Charlie Bumpers vs. the Puny Pirates

by Bill Harley Narrated by Bill Harley

Overview

Charlie Bumpers and his best friends Tommy and Hector can't wait to try out the stupific offensive plays they've perfected. The Pirates are sure to win the championship this year! But their high hopes are crushed when they see their shrimpy and inexperienced teammates. They also find out that their new coach expects everyone to learn all the positions and never gives the dynamic trio a chance to perform together. To make matters worse, Charlie's big brother has joined a video club and he is recording every one of the Pirates' disastrous plays.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Master storyteller Harley scores again with fourth-grader Charlie Bumpers

Kirkus Reviews

2016-07-02
Master storyteller Harley scores again with fourth-grader Charlie Bumpers and friends as they suffer on a losing soccer team.Charlie, Hector, and Tommy could be the best soccer trio in history if only they could play offense at the same time. Why can’t coach Mr. Carmody see that? Harley’s fifth book in the Charlie Bumpers series sets the scene on the soccer field instead of the classroom or the school stage. Deftly straddling the gap between slapstick-level soccer beginners and serious preteen athletes, the Pirates focus on fundamentals while getting shellacked by all their opponents. Since winning a game seems elusive (although all the adults say they never keep score), the three friends pool their resources selling chocolate bars for the fundraiser. Maybe they can win that prize instead! Harley paints a world immediately familiar to most 9-year-olds and embellishes it with the high jinks that life provides. Charlie’s soccer team is terrible. Charlie’s family drives him crazy. Charlie loses the fundraising money. Nothing life-threatening, nothing alien, just honest-to-goodness growing up while learning to play for the love of the game. The surprise is that it is suspenseful, hilarious, and revealing, with no tidy solution at the end. This is a quick and easy read, comforting and diverse even if suburban; in addition to white Charlie, African-American Tommy, and Latino Hector, the Pirates are a nicely multiethnic team. A sixth book in the series is expected, to the delight of Charlie’s fans. (Fiction. 7-10)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169087307
Publisher:	Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
Publication date:	09/01/2016
Series:	Charlie Bumpers Series
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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