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The Toilet Paper Tigers
When his Little League team gets a coach who knows nothing about baseball, seventh grader Corey is dismayed to see the team taken over by the coach's pushy twelve-year-old granddaughter.
195 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1993
15 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Korman
249 books4,431 followersGordon Korman is a Canadian author of children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appeared at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
February 10, 2018
Reread this to my daughter. Not my favourite of Korman's books but still entertaining. I like the structure by team position.
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May 24, 2017Corey Johnson never dreamed Little League could be so humiliating. But that was before he joined the Feather Soft Tigers. the team had a catcher that was afraid of the ball a left fielder that fans asleep and a coach that know nothing about baseball. what could be worse the team uniforms have pictures of toilet paper on them to their sponsor.
I recommend this book to 5 and 6 graders.
I recommend this book to 5 and 6 graders.
November 4, 2013
I first read this book last summer, and I really liked it. I decided to read it again and it was still as good as I remember. The story is about Corey Johnson, a boy whose Little League baseball team, The Feather-Soft Tigers (given that name because of their toilet paper company sponsor), has a bunch of problems. A genius scientist coach who is clueless about baseball, an annoying girl named Kristy, who is from New York and is the coach’s granddaughter, a pitcher who cannot throw the ball, among other glaring problems with the various other members on the team. But as the season progresses, Kristy helps solve the team’s problems one step at a time, and she always somehow manages to drag Corey along with her. In the end, all of their effort pays off and the Feather-Soft Tigers become the League Champions.
One major thing that I liked about this book was how it was arranged. Almost all of the chapters focused on one member of the team and the efforts to try to help the character become a better baseball player. Like helping “Tuba Dave” Jablonski lose weight so he can run faster, helping the catcher get over his fear of the ball, and figuring out the mystery of shortstop Bobby Ray Devereaux. I was also able to learn some things about baseball. I recommend this book to everyone, even if you hate baseball or sports altogether.
One major thing that I liked about this book was how it was arranged. Almost all of the chapters focused on one member of the team and the efforts to try to help the character become a better baseball player. Like helping “Tuba Dave” Jablonski lose weight so he can run faster, helping the catcher get over his fear of the ball, and figuring out the mystery of shortstop Bobby Ray Devereaux. I was also able to learn some things about baseball. I recommend this book to everyone, even if you hate baseball or sports altogether.
October 27, 2014
What can I say? This book's got a lot of heart. I loved it as a child, and I still get a kick out of it now. I was really into baseball back then, and of all the cheesy, Matt Christopher-ripoff young adult sports books I've read, this one's the cream of the crop. Good times.
July 16, 2013
Great story. Easy read for a boy who really loves baseball. Some language, just a tad.
January 1, 2025
I have read over 50 volumes from the masterful pen of Gordon Korman. My son who is 16 still loves his books, my daughter in 13 picks and chooses, I am trying to work my way through his complete catalogue, in my 50’s. I have tracked down copies of all of them, and this was by far the hardest to lay my hands on, at a price point in my budget. It was well worth the wait.
Most of the titles by Korman I have read, I read over the last 6 year. I had read a few back in 2009 when the 39 Clues first came out. I do not recall reading any when I was young, but with my dual form of dyslexia I did not read many Children’s or Middle Grade books. It was only later I learned to really read.
My son and I started reading Gordon Korman books together five years ago, when he was given one as an end of year gift by his teacher. She gave the whole class the same Scholastic edition and wrote a note to each student in their copy of the book.
When reading Korman books; some he reads to me, some we use adaptive technology and listen to in the car, and some I just read on my own. This one I read on my own, while on holidays.
The description of this book states:
“Forget about winning, they're just trying to score!
Corey Johnson never dreamed Little League could be so humiliating. But that was before he joined the Feather Soft Tigers.
It's bad enough that the team uniforms have pictures of toilet paper on them-thanks to their sponsor. But with a catcher who's afraid of the ball, a right fielder who falls asleep during the games, and a coach who knows zero about baseball, it looks like the Tigers are going straight down the toilet!.”
