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Miss Malarkey
You're a Good Sport, Miss Malarkey
Miss Malarkey has always been a team player. That's why she's been recruited to be one of the coaches for the new soccer league. While her motto is, "Let's have fun!" the parents have other goals in mind. Forget sportsmanship and doing your best, winning is everything to these grown-ups. It's up to Miss Malarkey to set the spectators straight.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 12, 2025
I hated field day in my school, gruelling hours under the sun and girls forced to compete against the boys always ending with girls in tears and scrapped knees.
This book is nothing like that, they all have fun and enjoy their time during physical education.
This book is nothing like that, they all have fun and enjoy their time during physical education.
November 14, 2019
Again, more for the adults.
April 3, 2023
I love how Miss Malarkey solves the soccer game problem.
February 24, 2015
You're a Good Sport, Miss Malarkey by Judy Fincher and Kevin O'Malley follows a young elementary school's soccer team in their quest of a season. Having to deal with opposing coaching viewpoints, parents involvement and just playing the game, I thought this book was a fun read and the pictures were one of my favorite aspects. Each page is very descriptive, whether its describing situations or individuals, it is fun to pick out who you think is who based on the content. I like how this book showed a wide range of coaching and parenting styles, making it relatable to students. Most younger students this would be read to are just beginning organized sports and I think this is a fun way to think about what has been going on within those.
Using this book in a classroom environment could have a few different purposes. Talking about the importance of respect and sportsmanship on the field, but also to the parents and coaches involved. The way you act in sporting events relates to the way you are perceived in other environments, and that is important to be taught to students from the youngest ages. This book would be read to students between kindergarten to second grade, I would say. Those ages are the most likely to comprehend the book and also find it interesting and get engaged in the evaluation of the illustrations. The book ends with Miss Malarkey saying that the importance of sports is all about having fun, and at a young age students need to be reminded that they need to do things they enjoy and not succumb to pressures from differing parties. Another positive relating to the illustrations are that there are multiple on each page. It allows students eyes to wander and see a picture for almost every aspect of the books content.
Using this book in a classroom environment could have a few different purposes. Talking about the importance of respect and sportsmanship on the field, but also to the parents and coaches involved. The way you act in sporting events relates to the way you are perceived in other environments, and that is important to be taught to students from the youngest ages. This book would be read to students between kindergarten to second grade, I would say. Those ages are the most likely to comprehend the book and also find it interesting and get engaged in the evaluation of the illustrations. The book ends with Miss Malarkey saying that the importance of sports is all about having fun, and at a young age students need to be reminded that they need to do things they enjoy and not succumb to pressures from differing parties. Another positive relating to the illustrations are that there are multiple on each page. It allows students eyes to wander and see a picture for almost every aspect of the books content.
February 16, 2015
Personal Reaction:
I enjoyed reading this book. It was definitely not one of my favorites, but it had a good plot line and I liked the moral of the story which was good sportsmanship. There was a lot going on, on a lot of the pages so the author and illustrator had a good use of space, but for me personally it was a little bit too busy. My favorite part at the end of the book was when Miss Malarkey gave all of the parents in the stands lollipops to get them to stop shouting.
Purposes:
-K-2nd grade
-Read aloud: you can use a lot of different character voices (male, female, young, old, shouting, excited, etc...)
-Individual read: good for 2nd or 3rd graders
-Read aloud for Enrichment:
-The book teaches the kids a lesson on sportsmanship and that bad sportsmanship can happen with any age. You see it a lot in this book from the adults and parents of the kids. You can read this if the class has an upcoming tournament or competition to remind the children to behave and encourage everyone's success.
-There is a lot of side conversation and dialogue between the parents on the sidelines so this is good for read aloud (narrative structure)
Curriculum
-If there has been discouragement in the classroom, the teacher can read this book and ask the kids questions on how this storyline relates to events in the classroom and how these events can be changes in a positive manner.
Illustrations:
-There is a lot of color and detail that the illustrator used in the book, which makes it really fun for the kids to look at during read aloud.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was definitely not one of my favorites, but it had a good plot line and I liked the moral of the story which was good sportsmanship. There was a lot going on, on a lot of the pages so the author and illustrator had a good use of space, but for me personally it was a little bit too busy. My favorite part at the end of the book was when Miss Malarkey gave all of the parents in the stands lollipops to get them to stop shouting.
Purposes:
-K-2nd grade
-Read aloud: you can use a lot of different character voices (male, female, young, old, shouting, excited, etc...)
-Individual read: good for 2nd or 3rd graders
-Read aloud for Enrichment:
-The book teaches the kids a lesson on sportsmanship and that bad sportsmanship can happen with any age. You see it a lot in this book from the adults and parents of the kids. You can read this if the class has an upcoming tournament or competition to remind the children to behave and encourage everyone's success.
-There is a lot of side conversation and dialogue between the parents on the sidelines so this is good for read aloud (narrative structure)
Curriculum
-If there has been discouragement in the classroom, the teacher can read this book and ask the kids questions on how this storyline relates to events in the classroom and how these events can be changes in a positive manner.
Illustrations:
-There is a lot of color and detail that the illustrator used in the book, which makes it really fun for the kids to look at during read aloud.
February 18, 2015
Grade level: 2nd/3rd grade
I really liked this book because it is different than many children's books I have read so far. This book is full of humor, which even made me laugh out loud. I am sure children would think this book is hilarious because many can probably relate to it. This book is about an elementary soccer team who was having some coaching issues, until they got a new coach, Miss Malarkey. Miss Malarkey did not know much about soccer, but she knew that the players needed to have fun. The book is told by one of the little boys on the soccer team. It is funny to hear the story from his perspective because he is blatant about everything he says, like many children. The main message of this story is that everyone has their own talents and that is okay. For example, Lauren can really kick the ball and Josh never leaves his position.
