Tournament of Champions

Rip and Red #3

by Phil Bildner

It's spring of their fifth-grade year and Rip and Red have a thrilling opportunity to participate in a weekend basketball tournament with a few other members of Clifton United. While the tournament is only a short bus ride away, both boys will travel outside their comfort zones. Ultra-competitive Rip must play on a team with kids he doesn't like. But he faces an even bigger hurdle when someone from his past returns, someone he hasn't seen in years, someone who just may derail the entire weekend. As for Red, because of his autism spectrum disorder, he's never traveled anywhere without his mother. Will he muster the courage to take the trip? Fortunately for both boys, also on the team is an unlikely addition, a source of inspiration who helps everyone discover the true meaning of the word champion.

Genres: Fiction, Middle Grade, Sports, Friendship, Childrens, Realistic Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Phil Bildner is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for kids. His latest book is the groundbreaking, #OwnVoices middle grade novel, A High Five for Glenn Burke. He is the author of many children’s picture books including the Margaret Wise Brown Prize winning Marvelous Cornelius, the Texas Bluebonnet Award winning Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy, Martina & Chrissie, Twenty-One Elephants, and The Soccer Fence. Phil is also the author of A Whole New Ballgame, Rookie of the Year, Tournament of Champions, and Most Valuable Players in the critically acclaimed middle grade Rip & Red series.

Phil grew up in Jericho, New York, a Long Island suburb of New York City. He studied political science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and then attended law school at New York University School of Law. After passing the bar in New York and New Jersey, Phil worked as an associate at a large Manhattan law firm, but he quickly realized the legal profession wasn’t for him. So he followed his heart and went back to school, earning a master’s degree in early childhood and elementary education from Long Island University.

For eleven years, Phil taught in the New York City Public Schools. Teaching fifth and sixth grade in the Tremont section of the Bronx in the 1990s, he built an innovative ELA curriculum around song lyrics and music. Dave Matthews, Barenaked Ladies, Blues Traveler, Lauryn Hill, and Wyclef Jean all visited his classroom. Teaching middle school English and American History in Manhattan in the 2000s, Phil continued to integrate music and the arts into his curriculum, working with the Lincoln Center Institute, Broadway shows (Wicked, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), and Off-Broadway shows (Def Poetry Jam, De la Guarda).

After leaving the classroom to write full time, Phil began chaperoning student-volunteer trips to New Orleans to help in the post-Hurricane Katrina recovery effort. He founded The NOLA Tree, a non-profit youth service organization and served as the co-Executive Director.

These days, Phil lives in Newburgh, New York with his husband in a two hundred year old farmhouse. Most of the time, you’ll find him out in the yard playing with his dog named Kat or writing on the back porch (aka, his office) overlooking the Hudson River.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great to get an ARC of this third installment of Rip and Red. I love these two characters. This story picks right up where book two left off. This time the boys are heading out of town for a big tournament!!!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Coach Acevedo receives an invitation for the Clifton United team to attend a weekend basketball tournament, Rip is stoked about the opportunity. Red is a little more reluctant since he rarely moves out of his comfort zone or what is familiar due to his autism spectrum disorder. But the boys' friend Diego is so psyched about the trip that it's hard not to want to be a part of the fun. But once Rip learns that his father will be in attendance and is one of the chaperones for the trip, his interest in playing ball is diminished since the two of them have unresolved issues, and the fifth grader just doesn't know how to let his anger and resentment go. Readers might expect the team to do well at the tournament, but they are hopelessly outclassed by the other teams, and Rip must do a lot of soul searching to get himself back into the game. Fans of the series will be impressed with how realistically the author portrays the sport and how distractions off the court can affect performance on the court. Ultimately, of course, it is clear that there are many different ways to win in life and in basketball, and sometimes you have to change up your game plan.

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this series.
I liked the additional story strands Bildner wove through this book. I think this book is going to be relatable to many, many readers.

[Daphne Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I have loved this 3-book set from Phil Bildner. I had to read one section five times because my daughter was laughing so hard she wanted to hear it again. The children are as diverse as one could imagine and yet the story is not necessarily about their diversity. It's about friendship and family dynamics and illness and how these fifth graders work through it. But, mostly, it's about the Clifton United basketball team and their wise, teacher/coach. As quoted from a book he recommended, their mantra (and my new one) is "We will rise to the occasion, which is life."

[Michelle Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Rip & Red!

[Scott Fillner · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We will rise to the occasion which is life." In the third installment of the Rip & Red series, Phil has brought to his readers a story complete with heart, humor, bookdrops, words of wisdom, and life. All the things we have come to love and expect in a story by this amazing author.

A Tournament of Champions is a story filled with strong characters who overcome challenges, build community, help others feel they belong, and learn lifelong lessons while hoopin'. It is a book that will make you laugh out loud, pause to reflect, and want to find someone else to share it with when you are done.

Look for this book in June. To definitely won't want to miss it!

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a middle grade book and although it wasn't my kind of book, in that it revolved around a basketball team, but it actually turned out to be enjoyable. Any young person who enjoys basketball would love this. The characters are very believable and although they have their problems, for the most part they are good kids. There is a real thread of loyalty, team spirit and acceptance within these pages which are all certainly good messages for our growing youngsters.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book for middle schoolers.

disliked the lesbian relationship of the mom which was more blatant in this book.

It was great to see the growth in Rip and Red, to see their struggles with the difficult situations they faced.

[Artie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Phil Bildner writes a great book! He has just the right amount of lesson learning and fun to make a good book! Most of all, I like his books because they relate so much to my basketball life.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great series. Rip and Red are characters that really settle in my heart. Every time I read one of Phil's books I grow deeper in love with the main characters. And who wouldn't love a teacher Mr. Acevedo!

[Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quit reading this book because I didn't like how it only focused on basketball, and not much else. I liked the other books in this series better because they had the right balance. The writing was beautiful, I just didn't like the concept.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third book in this series continues the story from book two. The characters continue to grow and learn about themselves and others.
Definitely wide appeal for middle graders.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just adore this series, especially the ending. Sure hope there are more Rip & Red adventures to come. Great characters & sports action.

[Monica Hocking · Rating 1 out of 5]

Compared to the 1st book in the series, this book is plain boring! It feels more focused on basketball than anything! You lost me.

[Lisa D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it ! Great series by a great writer! Cute book!

[jenny moline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Story is of a 5th grade basketball team. The team is made of a diversity of children. The boys on the team have some crude conversations.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too much basketball for me, but still a satisfying read.

[Keller King · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was one of the best books I’ve ever read

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book free through Goodreads First Read.

Elementary kids who love basketball will love this book. This is the third book in the series. I liked how during the tournament, the book dealt with some issues common to young children.