The 2007 Willow Awards
Diamond Willow Nominee
Thumb On A Diamond
By Ken Roberts.
Leon, also known as Thumb, lives in a B.C. fishing village perched on the edge of the mountains right next to the ocean. They want to see the big city so they devise a plan to get to the city by starting a baseball team. Perhaps they can get in a tournament that is being held in Vancouver. They have big problems. There is no space large enough for a baseball field in their small town, no one has ever played baseball and there are no other teams to play against. With a lot of planning and some help from grown ups the team finally gets to Vancouver to play in a tournament. Now they have to worry about how to play the game?
About the Author
Ken Roberts is the Chief Librarian of the Hamilton Public Library. His hobby is writing. His book Past Tense was nominated for the prestigious Governor General's Award for Children's Literature in 1994. He has also been a finalist for the Christie Book Award and for the Canadian Children's Book of the Year. His book The Thumb in the Box received a starred review in The Horn Book. Another children's novel, Hiccup Champion of the World, has been translated into a number of languages.
Ken lives just outside Brantford, Ontario. He is married to Jo-Anne Westerby and has four children, ranging in age from thirty-two to nine years old.
Book Reviews
Suggested Activities
- On a map of B.C. plot all the coastal towns that have less than 500 people. The teacher-librarian can help you find the resources to do this activity.
- The kids in the story got to go to Vancouver. Make a brochure with pictures and descriptions of all the neat places kids would love to visit. You will have to borrow a book about Vancouver to help you, or go to this website.
- Make a table listing all the disadvantages and advantages of living in a place like New Auckland, B.C.
- You are Mr. Entwhistle's research assistant. Find some amazing facts about beavers that he could use in his books. If you are artistic you could be his illustrator instead.
- Find the rules of cricket on the Internet or in a book from the library. Study the rules. Ask your teacher if you could try to play cricket during a gym period. If there is a cricket league in your town, or someone who knows how to play the game, invite them to show you how it is played.
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