Basketball Books

Cam Jensen's real name is Jennifer and she has an amazing memory. Her memory is like a camera: she has a picture of her head of every thing that she has seen. Whenever she wants to remember something she closes her eyes and says, "Click." Because of her great memory people started calling her "the Camera," and then they shorted it to just "Cam." "Young Cam Jansen and the Baseball Mystery" takes place one afternoon when Cam and her friends are playing a game of baseball at the park. When Amy hits the ball so far that it sails over Robert's head, she ends up hitting a home run. But the ball disappears and Cam and her friends have to find it because otherwise the game will be over. Can Cam catch all the clues?

Written by David A. Adler with illustrations by Susanna Natti, "Young Cam Jansen and the Baseball Mystery" does a nice job of finding a comfort level for its young readers when it comes to solving the mystery. Kids reading this book might not be as quick as Cam to figure out the clues, but they should be ahead of Cam's friends in that regard. There is also an opportunity for readers to test their own memory and see if it as amazing as Cam Jansen: Right before the opening chapter there is a full-page illustration of Cam and Robert walking through the park. Young readers are supposed to look at the picture, blink their eyes and say "Click," and then turn to the last page of the book to answer some questions and see how well they remember the details of the picture.

There are other books in the Young Cam Jansen series, including "Young Cam Jansen and the Dinosaur Game," "Young Cam Nansen and the Missing Cookie," and "Young Cam Jansen and the Library Mystery." These are all Level 2 readers aimed at ages 5-8 (Grades K-2), and students who are beginning to read. The reason these are all Young Cam Jansen mysteries is because Adler has written even more books about his young heroine in the Cam Jansen adventure series, which are aimed at ages 8-12 (Grades 1-3) and kids who are reading alone. Helping young readers make the transition to chapter books, this series includes "Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball," "Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Monkey House," and "Cam Jansen and the First Day of School Mystery." I certainly like the idea of Adler different types of books for readers at two different levels and think it would be interesting for Adler to write a Level 1 Cam Jansen story and another for her at some reading level higher than 3.

You have to love Cam Jansen. When you're a kid, you read all of these stories about magic powers, mystery, and adventure. But everyone tells you magic can't exist. Cam Jansen manages to solve every case without the use of magic... she's a real girl. That's what makes her special and what makes you want to red more and more. Cam Jansen is a real kid superhero, and the thought that a person like her could actually exist... makes her the best kid detective ever! Our family loves Cam Jansen!

This book is great for those who are just becoming independant readers. The sentences are short and the vocabulary is simple enough so it is easy for them to understand. Also the pictures correspond well to the story. The story will keep their interest, they will follow the pursuit to find the baseball, seeing how Cam uses her photographic memory to help solve the mystery. This story teaches young children how photgraphic memories work in a simple way. I liked how they used Cam, short for camera as her nickname.

I was a fan of the UK Wildcats when I was younger--before I grew up--and I admired Adolph Rupp. The book is too short, but it is filled with stories about the man. It does not promote the myth that he was racist--he wasn't. He was just a man of his times, but he was a winner in everything he did.

"Baron of the Bluegrass" is a wonderful copilation of quotes by and about fromer Unversity of Kentucky basketball coach Adolph Rupp. This thoughtful collection by Embry -- apparently himself a keen student of the game -- shows his insight and love for his subject.

Embry captures the essence of Rupp's drive, ambition and punctuates it with a sense of history as well as a touch of humor in giving us a glimpse into the character that was Adolph Rupp.

Reasonably priced, this book is is an affordable gift for any fan of basketball, especially Kentucky basketball.

The reader is rewarded by Embry's attention to detail, and this highly collectible edition is certain to be a much appreciated addition to any sports fans' libraby

I think this book is a wonderful book for anybody to read. If you like basketball and mystery this is the perfect book for you. You will not have nightmares from this book, and you will not be able to put it down.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting reading about some basketball stars and a stolen trophy. I would really rate it four and a half stars but I wasn't able to. The reason it "would" be four and a half stars is because every once and a while I got a tiny bit bored. I still love reading it because it has more than that. I loved reading about the basketball clinic. I LOVE this book!

It is very rare to see such insight preserved and distributed. I applaud the publisher for keeping Webster's theories and work alive.

This is the best kep secret of coaches around the nation - and in Europe, too. As the first and best guide to combination - zone and man-to-man - defensive systems, the drills alone, if put to use, tend to improve a player's defensive skill. It's a good total system, too. It's complicated at times, but the book covers all the bases. This material really can be used all levels of the game. No padding.

I was pleased to see this. A football book that tried to be a bit more analytical, and take a basic look at some actual statistical analysis of the teams and players in English soccer, from generally available numbers of the most basic kind that are about all you get in the soccer realm.

