Rookie of the Year (Rip and Red #2)

by Phil Bildner (Author) Tim Probert (Illustrator)

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

Combining fast-paced action for young readers and fresh, humorous takes on school issues for teachers, this installment in the Rip and Red series is an illustrated chapter book that both audiences will love.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--a kid on the autism spectrum--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.

Phil Bildner and Tim Probert return to the Rip and Red series that started with A Whole New Ballgame in a sequel that is just as fun and entertaining as the first book, Rookie of the Year. This title has Common Core connections.Titles in the Rip and Red series A Whole New BallgameRookie of the Year Tournament of Champions

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School Library Journal

Gr 4-6—In this sequel, readers return to fifth grade with Red (a red-haired boy on the autism spectrum) and his best friend Rip (an African American boy with dreadlocks) and their friends and classmates. Red and Rip continue to love and play basketball and are on the team coached by their teacher Mr. Acevedo. Those new to the series will get enough details and will be completely engaged in the shot-by-shot descriptions of basketball games. Added to the class is a new student, Takara (Tiki). Tiki is that student who loves to be involved in everything. One of her best quirks is inventing new words. Tiki is also an excellent basketball player. Rip has a run-in with Coach Acevedo when he puts Tiki into the first team out each game and leaves Rip for the second. Rip is hurt and angry, but only time and experience on the basketball court will bring Rip to an understanding. The secondary part of the plot is the plan, by the class, to get rid of the new lunch ladies and bring back the Lunch Bunch and their better meals. It includes mounting a GoPro camera on the back of classmate Avery's wheelchair. As in the first title, there are no surprises, but that doesn't prevent this from being a great read.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"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

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
9781250115188
Lexile Measure
550
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Square Fish
Publication date
June 20, 2017
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
Schools
People with disabilities
Basketball
Best friends

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