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Jackrabbit Goalie

Jackrabbit Goalie

Written by Matt Christopher & Illustrated by Ed Parker

Summary: This story is about a boy named Pepper who has just recently moved from Columbus, Ohio to a new town. One day, as he passes the local ice cream shop, he hears a group of boys his age discussing their need for a goalie. He asks them about it the open position and offers his services to the team. Although he didn't play goalie in Columbus, he was willing to try it out because he wanted to make friends. However, he may have made the mistake of lying to the team and said that he had. The team decided to take a chance on him because they had a game later that day and needed someone desperately. 
By the end of the game later that day, Pepper was worn out! He had never been so bruised or beaten up in his life, but it was all worth it because his new team, the Antelopes, had won 4-2! His team congratulated him on a job well done and told him to get ready for their game next week against the Giants because that's just what their players were: Giants. When told about the size and strength of the next team they would play, Pepper got scared. So scared that he decided to fake an injury at the next practice so that he wouldn't have to play in the game. But when the day of the game rolls around, Pepper realizes that his size in comparison to the giants doesn't matter and that he could still play well against them. So he takes off for the game which was about to start and helps his team defeat the giants! Pepper celebrates his win with all of his new friends and is excited to be an Antelope. 

Review: This is a fun and enjoyable story about a young boy overcoming a fear in sports. I think that reading about and participating in sports are very beneficial for children and you can learn a lot of great lessons from both. I think that 3rd-5th graders would enjoy reading this book by themselves. The action and illustrations, which are more on the cartoon side, would keep them interested and engaged, especially if they love sports as well. I definitely enjoyed reading this book because I was a goalie in high school!


-The Green Eyed Reader
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