Slamdown Town

by Maxwell Nicoll, Matthew Smith

A boy’s wish to be a star wrestler is granted in this wacky middle-grade fantasy

Ollie and his older brother, Hollis, have wrestling in their blood: Their mom was a pro whose dreams of stardom were dashed by a devious opponent. Now she’s an overworked, underpaid ref at Slamdown Town, the local arena. Ollie’s goal in life is to win the championship belt for his mom—immediately followed by his other goal: to hang his bully of a brother from the roof by his tightie-whities. But there’s one problem: Ollie inherited their estranged dad’s puny frame, while Hollis got their mom’s brawn. Thus Ollie has resigned himself to a fate of wrestling mediocrity and wet willies . . . until the day Hollis gifts him a piece of stale gum and forces him to chew it. Ollie soon discovers that the gum—formerly chewed by a wrestling legend— has an unusual side effect: the ability to physically transform Ollie into a pro wrestler. As Big Chew, Ollie’s finally able to put Hollis in his place and be a star. But when trouble befalls Slamdown Town, being Big Chew gets a lot more complicated. In the end, Ollie knows he can’t have it all; and it’s only when he asks himself who he really is that he learns what it means to be a champion.

Genres: Middle Grade

308 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Maxwell Nicoll is an Emmy-nominated children's screenwriter that has written for Sesame Street, Esme & Roy, and Nature Cat. He lives in New York.

Reviews

[Terry Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for the free book.

What a great story. My grandsons loved it as did my granddaughter.

[BookofCons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this copy at #alamw20 and cannot wait to share it with my 5th graders!
Slamdown Town is packed with humor, action and heart. 11 year old Ollie dreams of being a big and strong wrestler. He wants to avenge the wrongdoing that side lined his moms wrestling career and to not get stuck in his older brothers smelly pits anymore! After receiving a piece of 30 year old gum, his wish comes true. But as Ollie navigates his new life as wrestler Big Chew, he learns that being strong doesnt just come from muscles.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique story about a boy that has a magical piece of chewed gum that transforms him into a pro wrestler. While I am not a huge fan of pro wrestling, this was a fun story to teach young readers about finding confidence in who you are, being able to say sorry when you need to, and dealing with troubles with siblings.

[Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read! Perfect for middle schoolers... and grown adults like myself. Full of heart, friendship and fun action - highly recommend for any young readers looking for an engaging story. Reminded me of when I was younger, insisting on getting the ice cream with the wrestlers on it from the ice cream truck hahaha

[Farrar Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

My students had so much fun reading this book. I strongly recommend it to all of my fellow teachers in classrooms across America and abroad. I hope we will learn more about minor character Toot Toot McSnazzy Shorts' mysterious backstory in the sequel.

[Shawna Alpdemir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Granted I’m a couple decades older than the intended audience, but I thought it was a fun concept. I think the writing was a bit repetitive and could have been better elevated, and that is me trying to remember my grade school reading level and the books I was devouring back then.

[Rebekah]

While I absolutely love wrestling and found it interesting how sibling relationships change over time, this reads a lot younger than middle grade and it was very cheesy in some places.

[Ms. S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun/cute read

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun read for kids and even the occasional twenty-something (aka me.) I can’t wait to see where this series goes next!