About Dance Team Dilemma:

Short Novel - (Girl Lead Character)

Amazon Paperback: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1434242013/ref=nosim?tag=beyondwordsle-20

Hannah is thrilled when she and her best friend Caitlyn both get picked for the school dance team. However, Hannah is worried that she isn't as good as the other girls. And Caitlyn seems more interested in boys than in practicing for the dance team. Can Hannah keep her spot on the team while keeping her best friend?

 Included:

·       12-question quiz

·       Vocabulary lesson and practice

Overview:  Jake Maddox has written a series of short, high- interest novels based on sports stories. Their vocabulary level is appropriate for grades 3 and up.  However, the main characters are ages 12-15 who are playing school sports or extracurricular sports.  The age of the characters, the story lines, and the sports themes make them ideal for slow, or reluctant, readers in grades 5-8 as well. One question is a higher-order question based on theme. A vocabulary lesson and practice is also included.

Age Level and Length: Each novel is between 75 and 100 pages. Middle-school readers that read on grade level will find each one a “quick read” of perhaps an hour and a half. Students that are below grade level will take somewhat longer, but they should still be able to read and enjoy these high-interest novels. The quizzes take 20 minutes or less.

Maturity or Political Issues:  None.  The stories focus on the challenges and rewards of being part of a team and playing a sport.   The main characters often win games, but they also sometimes lose.  There is an emphasis on honesty and sportsmanlike behavior.  A few books mention a “crush” on an opposite-sex student, but there is no physical intimacy or dating.  Parents of the young athletes are generally portrayed in a positive manner.  

Additional Considerations: Parents or teachers of middle-schoolers who don’t like to read face a dilemma that these books can help solve.  To increase reading comprehension and fluency, one must read.  At this age, students who don’t like to read have probably fallen below grade level on skills, because they haven’t read enough books to catch up to an age-appropriate grade level.  They are stuck at an elementary-age reading level.  However, they don’t want to read elementary-level books because the main character is too young and the story feels too babyish.  The Jake Maddox books help with this dilemma.