According to Goodreads at the time of writing this review there are 9 editions of this volume, most published in 1993 or 1995. At some point it went through a cover change and there only appears to be 2 variations of covers for this book. Like a number of his other out of print volumes it is a really good read. It was a lot of fun. In some ways it feels like it could easily be an off shoot story for Bruno and Boots or the McDonald Hall series. A new girl in town, granddaughter of a famous scientist, a hap hazard little league team. And a summer of adventure.
The Toilet Paper Tigers were the dregs of the little league, their coach forgot it was the day to pick teams and the 9 players left ended up on his team. Unfortunately Professor Pendergast does not know anything about baseball, coaching or to be honest sports in general. He signed up because he granddaughter is coming to town and he wanted to know youngsters to introduce her to. It was not a good beginning to the summer or to the team. His granddaughter, Kristy, was a force of nature. And soon she was running the lives both on and off the field of the whole team. But just maybe there was method to her madness for soon they start scoring runs, then even winning games. But to find out what happens you will need to read this great story.
This is a really fun story and it is one I can easily recommend. A great Middle Grade read from Korman!
Most of the titles by Korman I have read, I read over the last 6 year. I had read a few back in 2009 when the 39 Clues first came out. I do not recall reading any when I was young, but with my dual form of dyslexia I did not read many Children’s or Middle Grade books. It was only later I learned to really read.
My son and I started reading Gordon Korman books together five years ago, when he was given one as an end of year gift by his teacher. She gave the whole class the same Scholastic edition and wrote a note to each student in their copy of the book.
When reading Korman books; some he reads to me, some we use adaptive technology and listen to in the car, and some I just read on my own. This one I read on my own, while on holidays.
The description of this book states:
“Forget about winning, they're just trying to score!
Corey Johnson never dreamed Little League could be so humiliating. But that was before he joined the Feather Soft Tigers.
It's bad enough that the team uniforms have pictures of toilet paper on them-thanks to their sponsor. But with a catcher who's afraid of the ball, a right fielder who falls asleep during the games, and a coach who knows zero about baseball, it looks like the Tigers are going straight down the toilet!.”
According to Goodreads at the time of writing this review there are 9 editions of this volume, most published in 1993 or 1995. At some point it went through a cover change and there only appears to be 2 variations of covers for this book. Like a number of his other out of print volumes it is a really good read. It was a lot of fun. In some ways it feels like it could easily be an off shoot story for Bruno and Boots or the McDonald Hall series. A new girl in town, granddaughter of a famous scientist, a hap hazard little league team. And a summer of adventure.
The Toilet Paper Tigers were the dregs of the little league, their coach forgot it was the day to pick teams and the 9 players left ended up on his team. Unfortunately Professor Pendergast does not know anything about baseball, coaching or to be honest sports in general. He signed up because he granddaughter is coming to town and he wanted to know youngsters to introduce her to. It was not a good beginning to the summer or to the team. His granddaughter, Kristy, was a force of nature. And soon she was running the lives both on and off the field of the whole team. But just maybe there was method to her madness for soon they start scoring runs, then even winning games. But to find out what happens you will need to read this great story.
This is a really fun story and it is one I can easily recommend. A great Middle Grade read from Korman!
October 10, 2018
I recently traded a book called “The Toiler Paper Tigers” by Gordon Korman.I found that book in a library and I choose it because the vocabulary is not so sophisticated.This book is about kids in a small town that plays in a baseball team that is staring a season on the summer,but a lot of things do not go as expected when a girl from New York arrives to that town and want to change everything.
The characters of that story are: Players-Luis Bono,Tuba Dave,Ernie,Ryan Crisp, Caspar Howard ,Tim Laredo, Bobby Ray,Kevin Featherstone and the storyteller Corey Johnson; Professor Pendergast ,and the girl Kristy .The baseball team at first was coached by a professor that do not have anything with baseball and don’t know anything about this sport.When a girl with almost the same age as the other kids of the team arrive on the city ,coming from New York ( a place we’re baseball is very famous).When that girl arrives ,at first none of the boys liked her because she was different and loose with the others ,until the moment that she take a embarrassing picture of the team and start threaten the player ,saying that she was going to put that picture on the school lockers.That way everybody needed to do what she wanted.At first she started to coach the team with that professor,but the team was not playing as she expected.Thats when she discover that every player of the team have a personal problem that is impairing the teams perfomance.That is when her and the protagonist (who narrates the story) start investigating all the players ,on by one ,and solve their problems to have better results in the baseball games.During the book the girl and the story teller keep discussing all the time because they always have different ideas and thoughts what makes the book more fun.
