Room 208.

"The new lunch ladies completely ignore us, Mason Irving," Red said.

"They don't even know we're in there," I said.

"Ms. Eunice, Ms. Carmen, Ms. Joan, Ms. Audrey, and Ms. Liz would never completely ignore us like the new lunch ladies. I miss the Lunch Bunch."

I raised my fist. "Bring back the Lunch Bunch!"

The Lunch Bunch. That's what we used to call the lunch ladies. They'd been at RJE since before we started kindergarten. But because of the cuts, they were replaced.

None of the kids like the new cafeteria people. They don't play music during grab-and-go breakfast. They don't sing and dance when they serve lunch. They don't talk to us or know any of our names (except for the kids who act up).

"The Lunch Bunch would never let you stand on the table, Mason Irving."

"Not in a gazillion years."

"Especially Ms. Eunice!"

I laughed. "If Ms. Eunice caught me standing on one of her tables, she'd throw my butt in the trash can!"

Up ahead, Mr. Goldberg, the head custodian, was walking toward the front doors with his keys out. Ms. Waldon, the parent coordinator, was arranging the papers on her desk under the announcement monitor in the main hall.

Mr. Goldberg and Ms. Waldon know everything about RJE. Everything.

"Happy Monday, boys," Ms. Waldon said.

"Hi, Ms. Waldon." Red waved.

"You boys have a nice weekend?"

"Oh, yeah," Red said. "Did you?"

"I did. Thanks for asking."

"You're welcome, Ms. Waldon."

Red and Ms. Waldon have a conversation like this every morning.

We turned down the K–1 hallway and headed for the staircase. The K–1 stairs are the only stairs Red will use at RJE.

"Do you think this basketball season will be the same as last basketball season?" Red asked.

"I guess so," I said.

"Do you think Coach Acevedo will run practices the same way he ran practices last season?"

Our teacher, Mr. Acevedo, is also Coach Acevedo, our basketball coach.

"I guess so," I said again.

We two-at-a-timed the steps, leaped around the cans of paint and rolls of brown paper on the middle landing, and charged onto the second floor.

"Rip and Red!" Xander shouted, racing up.

"Hey, Xander McDonald," Red said.

Xander is in our class. Everyone calls him X, except for Red. Red calls everyone by his or her first and last...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: FARRAR STRAUSS & GIROUX
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2016
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0374301344
• ISBN 13: 9780374301347
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Zeichner: Probert Tim
• Anzahl der Seiten: 272
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar