Patrick's Pals #1: Runnin' with the Big Dawgs [Paperback]

Robb Armstrong (Author), Bruce Smith (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Series: Patrick's Pals

In this hot new fictionalized series, real-life hoop stars Patrick Ewing Alonzo Mourning, and Dikembe Mutombo are 12-year-old kids growing up in the same neighborhood. Together they discover truths about the game of life with such wit and wisdom that readers will cheer them both on and off the court.

When Patrick first meets Dikembe -- the new kid in town -- he's really pumped to have a new player on his team. He and Dikembe see eye to eye on just about everything -- and it's not just because they're both so tall!

There's only one problem. Patrick's team, the Sky Walkers, say Dikembe just doesn't have the skills to run the drills. When they tell Dikembe to walk, Patrick has to choose: will he dis his team ... or his new best friend?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-5. For 12-year-old basketball lover Patrick, "runnin' with the big dawgs" means playing on the coolest basketball team in town, the mighty Sky Walkers. But does Patrick have the right stuff to make the team? Maybe not. Although the Sky Walkers, with their star Dwayne "Dawg" Brewerton, are the best team around, they aren't big on good sportsmanship. Besides, Patrick feels he should have some loyalty to his friends and teammates, especially Zo, on the Bulldogs. Patrick's loyalties are really put to the test when he is forced to choose between the big dawgs and his new friend from Zaire, Dikembe. This is a fun run with kids on the court, and it benefits greatly from the fact that these basketball wanna-bes are younger versions of NBA superstars Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, and Alonzo Mourning. Bruce Smith's black-and-white drawings are serviceable at best, but the hoop action is hot, and Patrick's struggle between friendship and fame is realistically handled. In the end, Patrick proves that he and the Bulldogs have definitely got game. Denia Hester

About the Author

Robb Armstrong is the creator of the nationally syndicated Jump Start comic strip, which has won high praise for its positive portrayal of African-Americans, and the author of Jump Start: A Love Story, published by HarperPerennial. He lives with his wife and two-year-old daughter in Philadelphia.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment; 1st edition (June 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006107067X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061070679
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,448,582 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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