Thursday, December 18, 2014

Frankie vs the Pirate Pillagers (Frankies Magic Soccer Ball #1) by Frank Lampard –NOT RECOMMENDED

Lampard, Frank Frankie vs the Pirate Pillagers (Frankies Magic Soccer Ball #1) 81 pgs, Scholastic Inc., 2014. $4.99 Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G Violence: G
When Frankie wins a game at the carnival, he only gets a damaged old soccer ball as a prize. He loves soccer, but the ball is just awful, even his dog tries to throw it away. When it opens a magical portal, he and his soccer friends decide to jump through –they find themselves on a pirate ship. Turns out it’s a soccer game against the crew, the loser to be put on a deserted island. Will Frankie and his friends be able to win against cheaters?
This book stuffs a ton of plot and many characters into a very short book, I think  students would be overwhelmed by these factors, despite the grade level vocabulary. Also I feel that the reader must be soccer fan already to really make sense of the sports component. These complications are too much to ask for a second grader.  Yet older students wouldn’t be drawn to this short read. I like the idea behind this story, but I just don't think it played out quite right.
EL(K-3) –NOT RECOMMENDED  Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

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