A promising beginning.

The latest edition of this BBC annual does not disappoint. Packed with team and player statistics of all the English leagues, plus similar statistics for all the major European leagues (Serie A, Spanish Primera Lega, Bundesliga, and even tournaments like the Champions League). The book most heavily covers all the English leagues, which constitute about half the book. But the top leagues across Europe are also well represented.

They use their own rating system for players at various positions on the pitch. And while they don't always lead to the more obvious conclusions about the best players (for example, midfielders are rated by a system not unlike NHL's plus-minus ratings), they at least identify the facts to back up their assertions.

Great for following star and even more obscure players in the major European football leagues.

This should win a Pulitzer this year. The content is tremendous, full of insightful garb about the most cantankerous coach to ever pace the hardwood sideline. Plus, one writer in particular really bolsters this literary masterpiece, James D. Horne. Buy this book while supplies last.

This is a very good view of the overall career of Norm Stewart at Mizzou. It is unique in it is a compilation of articles from the Columbia Tribune starting with a game in February, 1956 through his retirement this past April, 1999. For the avid Missouri basketball fan it will bring back alot of fond memories and things long forgotten. For the newer fan, it will point out just what kind of coach Norm Stewart was and bring out a side of him alot of people don't know about. For just the rabid basketball fan, it is an interesting look at some of the great upsets by Missouri basketball teams, such as over Notre Dame in 1980 in the NCAA and Louisville in 1982, along with the battles within the Big 8. It's an easy read with alot of good pictures.

Everything went like clockwork from the time I ordered "Through my Eyes" by Bruce Weber until it arrived in perfect condition in the mail. Thank you so much.

This is very quick, easy and light reading, but it's a wonderful walk of remembrance through the 2004-2005 basketball season. It's sprinkled along the way with revelations about Bruce Weber, the man. I truly recommend the book to any Illini fan who would enjoy "reliving" that dream season.

Some tidbits:

* When Weber entered the Ohio State arena (before that fateful first loss), an Ohio State fan yelled, "You're going down, Coach!"

Weber replied, "Thank you."

* Weber's voice is the way it is because of a surgery he had when he was 8 or 9 years old. He had polyps in his throat and they were lasered/burned off.

His remembrances of the Arizona game, the championship game, and the beginnings of his professional relationship with Gene Keady are a treat to read and too special to be entirely revealed here.

No, it's not bestseller material (like Three Nights in August), but for rabid Illini fans such as myself, it's well worth the read.

The Jonesville Chargers are a youth baseball team from Texas. As the story opens, they are competing in the regional tournament. As they go to win, they start receiving threatening notes and messages. When the Chargers reach the national tournament, the threats come true when one of their coaches is kidnapped. The team bonds together and finds the missing coach. With the help of the players and the FBI, the case is solved and the Chargers go on to win.

The plot moves fast and all the characters are likable. The author includes a list of coaches and players in the beginning which I thought was very helpful, as it got confusing at times and I was able to flip to the list to sort out who the characters were. The author uses black and white pictures of boys playing baseball to frame the chapters which was appealing. Her enthusiasm for the sport and for young adult writing shines through.

The Case of the Missing Coach, by V. Gilbert Zabel, brings both the game of baseball and a mystery to life. The trouble starts in the beginning with incidents designed to discourage the team, but the coaches and players support each other and continue toward their goal of playing as well as they can. The main character and the rest of the Base Stealers Club work together to understand who, what, and why anyone would want to scare them off, especially after their head coach vanishes.

I liked the teamwork in this book. The adults and children worked together, though each had different ways to accomplish the goal and they always tried to follow the rules for safety. Discussion questions are included at the end, and many of the words that might be difficult for a youngster to understand are explained in context without being condescending. The characters feel real and I rooted for them to solve the mystery and win their games, and it kept me hooked until the last page. A number of black and white photographs also help set the scene while reading.

The book is very colourful. Full of pictures. But not a lot of "inside" stories. Great quality!

Lazenby captures the zest of the Bulls' drive, determination and heart. Pages of action packed sequenced season photos function as a valuable single source edification of the Bulls/championship season. TOPS!

Blue Ribbon College Basketball Forecast: 2003-2004 by Chris Dortch breaks down all the NCAA top level basketball teams for the coming season, and looks at the year before. It gives information on positions for players, likely minutes, depth, possible performance and a lot of other information you wouldn't find anywhere else in one source. Slightly changed, but still an excellent book.

The Blue Ribbon does exist for the 2003-04 Season! Here is the deal: Brasseys is no longer the publisher and the book is not being sold anywhere (including Amazon or bookstores -sorry) except directly from the new publisher (Ambrose Printing).

To get this year's edition you must go to blueribbonyearbook dot com.

Enjoy!