My favorite part of the book is the part when Kristy and the other players try to solve Corey’s personal problem ,the protagonist of the book because is when finally appears a harmony between the players and the girl.
In my personal opinion this is a good book and a good form to distract the mind ,because is simple to understand it and have a lot of funny parts between the chapters.The thing that I did not liked very much is because becomes repetitive to do always the same thing ,just trying to solve problems to have good results as a team.The principal connection that I made with this book is that everything can be fixed or solved if everyday be kind and helpful,as a team is supposed to be. I would recommend this book for kids between 8 and 14 years old ,or people that is looking for a easier book
The characters of that story are: Players-Luis Bono,Tuba Dave,Ernie,Ryan Crisp, Caspar Howard ,Tim Laredo, Bobby Ray,Kevin Featherstone and the storyteller Corey Johnson; Professor Pendergast ,and the girl Kristy .The baseball team at first was coached by a professor that do not have anything with baseball and don’t know anything about this sport.When a girl with almost the same age as the other kids of the team arrive on the city ,coming from New York ( a place we’re baseball is very famous).When that girl arrives ,at first none of the boys liked her because she was different and loose with the others ,until the moment that she take a embarrassing picture of the team and start threaten the player ,saying that she was going to put that picture on the school lockers.That way everybody needed to do what she wanted.At first she started to coach the team with that professor,but the team was not playing as she expected.Thats when she discover that every player of the team have a personal problem that is impairing the teams perfomance.That is when her and the protagonist (who narrates the story) start investigating all the players ,on by one ,and solve their problems to have better results in the baseball games.During the book the girl and the story teller keep discussing all the time because they always have different ideas and thoughts what makes the book more fun.
My favorite part of the book is the part when Kristy and the other players try to solve Corey’s personal problem ,the protagonist of the book because is when finally appears a harmony between the players and the girl.
In my personal opinion this is a good book and a good form to distract the mind ,because is simple to understand it and have a lot of funny parts between the chapters.The thing that I did not liked very much is because becomes repetitive to do always the same thing ,just trying to solve problems to have good results as a team.The principal connection that I made with this book is that everything can be fixed or solved if everyday be kind and helpful,as a team is supposed to be. I would recommend this book for kids between 8 and 14 years old ,or people that is looking for a easier book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2020
One of my favourite books ever!
I read this novel back in primary school. I can't even remember how I got my grimy hands on it. I read and re-read it so many times, I remember the cover being torn and the pages been haggard with use. That may have been the reading or the consequence of having a toddler in the house.
Nonetheless...
This story was such a formative part of how I learned to write and my early introduction to books that could make you literally laugh out loud.
A Little League baseball team is eagerly anticipating the best season ever, with their players coming into their "prime" in time for the resumption of games. The boys are dealt a harsh blow when their assigned coach is a clueless old scientist, Professor Pendergrast, who can't be bothered with the intricacies of baseball, let alone coaching what should be a winning team.
To add insult to injury, the Professor's granddaughter, Kristy, is visiting from New York. A brash, quick talking loudmouth, Kristy seems determined to be a permanent thorn in the narrator's side. To his chagrin, she becomes the de facto coach and actually discovers the team's winning formula.
The interchanges between the characters were side-splitting. The storyline is cheesy but the writing is just so good, you can't help but love this book. Or at least that was the case for me between the ages of 10 and 12!
I read this novel back in primary school. I can't even remember how I got my grimy hands on it. I read and re-read it so many times, I remember the cover being torn and the pages been haggard with use. That may have been the reading or the consequence of having a toddler in the house.
Nonetheless...
This story was such a formative part of how I learned to write and my early introduction to books that could make you literally laugh out loud.
A Little League baseball team is eagerly anticipating the best season ever, with their players coming into their "prime" in time for the resumption of games. The boys are dealt a harsh blow when their assigned coach is a clueless old scientist, Professor Pendergrast, who can't be bothered with the intricacies of baseball, let alone coaching what should be a winning team.
