A Love for Basketball and Frienship

A Whole New Ballgame by Phil Bildner

                This chapter book is about two best friends, Rip and Red, and their year in fifth grade. The book opens on their first day of school. Rip and Red soon learn that this year is going to be very different than they expected due to district budget cuts. Red, who is a secondary character with autism, does not like this unknown change in events. The boy’s fifth grade teacher, Mr. Acevedo, likes to do everything different and unexpected, something that proves to be a challenge for Red. The two share a love for basketball, and together go out for the fifth grade team…only to find more unexpected change. The team structure has changed to include a co-ed team who plays other teams from around the country. Because of Red’s autism, his mother does not want him to play in games because he does not like unwanted touch. However Mr. Acevedo agrees to allow him to practice with the team and not play games. As team struggles without Red’s shooting skills, will Red get the chance to play in his first game? Read this book to find out!

                The portrayal of Red’s autism in this book was not quite what I expected. The story is told from Rip’s perspective, who is an amazing friend to Red. However, because of this, I didn’t feel like Red got the chance to fully develop as a character. I thought it would have been beneficial to see inside the mind of Red, instead of only hearing about his nervous habits, excessive precision, and need for consistency. Because of this, I felt like Red stayed the character with autism, and even faded as the story progressed and became more centralized around just Rip. At the same time, autism is portrayed accurately in Red’s actions, but the reader just never gets the chance to see things from his perspective.

                I would recommend this book to an audience around the same age as Rip and Red. This book is actually the first in a series of three books about the two best friends and their adventures. Readers who love sports and friendship are sure to enjoy this read. For more information about autism, check out www.autismspeaks.org