A whole new ballgame : a Rip and Red book / Phil Bildner ; pictures by Tim Probert.

Rip and Red are best friends whose fifth-grade year is nothing like what they expected. They have a crazy new tattooed teacher named Mr. Acevedo, who doesn't believe in tests or homework and who likes off-the-wall projects, the more "off" the better. They also find themselves with a new basketball coach: Mr. Acevedo! Easy-going Rip is knocked completely out of his comfort zone. And for Red, who has autism and really needs things to be exactly a certain way, the changes are even more of a struggle. But together these two make a great duo who know how to help each other--and find ways to make a difference--in the classroom and on the court.

With its energetic and authentic story and artwork, this is a fresh, fun book about school, sports, and friendship.

This title has Common Core connections.

Author Notes

Phil Bildner received a B. A. in political science from Johns Hopkins University in 1990 and a J. D. from New York University School of Law in 1993. He was admitted to the bar in both New York and New Jersey and got a job as an associate at a large Manhattan law firm. After practicing law for a year, he decided to pursue a career in education. He received a master's degree in early childhood and elementary education from Long Island University in 1995. He stopped teaching in 2006 in order to write full time.

His picture books include Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy, The Shot Heard 'Round the World, Twenty-One Elephants, Turkey Bowl, The Hallelujah Flight, and The Soccer Fence. Marvelous Cornelius won the 2016 Margaret Wise Brown Prize in Children's Literature. His young adult novels include Playing the Field and Busted. He also co-created the Sluggers series with Loren Long.

In 2007, he began chaperoning student-volunteer trips to Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans. He co-founded The NOLA Tree, a non-profit service organization.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-Fifth graders Rip and his best friend Red, who has high spectrum autism, deal with an unusual new teacher plus an unconventional basketball coach and in the process learn a great deal about teamwork and friendship and about meeting challenges in school. Upbeat drawings add a positive dimension. Readers will also enjoy the outstanding sequel, Rookie of the Year (2016). © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

Rip and his best friend Red, who is on the autism spectrum, can't wait to be on their school's fifth-grade basketball team. But budget cuts, a focus on test prep, and a new teacher/basketball coach with tattoos, ear piercings, and a wealth of unconventional ideas are shaking things up. Rip isn't sure that Mr. Avecedo's methods will work (on or off the court), especially when he has to work on a group project paired with a hostile classmate, Avery, who uses a wheelchair. But through Mr. Avecedo's guidance, Rip, who some see only as "the black kid who plays basketball," and his classmates learn to see beyond the labels society places on them. The book's messages about teamwork, test-prep dependency, and stepping outside one's comfort zone can be overpowering, but this warm slice-of-life novel from Bildner (the Sluggers series) engages and entertains even so. Probert's energetic illustrations match the positive exuberance of the story as both test day and the big game approach. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Publisher's Weekly Review