To add insult to injury, the Professor's granddaughter, Kristy, is visiting from New York. A brash, quick talking loudmouth, Kristy seems determined to be a permanent thorn in the narrator's side. To his chagrin, she becomes the de facto coach and actually discovers the team's winning formula.
The interchanges between the characters were side-splitting. The storyline is cheesy but the writing is just so good, you can't help but love this book. Or at least that was the case for me between the ages of 10 and 12!
May 7, 2021
One of the weakest Kormans I've yet read, but not bad enough to deter me from keeping on working through his stuff. The thing that bothered me to most here is how incompetent the Professor is as coach... a real adult would have done a bit of reading up on the game. But at least the kids love him, and respect his scientific works. Really, it's a very silly read with some heart, and the kids who like it will undoubtedly like it a lot, and maybe move on to Korman's more thoughtful works, and from there to becoming lifelong readers.
December 3, 2017
Totally silly, unbelievable, absurd book--and I loved it. I think 4th or 5th graders would really like it. It's about a baseball team made up of the rejects who has a coach who knows nothing about baseball. He thinks when you drop the ball, it's a touchdown. His granddaughter decides she's going to coach the team, and she goes to great lengths to get the boys to play baseball. There are some really funny parts.
June 8, 2021
I found this in a little free library and from the first page I was laughing out loud. As someone who grew up in the eighties, I found it nostalgic (I think it released in '93) and enjoyable. Kristy's slang and antics kept me entertained, as did her threats to "develop the film." I loved the over-the-top style as the Tigers go from worst to first. Such a fun read!
May 19, 2017
I had a great time reading this book. Gordon Korman did a great job making all of the characters relatable and likable. I would recommend it to anyone who likes baseball.
September 13, 2017
RATING: 3.75 Stars
Not my favorite from Korman, but it's a good one none the less. Not sure I ever read this one before.
Not my favorite from Korman, but it's a good one none the less. Not sure I ever read this one before.
December 11, 2017
I never quite got past being bothered by a 12-year-old girl blackmailing a group of 12-year-old boys with a picture of them in the jockstraps as a source of humour.
January 1, 2018
A must-read for kids who love baseball.
See my review at: https://bethmitchell.rocks/2017/07/05...
See my review at: https://bethmitchell.rocks/2017/07/05...
October 31, 2018
He can throw a curve ball.
Interesting twists, and team-building.
Interesting twists, and team-building.
May 26, 2019
Kristy=awesomest character. I can’t believe how she changed the team (she was a little rude) but I loved her attitude
April 29, 2020
Loved this book as a kid. Still remember the scene about stealing home.
June 30, 2021
I loved this book when i read it it was so funny
December 29, 2022
Hilarious and brilliant!
November 18, 2024
We think it’s good because it has surprises in it that keep you guessing. We like it because it was a baseball story.
July 31, 2025
A childhood fave love it
June 22, 2020
*3.5 stars. I haven’t read much Gordon Korman, but by reading this, I can tell he’s a funny author. The story of this is another one of those misfit kid team in baseball, but this story is actually not predictable at all. The tuba player sneaking skittles in his tuba, to sneak candy has got to be my favorite chapter. All of the kids have a unique and funny story, that makes you want to read this fast, because every chapter is a different story.
December 19, 2016
I'm not exactly sure when I first discovered Gordon Korman, but sometime between 5th grade and the end of 8th grade I read nearly all of his books. I originally thought I would re-read Losing Joe's Place this summer, but then I came across Toilet Paper Tigers at my library, and I remembered instantly that it was one of my favorites. I didn't remember much about it, except that it was about a baseball team named for a toilet paper company, but I knew that I associated it with the strong sense of satisfaction my favorite books always gave me as a kid. I figured I’d try it again as an adult and see if I could remember what made it so magical way back when.
Indeed, the Toilet Paper Tigers are a baseball team, and their coach is a kind but clueless scientist named Professor Pendergast. Because Coach Pendergast doesn't know a baseball from a football, he allows his granddaughter, Kristy, to run the team. While Kristy is sweet as pie to her grandfather, she is not as nice to the boys on the team. Rather, to improve their game play, she takes on each member of the team, one position at a time, and solves whatever problem is standing between that player and baseball victory, whether it's a need to lose weight, too many jobs, or a lack of interest in baseball.
