Carl Deuker – The Hub

Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2021) Nominees Round Up, August 18 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Quick Picks nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

Golden Arm by Carl Deuker
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN:978-0358012429

Talented pitcher Lazarus’s life feels like it’s falling apart: his high school’s baseball team is disbanded, the trailer park where his family lives is about to be demolished, and his brother Antonio has gotten involved with the neighborhood drug dealer. Given the opportunity to play baseball at Laurelhurst, a private school across town and a world away from Laz’s troubled neighborhood, Laz moves in with a teammate’s wealthy family. Laz quickly becomes a regional star with a real chance at the major league draft, but his brother’s choices threaten his chances of success.

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2021) Nominees Round Up, May 1 Edition

Click here to see all of the current Best Fiction for Young Adults nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.

Foul is Fair by Hannah Capin
Wednesday Books / Macmillan
Publication Date: February 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1250239549

After a drugged sexual assault at a prep school party, Jade swears vengeance on everyone involved. Together with her friends – Jenny, Mads, and Summer – she determines the best way into the tight-knit St. Andrews lacrosse team circle is through Mack, the one boy she doesn’t remember from that night. With her friends, Jade skillfully manipulates people and circumstances to bring about a deadly trail of ruin in her wake.

What Would They Read?: Eddie from Fresh Off the Boat

One of the newer comedies this year is Fresh Off the Boat, a show that follows the Huang family as they move from Washington, D.C., to Florida. The oldest son, Eddie, is a typical middle school student. He likes hip-hop and basketball and is not that interested in school, much to the chagrin of his parents. This show is set in the 1990s, but if Eddie were a middle school student in 2015, these are the books he might enjoy:

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

This book is written in free verse, so it might take some convincing to get Eddie to read it, but I believe he would enjoy both the basketball theme and the rhythm and beat of the words in this story. Eddie would also identify with Josh and his struggle to live up to his family’s expectations.

The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang

I haven’t seen many episodes where Eddie reads, but I’m convinced he’s a comic book fan, or would be if he tried them. The Shadow Hero is a great match for Eddie since the main character also struggles with his Asian identity. Even though Eddie sounds like an average American tween, people often make judgments about him based on his race, so an Asian superhero may get him interested in reading.

The Slam Dunk series by Takehiko Inoue

Manga series are very popular with tweens and teens, and I enjoy recommending a series that already has a great lineup of books so that readers don’t have to wait for the next book to be published. The basketball theme of this series would resonate with Eddie. Continue reading What Would They Read?: Eddie from Fresh Off the Boat