Nips XI

Author: Ruth Starke

Genre: YA, world/multicultural literature

Age: Upper elementary to lower high school.

Topics for discussion: perseverance, overcoming obstacles, sportsmanship

Summary: The story is set in Australia and revolves around a young immigrant's attempt to start a cricket team at a highly multicultural school.  Fed up with everyone focusing on differences, Tran proposes a cricket match as the highlight of the his school's multicultural festival--an activity that can bring everyone together.  What he doesn't realize are the many obstacles he will face in forming a team, getting equipment and a place to practice, and finding a coach all within just a few weeks.

Review: While a very enjoyable story, you definitely must have at least a rudimentary understanding of cricket.  (A lot is explained within the novel itself, since the children are also learning about the game, but I found it helpful to do a little research on my own.)  The text itself can be a challenge to get ahold of, as it has not been published here in the US; at the time when I purchased my copy, the only way to get a hold of it was to put in an order with the Australian publisher or order through the UK branch of Amazon.

Christian perspective: This is really a wonderful, feel-good story about a young man with conviction overcoming obstacles.  It is one of the few books I have reviews so far that I don't think young people would really need any guidance on.  The only issue that I can really imagine their being some objections to is the fact that Tran want to integrate into his adoptive home rather than maintain the culture of his home country.  (I think that this topic is sufficiently balanced by many of Tran's friends who don't have a problem both maintaining their home culture and integrating into the adopted culture.)