Athlete vs. Mathlete

October 1, 2013
Seventh-grade fraternal twins Russ and Owen (Athlete vs. Mathlete, 2013) return for a second outing, once again exploring in alternating first-person voices the differences between brothers as filtered through their basketball experiences. Russ, the brainiac, and Owen, his athletically focused twin, are now getting along better, both doing their parts to make sure their basketball team has a winning season. Things are going well until the coach invites a pair of newcomers, identical twins Marcus and Mitch, to join the team midseason. These twins dress and act alike and have little interest in making friends outside their comfortable but seriously limiting brotherly relationship. Worse, they're gifted athletically and academically, creating competition with both Russ and Owen, and the coach is giving them plenty of court time, which leaves Owen feeling especially jealous and very resentful. Remarkably, he even contemplates hurting one of the twins to save his place on the team. It takes an accidental injury that sidelines Marcus to expose the weaknesses the identical duo share and quite a lot of prompting from the more mature Russ and other teammates to get Owen to put the team's needs before his own feelings. Once that's accomplished, a too-easy resolution neatly wraps up the conflict. Although hardly an insightful examination of brotherly problems, ample basketball play-by-play makes this a more attractive offering for reluctant readers. (Fiction. 10-14)

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January 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-Twelve-year-old Owen and Russell are twins, but they're about as different as can be. Owen is athletic; Russell is bookish. But Russell has discovered that he is a capable basketball player, so he and Owen converge on the court to make an imposing point-scoring duo, until a new set of twins comes to town. Mitch and Marcus exhibit prowess at everything they do-including basketball. They're granted spots without having to try out, and while their phenomenal skill helps the team, their time on the court means that someone else is getting benched. And when it's Owen, he has a hard time seeing past his jealousy-until one of the newcomers suffers an injury, and everyone learns that their confidence and skill may be a facade. Owen must decide if he can push aside his feelings in order to find out what the new twins are really all about. This is a straight-up sports story from an author who clearly loves basketball. Chapters alternate between the brothers' viewpoints, and lots of dialogue moves the story right along. Most of the supporting cast is hard to differentiate, but Owen's and Russ's characterizations solidly depict middle school life. This second book in the series is a good choice for reluctant readers who like sports, but it may not have broad appeal beyond that demographic.-Amy Holland, Irondequoit Public Library, NY

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September 1, 2013
Grades 5-7 In this follow-up to Athlete vs. Mathlete (2013), fraternal twins Russell and Owen Evans are the foundation of their seventh-grade basketball team. Brainy Russell, who recently joined the team, gains confidence every day, and jock Owen has a new appreciation for the progress his brother has made. The team is on a winning streak, and the play-offs are in sight. Then a set of real twins transfers in: Mitch and Marcus Matthews are identical, down to the stripes on their athletic socks. They are also crazy talented at both basketball and academics. They subsequently intimidate and wow their new classmates. Owen and Russell's ability to operate individually is contrasted with the insular world Mitch and Marcus have created for themselves. The author gives the Matthews twins a bit of a pass in terms of how their attitude initially sets the Evans twins against them, but, in the end, all the boys must work out a satisfactory way to coexist as teammates. The basketball actionusually seen through the eyes of Owenis well paced and will appeal to athletes and mathletes alike.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
In this sequel, mismatched twins Owen and Russell are finally getting along--and then Mitch and Marcus move to town. These twins are athletic, academic, and completely in sync. Owen and Russell's alternating narratives successfully capture each point of view, including Owen's struggle to share the basketball-court spotlight with his brother. The play-by-play basketball action will lure readers into this middle-school conflict.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)