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Athlete vs. Mathlete #2
Double Dribble
One month ago, academic whiz Russell Evans never thought he'd be a basketball superstar. But now he's playing on the seventh-grade team alongside his fraternal twin, Owen, and they're tearing up the court. The Pioneers are on a winning streak, and Russ and Owen are getting along better than ever. Until the Matthews twins (Mitch and Marcus) show up. These twins are a triple practically basketball pros, academic geniuses, and . . . identical . Things heat up on the court and in the classroom as these brothers are poised to rule the school.
Now Russ and Owen are fighting for the spotlight, and sabotage seems like their only hope. But when Marcus suffers an injury and Mitch falters during a big game without him, it becomes clear that the Matthews are powerless when separated. Will Russ and Owen take advantage? Or do they have other plans in mind?
Now Russ and Owen are fighting for the spotlight, and sabotage seems like their only hope. But when Marcus suffers an injury and Mitch falters during a big game without him, it becomes clear that the Matthews are powerless when separated. Will Russ and Owen take advantage? Or do they have other plans in mind?
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
26 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
About the author
W.C. Mack
10 books25 followersW. C. Mack was born in Vancouver., B.C. and now lives in Portland, Oregon. She also writes as Winnie Mack.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 13, 2015
fast paced
April 15, 2015
The book Double Dribble, a fiction book in the series Athlete vs Mathlete is a great story for any kid who is athletic and wants a fun book to read. So, like in the first book, there are these to brothers, who are completely different. Russell, the math whizz and Owen, the basketball star. Everything is normal at school until, these to mysterious twins, Marcus and Mitch, transfer to there middle school. There now not only the only twins, but M&M (there nickname) are like robot. They do everything together, at the exact same time in the exact same place. Owen and Russell are the greatest but, will people now love the twinvaders (what Owen calls M&M) more than the "original " twins. Read this book and find out who will be the best of the best?
September 16, 2016
A cute, clean little sports story. I haven't read the first one in the series, but this one does a little catching up and I didn't really feel like I was missing anything. I like that the twins have their own personalities and interests and yet connect over basketball. I felt bad for the pair when the "new twins" showed up and made things difficult, but it was nice watching them learn and grow when faced with tough situations. I can see why my kids like this series.
May 21, 2017
Mack, W.C. Double Dribble (Athlete vs. Mathlete Series) 183 pgs. Bloomsbury, 2013. $6.99 Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G Violence: G
Russell and Owen are fraternal twins who bonded in the first book over a shared love of basketball. The school basketball team is doing great this year and everything is terrific, until two new players arrive. The new boys are identical twins and play basketball like they share one mind. Russ is jealous, he and his brother have always been the token twins at the school. When the new boys show off their amazing basketball skills Russ and Owen are worried that their favorite sport is being stolen from them. Will the two pairs of twins be able to reconcile their differences?
To say I put off reading this book is an understatement, I loathe reading sports fiction. Which was a disservice, because this book was an excellent book, with a great balance of characters, plot, and sports elements. I think upper elementary readers would love this book (series). The main character tries to find a balance between academics and sports, and coming from a teacher point of view I love it. The cover is appealing and bright, I think it would be a great book to add to your sports fiction section.
EL –ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
Russell and Owen are fraternal twins who bonded in the first book over a shared love of basketball. The school basketball team is doing great this year and everything is terrific, until two new players arrive. The new boys are identical twins and play basketball like they share one mind. Russ is jealous, he and his brother have always been the token twins at the school. When the new boys show off their amazing basketball skills Russ and Owen are worried that their favorite sport is being stolen from them. Will the two pairs of twins be able to reconcile their differences?
To say I put off reading this book is an understatement, I loathe reading sports fiction. Which was a disservice, because this book was an excellent book, with a great balance of characters, plot, and sports elements. I think upper elementary readers would love this book (series). The main character tries to find a balance between academics and sports, and coming from a teacher point of view I love it. The cover is appealing and bright, I think it would be a great book to add to your sports fiction section.
