Triple Threat. (Orca Young Readers). Eric Walters and Jerome “Junk Yard Dog” Williams. Victoria, BC: Orca, 2004. 126 pp., pbk., $7.95. ISBN 1-55143-359-1. Subject Headings: Baseball stories. Bullying - Juvenile fiction. Grades 3-7 / Ages 8-12. Review by Carole Reeve. ** /4

excerpt:

"We can play hard, but can we play hard enough to beat them?" I asked.

"I don't know," JYD said. "What I do know is that you're not here just to win a game."

"We're not?" Kia asked.

He shook his head. "You're here to win respect. If we win and I do all the scoring, the only one who's going to be respected is me. If we lose, but you two play your hearts out, then you're going to win something more important than a game." He paused. "You're going to earn respect. From them. From me. And from yourselves. That's more important than any game results."

In his eighth book about Nick and Kia, Eric Walters has teamed up with Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams to promote reading and respect. Eleven-year-olds Nick and Kia are bullied off their local basketball court by a group of older kids. When they are given the opportunity to meet NBA player Jerome Williams, they tell him about their predicament, and he agrees to help them out. Nick and Kia surprise the older kids when they show up at the basketball court with Williams as their third player. All of the kids learn a valuable lesson in respect.

     This story has a good message, but the authors are fairly repetitive, and readers might find it to be a bit preachy. The text is easy to read, and there are simple line drawings throughout the story, making it a good choice for reluctant readers. Readers don't have to read the previous books in the series to understand what's going on.

Recommended.

Carole Reeve is the Assistant Branch Head at the Osborne Library in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

NEXT REVIEW |TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - April 15, 2005.

AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | PROFILES | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME