October 15, 2024 by Scholastic Inc.
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
After his difficult summer in The Hoop Con, Raam is back home in Orlando, Florida, preparing for the first day of seventh grade. His best friend, Cake, is still obsessed with his social media presence, hoping to get more followers and to make his sponsors happy. The two aren't in any classes together, which normally would be High Drama in middle school, but Raam is pretty happy because his crush, Reena, is in his class, and his homeroom teacher, Ms. Roark, is very enthusiastic. The worst thing about the school year is that Raam's nemesis, Payton Newman, is now attending his school! Raam is trying to concentrate on his game, following his cousin Trina's advice to practice early in the morning, and plays whenever he can, whether it's before school, or playing a game of 3-on-3 for the neighborhood Fall Festival. There is some family drama going on that distracts him a bit; there is a new dance studio open in the area, and his mother is losing clients. Since his father quit his own 9 to 5 job to help with the business end of the studio, this is very unwelcome news. His grandparents, Usha Bha and Prakash Dada, are not happy when they find out about their son's "lack" of employment, but continue to enjoy having Raam over to their house, plying him with snacks from Costco and delicious Indian home cooking. Prakash Dada's 70th birthday is approaching, and Raam's father is planning a party, but he's worried about his parents' health, and many other things; the father's anxiety comes up frequently, but Raam is glad that his father is seeing a therapist and has coping strategies. Raam and Cake both take Gujarati classes at the temple their families attend, but it's becoming harder and harder for the boys to connect. When Usha Bha has a health scare around the time of team tryouts, Raam finds it somewhat hard to concentrate. Will he make the team? And how will his friendship with Cake evolve?
Strengths: Raam has a lot going on in his life, but so do many middle school students. They've got to read Tuck Everlasting, but also might play a sport and have cultural or religious classes to attend. They are more attuned to problems that parents and grandparents might be having. Their grandparents might get to pick them up from school and hang out with them a lot, but those grandparents might also be suffering from the effects of extreme age (I just, but since Usha Bha is only about ten years older than I am, this hits a bit close to home!). There are crushes, friend drama, and people who are just mean to them for no particularly good reason. Things like team tryouts are nerve-wracking, high stakes events when one is in 7th grade. Shah does a good job of weaving these threads together with good humor, and making a complete picture of Raam as a middle grade character who just trying to figure things out. Of course, he also occasionally gets in trouble for chucking Lima beans at people, but that is also VERY realistic!
Weaknesses: I found it hard to believe that Cake had sponsors and as many followers as he did, but perhaps the young are more adept at navigating social media than I am. It also seemed a bit unlikely that Payton would end up at his school. I hope that the next book in the series has a little more focused plot; this meandered a bit.
What I really think: While I found the emphasis on celebrity culture and social media a bit much, my students will probably love this part. When the 6th graders do posters about what they want to be when they grow up, there are a lot who want to be sports professionals or influencers, so for 2024, this is perfect. I will definitely be buying this series, since my students cannot get enough sports books, and basketball is one of the favorites. Pair this with Stoudemire's Standing Tall and Terrific series or Khan's slightly shorter and younger Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream books.
Strengths: Raam has a lot going on in his life, but so do many middle school students. They've got to read Tuck Everlasting, but also might play a sport and have cultural or religious classes to attend. They are more attuned to problems that parents and grandparents might be having. Their grandparents might get to pick them up from school and hang out with them a lot, but those grandparents might also be suffering from the effects of extreme age (I just, but since Usha Bha is only about ten years older than I am, this hits a bit close to home!). There are crushes, friend drama, and people who are just mean to them for no particularly good reason. Things like team tryouts are nerve-wracking, high stakes events when one is in 7th grade. Shah does a good job of weaving these threads together with good humor, and making a complete picture of Raam as a middle grade character who just trying to figure things out. Of course, he also occasionally gets in trouble for chucking Lima beans at people, but that is also VERY realistic!
Weaknesses: I found it hard to believe that Cake had sponsors and as many followers as he did, but perhaps the young are more adept at navigating social media than I am. It also seemed a bit unlikely that Payton would end up at his school. I hope that the next book in the series has a little more focused plot; this meandered a bit.
What I really think: While I found the emphasis on celebrity culture and social media a bit much, my students will probably love this part. When the 6th graders do posters about what they want to be when they grow up, there are a lot who want to be sports professionals or influencers, so for 2024, this is perfect. I will definitely be buying this series, since my students cannot get enough sports books, and basketball is one of the favorites. Pair this with Stoudemire's Standing Tall and Terrific series or Khan's slightly shorter and younger Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream books.
No comments:
Post a Comment