The Magic School Bus Plays Ball: A Book About Forces

Magic School Bus TV Tie-Ins

by Joanna Cole

Dorothy Ann is reading a book about physics. The other kids think it sounds boring. They'd rather play baseball -- and use DA's book for home plate! So, Ms. Frizzle pulls up in the Magic School Bus and takes the class inside the book.Soon they're playing baseball in a World Without Friction. But, without friction, they can't stop slipping and sliding around the field! Join the class as they put a stop to this problem and learn all about forces and friction.

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Childrens, Physics, 2nd Grade

32 pages, Library Binding

First published April 1, 1998

About the author

Joanna Cole, who also wrote under the pseudonym B. J. Barnet, was an author of children’s books who teaches science.

She is most famous as the author of The Magic School Bus series of children's books. Joanna Cole wrote over 250 books ranging from her first book Cockroach to her famous series Magic School Bus.

Cole was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby East Orange. She loved science as a child, and had a teacher she says was a little like Ms. Frizzle. She attended the University of Massachusetts and Indiana University before graduating from the City College of New York with a B.A. in psychology. After some graduate education courses, she spent a year as a librarian in a Brooklyn elementary school. Cole subsequently became a letters correspondent at Newsweek, and then a senior editor for Doubleday Books for Young Readers.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the last Magic School Bus book I will read. It was terrible. The shows are so cute and engaging and the books fall flat every time. If you are learning about Force, save yourself the frustration, skip this book, queue up the show and enjoy a cup of coffee while your children learn via a well done cartoon.

[Amy Balaich · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picture book - I honestly did not think this was at all engaging in a book format. The video is fun, but the book has WAY too much text and is written out like a script, so it's boring to read.

[K Morlando · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love the magic school bus series of books, they are very educational!

[Bon Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fun. I learned about force and friction in a new and fun way.

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book very educational

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is not my favorite Magic School Bus book, it offers an interesting perspective on friction, gravity and the pulling and pushing forces which makes things move. It follows the typical format for this series and has some funny scenes that show the consequences of friction and friction-less surfaces. Our girls love these books and we read every one we can get our hands on.

[Little Miss and the Legomeister · Rating 3 out of 5]

We love the Magic Schoolhouse books. This one's not my favorite but Little Miss and Legomeister love it.

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gravity
Friction
energy
Push and pull
Gr2-6

[Keely · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic teaching book for forces, friction and gravity!