EL –ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
March 2, 2017
Double Dribble by W. C. Mark is about two brothers, Russell and Owen, who are on a basketball team together for their school called the Pioneers. Everything is going great in the team until two twins from Minnesota, Mitch and Marcus, come and own the team. They are all stars in academics and basketball and they ruin Owen and Russ's playing. After their second game, which was a loss even with the twins, one of them broke their arm. The other healthy twin was terrible without his brother. Owen was happier than ever because he got his team back but when he was convinced to help the healthy twin get better, they become friends. Meanwhile, the twin with a broken arm and Russell become friends and the team was back together and winning. I thought I was going to hate the realistic fiction genre and never find the right book but I did. This book is an amazing sports books. This book is funny and encourages me to get on a basketball court and shoot hoops. I could never wait for my next class period to read this amazing book and I can't wait to read the previous book in the series. Realistic fiction is a great genre to compare with your own life. I highly recommend this great book.
January 25, 2018
I would recommend this book to anyone who is in 5th grade through 7th grade. This book has many lessons of friendships and what to do when you think someone has taken over your reputation. W.C. Mack connects this book to students who play sports, and have gotten some new players on their team, just like Owen and a Russell did. Students who play sports can connect to new players joining your team. It can take some time to get to know the knew player, and to stay in coordination as you play, but after a while, you accept him as a teammate. Owen and Russell are thinking about whether or not they should be friends with the new players in the team. I would recommend any 5th through 7th grade student to pick this book off of the shelf, and start reading!
June 1, 2017
I liked Double Dribble because the author made the book so well that just wanted to keep reading it. Double Dribble is about Twins one very smart and one a star on the basketball court. They both play on the same basketball team and their team is on a winning streak. Another pair of twins move into town and are both smart and stars in basketball. The new twins are better than them in almost every way and the old twins don't like the new twins being better than them.
June 5, 2017
This second book in the series was cute. I thought the double twin aspect was slightly cheesy, but my students will really like it. The alternating points of view are really nice for young readers because it helps them pace through the book. There were solid lessons here, too. This series is perfect for middle grades.
September 22, 2017
Double Dribble is a book where 2 twins named Owen and Evan. Owen gets mad because 2 new guys are on the basketball team and don't have to try out while the other twin is fine with it. I thought this was a really cool book because it switched personalities between the twins. It was a fast moving book, which I like. I am reading the third book right now and I like it.
May 4, 2017
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June 18, 2020
It was ok.
October 14, 2020
It was a pretty good book I would recommend reading it to people who like reading sports stories.
November 4, 2013
While I enjoyed the first book in this series, I'll admit to not having incredibly high expectations for the second book. The initial read was a fairly inoffensive middle grade sports book that fits right into the wheelhouse of that boy reader looking for sports books that are a little more modern. While one could take issue with the somewhat unrealistic and disproportionate responses of some of the characters to the happenings in the story, a lot can be easily forgiven. The second book still runs into that issue somewhat, but it's still a much more cohesive story with a more realistic start and finish than the first book, to its benefit.
The twins from the first book now have the streak happening with the basketball team, and things are going swimmingly until another pair of twins moves into the district and get placed on the team. They're completely in sync and somewhat aloof, and the existing twins aren't too pleased about being displaced on the team, even if they recognize that the new members are better than they are on a whole. The story continues along with the kids learning to cope (or, in some cases, not cope) with the unexpected changes in the story.
The kids do come up with some really mean ways to deal at some points, but the overall finishing message is not terrible at all, and this story overall flows much better and works on more levels than the debut volume. The idea of "Athlete versus Mathlete" has been pretty much abandoned at this point, however, as it comes out more as "jock problems" than using the combined strengths of the two kids to solve their problems. Overall, probably close to a 4.5, and definitely worth a look for this age group.
The twins from the first book now have the streak happening with the basketball team, and things are going swimmingly until another pair of twins moves into the district and get placed on the team. They're completely in sync and somewhat aloof, and the existing twins aren't too pleased about being displaced on the team, even if they recognize that the new members are better than they are on a whole. The story continues along with the kids learning to cope (or, in some cases, not cope) with the unexpected changes in the story.