There is a purity to Gordon Korman’s writing that I have always appreciated. His stories are funny, wholesome, and entertaining without necessarily trying to save the world, draw attention to issues, or even to teach us anything in particular. This book, told in a series of episodes, is completely entertaining without a hint of tween drama anywhere in sight. There are no complicated romantic triangles, or nasty spats among cliques. There is some blackmail (Kristy takes a picture of the team in their underwear in an effort to scare them into doing her bidding), and some jealousy (Corey is so angry when he doesn’t get to pitch), but the tone is always light and fun, and the ending is not just satisfying, but surprisingly happy. This is not an angsty middle school book; it’s just good clean kid-friendly fun.
Though the The Toilet Paper Tigers is now 20 years old, it holds up quite well for contemporary audiences. Kristy’s use of slang is a bit strange, but I think it is intended to be, so it doesn’t matter that some of her words are now dated. There is one scene where a cell phone would have been hugely helpful, but considering how absent-minded the professor is, even that can be explained away without complaining that the book is old-fashioned. I enjoy dramatic middle school stories, but there was something refreshing and calming about this piece of escapist sports fiction that made me nostalgic for my own late elementary years - a feat that can be difficult to accomplish, given my own angsty memories.
Recommend The Toilet Paper Tigers to readers who have liked About the B’nai Bagels by E.L. Konigsburg and any books by Fred Bowen or Rich Wallace.
Indeed, the Toilet Paper Tigers are a baseball team, and their coach is a kind but clueless scientist named Professor Pendergast. Because Coach Pendergast doesn't know a baseball from a football, he allows his granddaughter, Kristy, to run the team. While Kristy is sweet as pie to her grandfather, she is not as nice to the boys on the team. Rather, to improve their game play, she takes on each member of the team, one position at a time, and solves whatever problem is standing between that player and baseball victory, whether it's a need to lose weight, too many jobs, or a lack of interest in baseball.
There is a purity to Gordon Korman’s writing that I have always appreciated. His stories are funny, wholesome, and entertaining without necessarily trying to save the world, draw attention to issues, or even to teach us anything in particular. This book, told in a series of episodes, is completely entertaining without a hint of tween drama anywhere in sight. There are no complicated romantic triangles, or nasty spats among cliques. There is some blackmail (Kristy takes a picture of the team in their underwear in an effort to scare them into doing her bidding), and some jealousy (Corey is so angry when he doesn’t get to pitch), but the tone is always light and fun, and the ending is not just satisfying, but surprisingly happy. This is not an angsty middle school book; it’s just good clean kid-friendly fun.
Though the The Toilet Paper Tigers is now 20 years old, it holds up quite well for contemporary audiences. Kristy’s use of slang is a bit strange, but I think it is intended to be, so it doesn’t matter that some of her words are now dated. There is one scene where a cell phone would have been hugely helpful, but considering how absent-minded the professor is, even that can be explained away without complaining that the book is old-fashioned. I enjoy dramatic middle school stories, but there was something refreshing and calming about this piece of escapist sports fiction that made me nostalgic for my own late elementary years - a feat that can be difficult to accomplish, given my own angsty memories.
Recommend The Toilet Paper Tigers to readers who have liked About the B’nai Bagels by E.L. Konigsburg and any books by Fred Bowen or Rich Wallace.
September 7, 2015
"The Toilet Paper Tigers" is one of Korman's better books for middle-school-ish readers, a quick and funny read about a Little League team in a small Texas town and the girl from New York who turns them into champions (I don't regard that as a spoiler, incidentally, I don't think anyone has ever written a book or movie about a Little League team that doesn't end with them being champions of one sort or another). Though worth reading on its own, I also have a soft spot for it as it is set in an alternate universe in which the Superconducting Super Collider was actually constructed (it's never explicitly called that but what else could a gigantic particle accelerator in the middle of Texas possibly be?). That was entirely accidental, of course: Korman wrote it in 1992 or so and could not have predicted that the SSC would be cancelled the following year. Still, it always gives me an extra bit of enjoyment when I read it (even if Korman doesn't get the physics quite right).
