Sticks (Paperback)

by Joan Bauer (Author) "Age doesn't matter in pool..." (more)
Key Phrases: nine ball, cue ball, bank shots, Joseph Alvarez, Big Earl, Buck Pender (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Breaking, bank shots, slices, and safeties—-fifth grader Mickey Vernon can shoot pool better than some guys twice his age. His philosophy is simple: "I think a lot of the world's problems could be solved by a couple of guys shooting a few racks down at the local hall." But sometimes that's hard to remember when he's facing down seventh-grade bully Buck Pender. Buck is determined to beat Mickey in the annual youth tournament down at Vernon's, the pool hall owned and operated by Mickey's grandma Poppy. And he just might do it, too. Except Mickey's got a secret weapon. Joseph Alvarez, a big rig trucker and family friend, has returned to town, and he was coached by the best pool player on the nine-ball professional circuit--Mickey's dad, who died shortly after Mickey was born. So with the help of Joseph and his two best friends, 10-year-old math genius Arlen and magician extraordinaire Francine, Mickey just might have a shot at the championship. Then Buck baits him into playing a game in which Mickey badly sprains his stick hand, just three short weeks before the tournament. Has Mickey just scratched the cue ball of his dreams?

Fun, folksy, and big-hearted, Joan Bauer's first novel for middle-grade readers is sweeter than a 90-degree bank shot off the rail and into the corner pocket. Mickey's unselfconscious and humorous narration ranks with that of Archie in How I Became a Writer and Oggie Learned to Drive by Janet Taylor Lisle or Peter in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. (Ages 9 to 12) --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
A family-run pool hall in a blue-collar New Jersey town plays backdrop to Bauer's (Thwonk; Squashed) surprisingly sluggish novel. Mickey Vernon's the name of the determined 10-year-old protagonist and nine-ball is the game he intends to win in the annual youth pool tournament. After all, pool is in Mickey's blood?his long-dead father was a champion and his no-nonsense grandmother still owns and runs Vernon's Pool Hall, site of the approaching nine-ball showdown. But Mickey discovers it's going to take more than desire and talent to win. With coaching from his math-whiz best friend Arlen, as well as from Joseph Alvarez, a mysterious man from his father's past, Mickey just might have a shot at beating the likely champ, town bully Buck. Bauer attempts to stack her deck with potentially colorful characters, but Mickey lacks the emotional spark needed to engage an audience and his contrived world leaves readers feeling unfulfilled. Arlen's constant harping on the power of math in the game of pool verges on the preachy, while reservations about Alvarez prove a letdown in terms of dramatic payoff. Though the somewhat offbeat subject matter may be a draw for some middle graders, fans of the light humor and breezy style of Bauer's earlier works are likely to be disappointed. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (July 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440413877
• ISBN-13: 978-0440413875
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,415,913 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sticks, May 8, 2000

By A Customer

Sticks is a wonderful, heartwarming story about the struggles of a young boy becoming a young man. Mickey must confront internal conflicts created by the death of his father, a nationally recognized championship pool player. It is difficult for Mickey to live up to his father's reputation because everyone compares his pool game to his father's. Also, he faces external conflicts with his arch rival, the town bully, in a pool tournament. Just when things look bad for Mickey, a mysterous stranger arrives in town offering to help Mickey with his pool game. Is the stranger a former friend of his fathers? Read Sticks by Joan Bauer to find out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unrealistic characters, February 1, 2007

By	A. Luciano (Lowell, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sticks PB (Paperback)

Mickey's father was a championship pool player before he died, back when Mickey was a baby. Now that Mickey is eleven, he is determined to follow in his father's footsteps, starting by beating the local bully in the town's big children's pool tournament. When an old friend of his father's walks back into their lives and offers to coach him, Mickey is thrilled. His mother, though, isn't quite so enthusiastic.

The story is decent, although a bit cliche. It is obvious what will happen with all of the conflicts; there isn't a whole lot of tension. I didn't really like any of the characters in this story. I thought Mickey was really whiny, and he and his friend acted much younger than fifth grade. It seemed they were always screaming something, and I found that irritating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pool Sticks, April 12, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Sticks PB (Paperback)

Are you looking for a breathtaking realistic fiction book? Well, Sticks is a thrilling book from Joan Bauer. Here, a 13 year old, normal boy named Mickey Vernon wants to win a pool championship for his father's death. His friends Arlen, was helping Mickey with mathematics. Mickey lived in the Crookston, New Jersey Pool Hall. Mickey had a coach, but he went helping someone else. Then, when he was playing pool with Arlen his friend, they heard a rumbling sound like a bull running into a red carpet, he saw it was Joseph Alvarez. He started to teach Mickey pool, and the championship started. Mickey was nervous of all the people he had to play first, but he beat them. Then, he fought against the gorilla looking bully named Buck Pender. He shot those balls really hard and correct. He won, but there was a 13-year-old gigantic boy who won the other game. Finally, this, was it! Mickey against Sledge Hammer. You'll find out if Mickey will win this shocking story. I recommend this book because anything is possible with training.