A Second Shot

Book excerpt: Themes: Hi-Lo, Sports, urban teens, Basketball. Finding the "right book" for struggling learners is essential to build both confidence and proficiency. Reading supports must be seamless, so that struggling readers are not stigmatized. The District 13 series does just that--written using carefully chosen vocabulary and simple sentences, the novels offer compelling teen stories about characters that interest young adult readers. Using sports as a backdrop, these edgy and mature titles confront issues that are of great importance to urban teens, especially teenaged boys: Coming of age, dating, fitting in, friendships, drugs, self-esteem, and school. Straightforward plots move readers through the 48-pages of text quickly and efficiently with satisfying resolutions. Synopsis: Wallace was worried. This was nothing like at his old school. He wasn't giving up basketball. Not for bullies. Not for anyone. He messed up at his old school. This was his last shot. He'd just have to watch his back.