Face-Off

Description: Kyle Parker wants to be a great hockey player. Does he have a chance at being the top scorer?

Brief description: 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.

Review Quotes: 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"