This is a good book to teach about sportsmanship and about how winning is not everything. The book focuses on the yelling parents and how the principal of the school wants the soccer team to win, because he says "winning is everything." Although, Miss Malarkey disagrees, and tells the kids that they should always try their hardest and have fun. The parents disagree with this and they constantly yell and scream at their children during their soccer games. In the end, Miss Malarkey teaches the parents and kids the lesson that winning is not everything. This book could even be used in P.E. class to teach the kids good sportsmanship at the beginning of the year.
I really liked this book because it is different than many children's books I have read so far. This book is full of humor, which even made me laugh out loud. I am sure children would think this book is hilarious because many can probably relate to it. This book is about an elementary soccer team who was having some coaching issues, until they got a new coach, Miss Malarkey. Miss Malarkey did not know much about soccer, but she knew that the players needed to have fun. The book is told by one of the little boys on the soccer team. It is funny to hear the story from his perspective because he is blatant about everything he says, like many children. The main message of this story is that everyone has their own talents and that is okay. For example, Lauren can really kick the ball and Josh never leaves his position.
This is a good book to teach about sportsmanship and about how winning is not everything. The book focuses on the yelling parents and how the principal of the school wants the soccer team to win, because he says "winning is everything." Although, Miss Malarkey disagrees, and tells the kids that they should always try their hardest and have fun. The parents disagree with this and they constantly yell and scream at their children during their soccer games. In the end, Miss Malarkey teaches the parents and kids the lesson that winning is not everything. This book could even be used in P.E. class to teach the kids good sportsmanship at the beginning of the year.
February 27, 2015
This story is great for teaching sportsmanship and respect. I found it relatable because I remember the parents at my soccer games were more vocal than the coaches. I think this book also helps promote playing sports. The students in the book were talking about how much fun they were having, and I think it would help students be more active.
Purpose
Read aloud for enrichment:
I think many students can relate to this book on a couple levels. Any students that like soccer or team sports will be able to relate because that is the topic of the book. I think students who think their parents yell too much can relate too.
There are not many challenging vocabulary words in this book, but there are some, such as offsides, discipline, and development. I believe that this book would be best for younger students, around 1st or second grade.
Read aloud for curricular purposes
This book could be read before a Physical Education class, or if some students are having a hard time being good sports at recess. This book can begin a lot of discussion.
The setting of this book was very clear, and the plot was quite strong, however there are too many characters to get a good, round idea of who the students are. We do learn a lot about Miss Malarkey.
Purpose
Read aloud for enrichment:
I think many students can relate to this book on a couple levels. Any students that like soccer or team sports will be able to relate because that is the topic of the book. I think students who think their parents yell too much can relate too.
There are not many challenging vocabulary words in this book, but there are some, such as offsides, discipline, and development. I believe that this book would be best for younger students, around 1st or second grade.
Read aloud for curricular purposes
This book could be read before a Physical Education class, or if some students are having a hard time being good sports at recess. This book can begin a lot of discussion.
The setting of this book was very clear, and the plot was quite strong, however there are too many characters to get a good, round idea of who the students are. We do learn a lot about Miss Malarkey.
May 8, 2012
Miss Malarkey is at it again...this time offering a rational response to societal over-competitiveness. Adults will likely find this story more humorous than children will, but students do identify with the difference between the two oppositional perspectives in play throughout the story: "do your best and have fun" vs. "play to win."
Interestingly, as I read this story with children ranging from JK through grade 3, the older children increasingly began to articulate the belief that playing for the coach who wanted them to "Play to win" would make them more successful than the younger students who still wanted to play for the fun of it.
Interestingly, as I read this story with children ranging from JK through grade 3, the older children increasingly began to articulate the belief that playing for the coach who wanted them to "Play to win" would make them more successful than the younger students who still wanted to play for the fun of it.
March 28, 2011
This is a good book that helps to remind children (and especially parents) how to be good sports on (and off) the playing fields. The humor is somewhat subtle; I love that there is a parent who states that they make picture books and another parent responds with, "And they pay you for this?" The dialogue makes it a bit more cumbersome to read aloud, but it's still a very good book and we enjoyed reading it together and discussing how it's much more fun to play when the parents are well-behaved. :)
August 13, 2015
I love Miss Malarkey and her ilk, teaching kids that the important thing when playing games is to have fun. I could totally relate to this story. When no one else volunteered, I stepped up to coach my daughter's third grade basketball team, despite the fact that I hadn't played basketball in twenty years and I had never coached. Needless to say, our team came in last place for the season, but we sure had fun.
July 11, 2010
Can't pass up a Miss Malarky book and I hadn't read this one.
September 5, 2011
The teacher Miss Malarkey is the new coach for soccer. She wants the kids just to have fun playing; the parents are continously yelling for the team to win.
August 31, 2012
Entertaining story about sportsmanship and the pressure adults can put on their little athletes.
October 10, 2012
Lots of captions so not a great story for read aloud but cute one on one
July 25, 2013
Soccer, and parents behaving REALLY badly.
Read
December 31, 2013AR Quiz No. 64194 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 2.9 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 2.9 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP
May 28, 2015
“The only losers in the world are those that don’t try”
November 29, 2014
Why do we keep reading these Miss Malarkey books?
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews