Rules of the Net: 02/04/10

I chose Rules of the Net by Jennifer Guess McKerley back when the CORA Diversity Roll Call was asking for us to recommend early readers that highlight diversity. It was one of three books that I posted about.

Rules of the Net appealed to me first and foremost for the volleyball game. In school volleyball was one of my favorite PE sports. I was never very good at it but it was still fun to play.

Now the point of Rules of the Net isn't diversity; it's to teach trustworthiness. The diversity of the characters is secondary to the plot. Carlos, the boy with the arm in a sling on the cover, is benched because of his injury. To include him in the training, the coach asks him to keep score and watch for fouls. Carlos wants his best friend to make the starting line up for tomorrow's game but he doesn't want to fudge the score either.

In terms of plot, it's nothing too complicated but it is after all an early reader. It is the sort of "helping hands" story that my son likes. Since it appeal to him and he's in the target age group, I'd call the book a success.

Comments (4)

Comment #1: Thursday, February, 4, 2010 at 20:48:14

Ali

Oh, I remember this from your Roll Call post and wondered how it turned out. Glad it was a hit!

Comment #2: Monday, February 8, 2010 at 21:46:05

Pussreboots

I read so much faster than I can possibly post reviews. Sometimes it takes weeks between finishing a book and getting a review posted. But the book was a hit with me and my son.

Comment #3: Saturday, August, 7, 2010 at 01:02:08

Jennifer Guess McKerley

I just found this review of my book, Rules of the Net. I love writing for children, and the best thing I can hear is that a child liked a book I wrote. My latest book is Amazing Armadillos. It's for grades 1-3 and is in the Random House Step Into Reading series. Best, Jennifer McKerley

Comment #4: Monday, August 9, 2010 at 20:33:10

Pussreboots

Thank you for the information on your latest book.