February 4, 2012
Entry 1-
Kirsty was an antagonist,but turned into a protagonist. Corey Johnson and all the other Feather Soft Tigers are protagonists. Professor Pendergast is the coach,but knows nothing about baseball.
Entry 2-
The point of view is from Corey Johnson. The setting is mainly at the baseball field. The theme is sometimes things tht you think are horrrible actually turn out to be good.
Entry 3-
Kirsty pretends like she is a New Yorker, but she is actually from Bedrock Dam. She gets involved with all of the players lives and everyone thinks she is mean because she bribes them with the Picture, which was a picture of the boys in the locker room, but she turns out to help the team alot. So much that with their once crappy team they won the Little League Championship.
Kirsty was an antagonist,but turned into a protagonist. Corey Johnson and all the other Feather Soft Tigers are protagonists. Professor Pendergast is the coach,but knows nothing about baseball.
Entry 2-
The point of view is from Corey Johnson. The setting is mainly at the baseball field. The theme is sometimes things tht you think are horrrible actually turn out to be good.
Entry 3-
Kirsty pretends like she is a New Yorker, but she is actually from Bedrock Dam. She gets involved with all of the players lives and everyone thinks she is mean because she bribes them with the Picture, which was a picture of the boys in the locker room, but she turns out to help the team alot. So much that with their once crappy team they won the Little League Championship.
August 2, 2020
There is something about Gordon Korman that I just love. It's actually something I normally say. "You can't go wrong with Gordon Korman." (I haven't read all his book but I'm trying.)
The thing about this book is that while we are in Corey Johnson's view each chapter is focused on a different character. Since this book's focus is on the players there are a little more than nine secondary characters taking the spot light. It was a little hard to figure out who is who. BUT with this book it really doesn't matter at all. The difference between each character is really different, and look at the baseball team cover. That cover is loyal to each characters issue. It's Gordon Korman so it's off the wall unique and funny. The book is a just perfect example of Mr. Korman's identity in writing.
The thing about this book is that while we are in Corey Johnson's view each chapter is focused on a different character. Since this book's focus is on the players there are a little more than nine secondary characters taking the spot light. It was a little hard to figure out who is who. BUT with this book it really doesn't matter at all. The difference between each character is really different, and look at the baseball team cover. That cover is loyal to each characters issue. It's Gordon Korman so it's off the wall unique and funny. The book is a just perfect example of Mr. Korman's identity in writing.
February 14, 2019
I didn't know what to expect when I unearthed this book from my huge to-read pile. It's been a long time since I read Korman's middle grade books, and I'm not a big fan of baseball or Little League, but I wasn't disappointed. There are a lot of funny parts and surprise plot twists to entertain the reader, and once I figured out the chapter scheme (one chapter per team position--for the most part), I fell into the story. The one sticking point is the overly manipulative Kristy. True, she bullies the boys to help them--and she does help them--but her methods are borderline abusive when viewed in today's world. There's a lot to like here for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid if they can do without the graphics.
November 20, 2015
I think it was a good book and I can't believe Gordon Korman made this happen. This book is about a baseball team that really is bad and after working hard they improve. This book remind me of the movie "Bad News Bears" if you haven't seen that movie yet. I rated it 5 stars because 1 of those books (because I like baseball) that you wanted to get to the end. I also like that they had use probably my most favorite author who made swindle,and all those books last thing when it takes about 11-12 days to finish a 200 paged book that's pretty good. That is my summary of this book
April 7, 2012
Update: This is the next book that Ben and I'll be reading aloud.
Utter hilarity. I've probably read this book at least ten times, if not more. I was very skeptical when my sister first gave me this book in middle school, but Gordon Korman turned into one of my favorite authors. I'm not too sure about his new stuff, but this is classic team-rising-from-obscurity/utter awfulness via blackmail. Hard to beat that.
Utter hilarity. I've probably read this book at least ten times, if not more. I was very skeptical when my sister first gave me this book in middle school, but Gordon Korman turned into one of my favorite authors. I'm not too sure about his new stuff, but this is classic team-rising-from-obscurity/utter awfulness via blackmail. Hard to beat that.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews