Strikeout Kings

by James Buckley Jr.

The MLB Readers give them exactly what they want: cool photographs and amazing facts to encourage reading. 1, 2, 3 strikes, you're out! Read how Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and other pitchers mow 'em down! These 48-page books about fascinating subjects like pirates, mummies, and volcanoes are for proficient readers who can understand a rich vocabulary and challenging sentence structure. In addition to the stunning photographs, informative sidebars, and glossary, readers will find archival photographs and paintings. Averaging 4,500 to 5,000 words in length, Level 4 books are 40 percent pictures and 40 percent text. The Dorling Kindersley Readers combine an enticing visual layout with high-interest, easy-to-read stories to captivate and delight young bookworms who are just getting started. Written by leading children's authors and compiled in consultation with literacy experts, these engaging books build reader confidence along with a lifelong appreciation for nonfiction, classic stories, and biographies. There is a DK Reader to interest every child at every level, from preschool to grade 4.

Library Binding

First published February 1, 2001

About the author

In addition to his work as a professional editor, James Buckley, Jr., is also the author of many books on American sports that are geared toward young fans and budding athletes.

Buckley, who has founded a company called Shoreline Publishing Group to produce books for reluctant readers, maintains that sports are far more than simple hobbies or ways to burn off excess energy.

Reviews

[Rfrancik · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in sports the Strikeout Kings will provide a nice afternoon of reading about some of baseball's most famous players and their amazing statistics.

This book has some great pictures interspersed amongst the text but the information is mostly found in the writing making it a great choice to entice reluctant readers with a penchant for baseball to practice their reading.

The statistics are well laid out and while some personal information about the players is included it is mostly used as a way to show how personal drive contributed to professional success. The majority of this book is dedicated to the statistics of record breaking ballplayers.

The sidebars have interesting auxiliary information such as what original baseballs looked like and why new balls were thrown out, what different awards look like and information about some of Nolan Ryan's baseball cards. These sidebars will make easier reading for those who need their text broken into small chunks.

Librarians will find this book has a longer shelf life than books targeting an individual player as it features those whose records inspire the players and fans of any time frame. I recommend it for strong reading 4th graders with an interest in baseball up through 7th grade.


Reviews:

The only review of this book I could find was written by Baseball weekly. It is of marginal use, targeting an age group and reads as follows:

Kids 6-10 will enjoy these volumes... (Baseball Weekly)

[Brandon mendez]

i learned that they were many picthers that skroke out many baseball players that were really good at batting.like bath ruth.