fiction Archives - Page 596 of 707

Sea Monkey & Bob
by Aaron Reynolds (Author) and Debbie Ridpath Ohi (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Bob the puffer fish and his best buddy Sea Monkey may be little but they’ve got one ocean-sized problem. Sea Monkey’s terrified he’ll sink straight to the bottom of the ocean. After all, he’s heavy, and all heavy things sink, right? Bob on the other hand is worried that his puffed up frame will float up above the surface. He’s light, and all light things float! How will they stay together when the forces of gravity are literally trying to pull them apart? By holding hands, of course! Sea Monkey and Bob learn that sometimes the only way to overcome your fears is to just keep holding on . . .

Snippet:

Outside Shot
by Fred Bowen (Author)

Booktalk: Eighth-grader Richie Mallon has always known he was a shooter, but will his amazing shooting talent be enough to keep him on the team? He has practiced every day at his driveway hoop, perfecting his technique. Richie never plays any other roles on the court; he lets his teammates do the assisting and rebounding. Richie makes the team under a tough new coach, but he’s not a starter. When his shooting skills go into a slump, he must find a way to become a more well-rounded player.

Snippet:

“All right, let’s scrimmage.”

Those words are music to my ears. At last we can stop doing the orange cone drill. We’re more than halfway through the season and I still can’t stand those cones.

Of course, scrimmaging isn’t so great either, since I’m stuck on the second team–the Blue shirts. I think Coach has stopped thinking of me as a possible starter, and I can’t blame him. A shooter who isn’t shooting so great can’t start for anyone.