The kids do come up with some really mean ways to deal at some points, but the overall finishing message is not terrible at all, and this story overall flows much better and works on more levels than the debut volume. The idea of "Athlete versus Mathlete" has been pretty much abandoned at this point, however, as it comes out more as "jock problems" than using the combined strengths of the two kids to solve their problems. Overall, probably close to a 4.5, and definitely worth a look for this age group.
September 15, 2015
Mixed feelings about this one: 3.5
My love/hate relationship with the character Owen continues! I get that the author wants to differentiate between the two brothers, but at times Owen annoyed me and kinda showed an ugly, selfish side that I didn't want to see.
I also just wish there was more resolution time. I read a third of the book filled with complaining about the horrible identical twins and then suddenly, there's a totally 360 and now they aren't so bad and then it ends. That's kind of what it felt like. I get that there is a 3rd book in the works, but the ending felt too rushed. With the first book, I felt it was complete, that it could stand alone as a whole book. But with this one, it felt too much like a, "Tune in next week to find out what happens next..."
The kind of ending that was used should only be used for novels that stand alone, where you could cherish a one-liner. With a series like this, it just seems kind of lazy/sloppy, like it was finished the day of a deadline. But, of course, Russell (the clear headed one who thinks that pushing someone down the stairs for more game time is WRONG)makes the book. And of course, I'll be looking forward to the next one:).
My love/hate relationship with the character Owen continues! I get that the author wants to differentiate between the two brothers, but at times Owen annoyed me and kinda showed an ugly, selfish side that I didn't want to see.
I also just wish there was more resolution time. I read a third of the book filled with complaining about the horrible identical twins and then suddenly, there's a totally 360 and now they aren't so bad and then it ends. That's kind of what it felt like. I get that there is a 3rd book in the works, but the ending felt too rushed. With the first book, I felt it was complete, that it could stand alone as a whole book. But with this one, it felt too much like a, "Tune in next week to find out what happens next..."
The kind of ending that was used should only be used for novels that stand alone, where you could cherish a one-liner. With a series like this, it just seems kind of lazy/sloppy, like it was finished the day of a deadline. But, of course, Russell (the clear headed one who thinks that pushing someone down the stairs for more game time is WRONG)makes the book. And of course, I'll be looking forward to the next one:).
March 29, 2015
Owen and Russ have always been the only twins around. Even though they don't look alike or act alike or like the same things, they are still the twins. Then the Matthews twins move to town. They are everything Owen and Russ are not. They are identical in every way: they dress alike, look alike, have the same interests and even finish each others sentences. They are completely ensink on the basketball court where they are dominating the team. Owen is very jealous that he is not the star player anymore and that his friends/teammates are idolizing the twins. Russ isn't really happy about it either, but he is more willing to give them a chance.
I almost didn't finish this one. Just seemed so clunky and hard to read. Maybe if I had read the first book in the series I would have been more invested, but I didn't. So I thought Owen was a real jerk and completely unlikeable. I thought the storyline was totally improbable and the Matthews twins almost impossible. The conflict did seem real if overblown, but the reactions of the kids was just kind of crazy. I also thought the ending was too hurried and perfect. Not really a book I would recommend.
I almost didn't finish this one. Just seemed so clunky and hard to read. Maybe if I had read the first book in the series I would have been more invested, but I didn't. So I thought Owen was a real jerk and completely unlikeable. I thought the storyline was totally improbable and the Matthews twins almost impossible. The conflict did seem real if overblown, but the reactions of the kids was just kind of crazy. I also thought the ending was too hurried and perfect. Not really a book I would recommend.
December 6, 2013
See complete review at soimfifty.blogspot.com
This is actually the second in the series, the first called, Athlete vs. Mathlete is about the twins and their struggle to find their place and get along. Double Dribble picks up where the first book left off. It isn't necessary to read the first to understand the second. I love the POV change every chapter and Mack has done an excellent job of differentiating the voice. I appreciated that her characters aren't stereotypical jocks or good students. This is fast moving, full of lively conversations and interior dialogue. Boys and girls will appreciate the details and challenges these middle grade students experience.
