Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. The Dairy Queen. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers, 2006. 288 pages. Tr. $16.00. ISBN 978-0-618-68307-9.

Annotation: Fifteen-year-old D. J Schwenk has a lot of responsibility running the family’s dairy farm and keeping up in school, but her life really gets busy when she is also asked to train a rival team’s handsome football quarterback.

Summary: D.J Schwenk has a lot of responsibility running the family dairy farm after her dad injures his hip. She probably should be spending more time keeping up in school since she is flunking English. But over the summer, a family friend asks D. J. to train a rival team’s football quarterback. Brian Nelson is spoiled, lazy, and handsome and she is definitely attracted to him. D. J. is naturally reticent and is skilled at ignoring major issues, but so many problems are coming to a head that she learns to speak up for herself and to address important issues.

Evaluation: This is a humorous sports novel with a touch of romance. The evolution of the character is D.J. is exciting to read. She goes from being what everyone wants to being herself. With self-deprecating humor, quiet D. J. struggles with expressing her feelings of frustration, anger, sadness, and love. Readers will empathize with the flawed but lovable D. J.. Recommended for ages 12 to 17.

Genre / Subject: Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Football, Sports, Farm Life, Family, Friendship, Romance, Identity, Aspirations

Awards: 2007 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull

Krull, Kathleen. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World’s Fastest Woman. Illustrated by David Diaz. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers, 2000. 44 pages. pap. $7.00. ISBN 978-0-15- 202098-9.

Annotation: Despite contracting polio as a child and becoming partially paralyzed, Wilma persevered and became the first American woman to earn three gold medals in a single Olympics.

Summary: This book is a tribute to the amazing story of Wilma’s Rudolph’s life. Contracting polio by age five and not expected to walk, Wilma showed all around her how determined she was to walk again. By age twelve, she no longer needed leg braces and by age twenty she was competing in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. She became the first American woman to earn three gold medals in a single Olympics. With the power of family, God and a firm belief in herself, Wilma was able to prove that miracles can happen with individual effort.

Evaluation: The straight-forward text melds nicely with the watercolor and acrylic illustrations. The story of Wilma’s life is retold in a simple style that matches the cubist feel of the artwork. The book has a crisp and dynamic appeal due to the richly colored illustrations. Recommended for ages 5 to 12.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Non-Fiction, Biography, African American, Sports, Persistence,Aspirations

Awards: 1997 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, 1997 ALA Notable Children’s Book

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball. Disney Press, 2008. 96 pages. Tr. $18.99. ISBN 978-0-7868-0832-8.

Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball. Narrated by Dion Graham. Brilliance Audio, 2009. CD, 120 minutes. $19.99 ISBN 978-1-4233-7536-4.

Annotation: The history, life style, challenges, discrimination, and popularity of Negro League Baseball from the 1920’s until 1947 is explored through text and paintings.

Summary: This is a fitting tribute to Negro League Baseball. It describes the beginning and history of the leagues, the players, the style of play and the league’s ultimate collapse when Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. An elderly fictional baseball player gives an insider account of what is was like to experience segregated baseball. Since blacks were banned from playing in the major leagues, Rube Foster organized the Leagues and offered African Americans the chance to earn a living playing baseball. The accounts of great players like Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige are detailed. The impact of racism is discussed as well as how the League ultimately enabled black players to be given the chance to play in the major leagues.

Evaluation: This history book reads like a compelling story. Nine chapters (or innings) are chronologically presented with beautifully vivid muscular oil paintings spread throughout. The conservational text and the larger-than-life illustrations complement each other. The history of the Negro leagues and the discrimination that the players endured are brought to life. Recommended for ages 6 to 16.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Non-Fiction, Sports, Baseball, African Americans, History, Racism, Discrimination

Awards: 2009 Coretta Scott King Award Winner – Author, 2009 Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book – Illustrator, Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winner- Children’s Book, 2009 ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2010 Odyssey Honor Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production, 2010 ALA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Award