Skate Park Challenge

Description

Nick is injured skateboarding but he quickly jumps back on the road to recovery in hopes of being ready for the big competition. With practice Nick hopes he'll be able to skate the killer half pipes and thin rails just like the pros. Pumped-up easy-to-read sports stories with an emphasis on speed skill and fair play. The boys in these books face challenges on and off the racetrack. Following the worlds fastest-growing sport readers and fans alike will discover that an athlete's steady hand persistence and courage are just as important as crossing the finish line

Who is Jake Maddox? Athlete, author, world-traveler - or all three? He has surfed in Hawaii, scuba-dived in Australia, and climbed the mountains of Peru and Alaska. His books range from the most popular team sports to outdoor activities to survival adventures and even to auto racing. His exploits have inspired numerous writers to walk in his footsteps - literally! Each of his stories is stamped with teamwork, fair play, and a strong sense of self-worth and discipline. Always a team-player, Maddox realizes it takes more than one man (or woman) to create a book good enough for a young reader. He hopes the lessons learned on the court, field, or arena and the champion sprinter pace of his books can motivate kids to become better athletes and lifelong readers. Sean Tiffany has worked as an illustrator for more than twenty-five years. He has illustrated more than sixty children's books for Capstone and has been an instructor at the famed Joe Kubert School in northern New Jersey. He mixes his love of comics, art, and rock and roll in the multimedia project OilCan Drive. Raised on a small island off the coast of Maine, Sean now resides in Boulder, Colorado with his wife, Monika, their son, James, and a house full of entirely too many guitars.

At the time of review, six chapter books comprised the sports character education collection written under the pen name of Jake Maddox for male reluctant readers. As I read the stories, I could hear the fourth grade students assign a score for the writing style as two out of four. The range of reading levels in the series is 1.1 to 2.8. Each book in the series contains a glossary, further information, discussion questions, writing prompts, and Internet sites. Each story involves a boy who eventually succeeds at his given sport of hockey, basketball, BMX, football, baseball, or skateboarding. Additional Selection-- "Library Media Connection" Skate Park Challenge by Anastasia Suen (writing as Jake Maddox). A skateboarding novel. After Nick is injured skateboarding, he is forced to take a break from his daily visits to the skate park. He is determined to heal in time for the big competition, especially because he wants to beat Brandon, the bully responsible for his injury. With a little practice, Nick hopes he'll be able to skate killer half-pipes and thin rails just like the pros. If he can pull off every move, he's sure to end up at the top of the scoreboard. http: //asuenbooks.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/skate-park-challenge/-- "Anastasia Suen's Book of the Week Blog"