Most Valuable Players (Rip and Red #4)

by Phil Bildner (Author) Tim Probert (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Series: Rip and Red

It's fifth-grade graduation time for Rip and Red, and this year's festivities are going to be extra special because Reese Jones Elementary is also celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary. As part of the gala, Hoops Machine, the exhibition basketball team, is paying a visit, and Rip may be playing a surprise role. But he and his friends need to finish their schoolwork first, which includes taking a newly required standardized test.

However, when the students of Room 208 begin to question the need to take the test, a mini opt-out movement gains momentum. When the administration gets wind of this rebellion in Mr. Acevedo's class, Hoops Machine, middle-school basketball tryouts, and walking at the graduation ceremony are in jeopardy. So is Mr. A's job. But luckily for Rip, Red, their classmates, and their teacher, when you stand up for what you believe in, the people you've touched along the way rally to your corner.

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Review quotes

Tournament of Champions

"Bildner's diverse cast of characters is what energizes this tremendously engaging story . . . Another solid volume in a fun and lively series." —Kirkus Reviews

Rookie of the Year

"This fast, fun read featuring characters who love books as much as basketball will appeal to sports fans and nonathletes alike." —School Library Journal

"A diverse cast of characters highlights this good-natured, high-spirited slice of life." —Kirkus Reviews

A Whole New Ballgame

"The book depicts the evolution of a group of fifth graders who learn a lot, grow a lot, and help one another . . . The charming and diverse characters [are] pure fun with a lot of heart." —School Library Journal

"If the students are inspiring, so is [their teacher] Mr. Acevedo, who risks his job to do such radical things as reading aloud and encouraging free reading. (He's supposed to be preparing the kids to take tests!) Probert's cartoonish illustrations lend energy and personality to the likable cast of characters." —Kirkus Reviews

"This warm slice-of-life novel from Bildner engages and entertains . . . Probert's energetic illustrations match the positive exuberance of the story." —Publishers Weekly

"With its energetic and authentic story and artwork, this is a fresh, fun book about school, sports, and friendship." —Children's Book Council

so cool and awsome

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Phil Bildner
Phil Bildner is a former New York City public school teacher who lives in Newburgh, New York. He spends much of his year visiting schools and libraries around the country and world. He is the author of over twenty books including the middle grade novel A Whole New Ballgame and picture books Marvelous Cornelius, The Soccer Fence, The Hallelujah Flight, and Twenty-One Elephants. Along with Loren Long, he is the coauthor of the New York Times bestselling Sluggers series. Visit him online at PhilBildner.com.

Tom Booth, illustrator of Jeter Publishing's Night at the Stadium, and the author and illustrator of Don't Blink, has worked in both animation and publishing since graduating from Hamilton College. Tom made his earliest marks--sometimes on his parents' antique kitchen table--growing up in Pennsylvania. Now living in Brooklyn, New York, Tom is currently at work on several picture books at a table all his own.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780374305109
Lexile Measure
580
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Publication date
May 20, 2018
Series
Rip and Red
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV035000 - Juvenile Fiction | School & Education
JUV039150 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Special Needs
JUV032020 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Basketball
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
African Americans
Schools
Basketball
Graduation (School)
Autism
Best friends

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