This is actually the second in the series, the first called, Athlete vs. Mathlete is about the twins and their struggle to find their place and get along. Double Dribble picks up where the first book left off. It isn't necessary to read the first to understand the second. I love the POV change every chapter and Mack has done an excellent job of differentiating the voice. I appreciated that her characters aren't stereotypical jocks or good students. This is fast moving, full of lively conversations and interior dialogue. Boys and girls will appreciate the details and challenges these middle grade students experience.
November 9, 2015
this book is about how these two twins Mitch and Marcus just come to a middle school. the basketball coach of this school lets these twins join the team without evan trying out.The two stars of the team and star twins of the school Own and Russell are jealous because they believe they didn't earn their spot on the basketball team.the whole pioneers team are mad at the coach, but when the whole team except Own and Russell start to know the twins the team starts to like the twins. Russell starts to like the twins to. Owen gets mad but when his team starts to force Owen to like the twins he starts to like the twins.I would of gave this book 5 stars but I gave it 4 because some parts of the book were unrealistic.
September 2, 2016
Double Dribble by W.C. Mack was a really good book because it was funny and who wouldn´t want to read a funny book and laugh. So the reason I liked this book is because it teaches you a lesson and that is never judge a look of someone else. This book is also really good because it is of sports and math. Also this book is sad when one of the players gets hurt in the big game. So a recomandation is that if you like sports this is the right book and if you like when they talk about math then its a correct book.
Finally, I hope you enjoy the book.
Finally, I hope you enjoy the book.
October 17, 2015
Sunshine State Reader is 2nd book in the series from W.C. Mack which features twin middle school brothers. Both brothers start playing b-ball together, as they begin to jell on the court two new students who happen to be identical twin who are great basketball join their team. Middle school students featured love basketball, watch pro games with family, and one twin is an excellent student. Check it out here-http://bit.ly/1LyJf7J
June 16, 2014
This book is OK, and it definitely makes some points that are worth making. I'm just not sure how much I really do or don't like it. I guess that speaks volumes.
I do think middle grade boys might enjoy the book. I found it to be pretty predictable, and it really didn't hold my attention--of course, I am neither middle grade nor a boy. Even so, I don't know that I would purchase it.
I do think middle grade boys might enjoy the book. I found it to be pretty predictable, and it really didn't hold my attention--of course, I am neither middle grade nor a boy. Even so, I don't know that I would purchase it.
January 20, 2017
This was a very good sequel to Athlete vs Mathlete. I like how it was still in the alternating perspectives of Owen and Russell. I really do not like Owen because he is selfish and unsportsmanlike but I do like Russell. At first I didn't like the twins but they are getting better and they were nice all along. I recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic fiction and sports.
January 25, 2017
I was recommended this book by my sister. I really liked it that it showed the perspective of school and sports from both a athlete and non athlete. I would say the book really shows how people look at you if you play sports or not and how people treat each other. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sport books.
August 25, 2013
Enjoyed this as much as the first. The boys are very honest in their struggles - almost to the point of being unlikeable in Owen's case at times. The "real-ness" really makes this story for me. A winner!
January 15, 2014
Cute sequel to Athlete vs. Mathlete. Owen hasn't grown too much since the first as he tries to deal with his jealousy over the addition of identical twin brothers who walk on to the team because they are phenomenal players.
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April 13, 2016I really loved the book it just was amazing I have read the 1 book and now I am on to the 3 one and I bet it will be very amazing to .
I like how the author change the person in all chapter like sometimes it would be Russ or Owen it is a very good book
I like how the author change the person in all chapter like sometimes it would be Russ or Owen it is a very good book
August 9, 2016
Sequel to Athlete vs. Mathlete. Instead of competing against each other, Owen and Russell are now competing against another set of twins who are smarter and more athletic than they are.
March 31, 2014
This book is really good. But if you didn't read the book 'Athlete vs. Mathlete' it would be little hard to understand. This is silly and funny. I loved it!
April 21, 2015
4.5- I've really enjoyed the books in this series. In this one, the twins aren't competing with each other, they're competing with a new set of twins... identical ones from Minnesota.
December 10, 2014
HOW DO U READ
March 1, 2015
Very nice sequel to the bluebonnet award winner, Athlete VS Mathlete.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews