Book Reviews
Thank you for sharing the book – The Hoop Kid from Elmdale Park! I had a chance to read it with my 10 year old and really liked the messages and feel like they would resonate with our youth, especially the participants in our reading initiative, "THE BIG GAME-DRIBBLE, PASS, READ".
-Tina Shah, Sr. Director, STEM and Educational Foundations, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
We are very excited to partner with Teko and the entire Hoop Kid team in spreading the word about Hoop Kid. His concept flows well with our initiative to utilize sports as a hook to teach life skills. We want to encourage our members to develop the skills necessary to succeed in life, many of which they can learn through sports participation.
-Waymond King , Director of Athletic and Healthy Lifestyles for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America
This is a fun story for boys and girls. It’s well paced, keeping the interest of even sluggish readers, and offers a topic that will make a sport lover’s heart beat faster.
-Dr. S. Drecker, Bookworm for Kids
Teko Bernard has created a wonderfully diverse cast of characters, both young and old. Our young hero Bernard is a super likable, relatable, and plucky guy who isn’t obnoxiously perfect or too flawed. He’s someone young readers will believe in and want to be friends with. I like that there’s also a female character that is not only smart and funny, but also athletic. The most unusual and interesting character isn’t human at all, but a talking, thinking, coaching basketball!
- Word Spelunking
When I was a fifth grade teacher, it was a struggle to find fiction books that appealed to boys, and it was even more difficult to find books featuring male African-American main characters. The Hoop Kid From Elmdale Park fits both of these criteria, and is a title that I certainly would have recommended to my students. The story centers around Bernard Jones, an eighth grade basketball lover, who goes to stay with his grandparents in Elmdale Park for the summer. While he is there, he forms a basketball team to take on the local bullies in an inter-neighborhood tournament. There are some zany twists and turns along the way, including a talking basketball. In addition to learning important lessons about teamwork and advocacy, Bernard bonds with both his father and grandfather over their shared love of hoops. All in all, this was an enjoyable read that is perfect for fifth and six grade boys.
-Lisa Runge, The Kindle Book Review
Teko Bernard has created an exciting basketball adventure both boys and girls will love. Readers will find basketball trivia along with familiar shenanigans that happen on the court. The characters are lively and young readers will relate to them and come to love them. This fast-paced middle-grade read has cool graphics depicting all the action of the characters throughout the pages. This story isn't just about sports, it covers crucial topics such as standing up for what's right and utilizing your voice. Parents and teachers can use this story as a tool for opening up dialogue regarding family, friendship, sportsmanship and bullying.
-Kristi's Book Nook
This was such an enjoyable read! I love the nice, upbeat story, the realistic characters, and the fantastic humor (particularly with G5000’s antics). Bernard is such a relatable character, and he’s a great true-to-life role model. Readers are sure to appreciate the basketball lingo, his love of the game, and his determination to fight the good fight.
- Angelle Pilkington
The book includes illustrations of comic book characters that bring the text to life. I loved the "family" aspect of the story. The binding together of all the generations to fight for a worthy cause for the future of their town. Bernard Jones is a true-to-life role model for kids from everywhere.
- Story Wraps
A fun fast-paced read that provides a great cast of characters who each have a different quirk and skill-set. This was a nice combination of fantasy and reality and I loved the characterization of Bernard's coach. The actions of one of Bernard's biggest rivals was a little surprising but the excitement of a hard-fought basketball game and the importance of strategy and determination is delightfully conveyed. Hopefully there will be more of these entertaining stories.
-The Reading Addict
The Hoop Kid is a good book for boys, especially those boys who like reading sports stories. Reluctant readers might also like this story. It is short, at a mere 125 pages, and the chapters average four to five pages in length.The action, noise, and excitement are typical sports atmosphere and the author did a good job depicting games as exciting and well-paced... The illustrations supplementing the scenes, adding suspense with the black and white images, some split into five or six scenes similar to graphic novel illustrations. There is a lot of emotion in each image, telling the story in wonderful detail.
-Kid Lit Reviews
The character of Bernard was inspiring. I think many boys would be able to relate to him. Not only did he love basketball but he loved his father. He showed strength and courage throughout the story. Though Bernard was upset with his father, he was still able to get past his anger and show how much he cared for him by trying to make his father's plans a reality. This kind of character is someone many boys should get to read.
-Vonnie's Reading Corner
-Tina Shah, Sr. Director, STEM and Educational Foundations, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
We are very excited to partner with Teko and the entire Hoop Kid team in spreading the word about Hoop Kid. His concept flows well with our initiative to utilize sports as a hook to teach life skills. We want to encourage our members to develop the skills necessary to succeed in life, many of which they can learn through sports participation.
-Waymond King , Director of Athletic and Healthy Lifestyles for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America
This is a fun story for boys and girls. It’s well paced, keeping the interest of even sluggish readers, and offers a topic that will make a sport lover’s heart beat faster.
-Dr. S. Drecker, Bookworm for Kids
Teko Bernard has created a wonderfully diverse cast of characters, both young and old. Our young hero Bernard is a super likable, relatable, and plucky guy who isn’t obnoxiously perfect or too flawed. He’s someone young readers will believe in and want to be friends with. I like that there’s also a female character that is not only smart and funny, but also athletic. The most unusual and interesting character isn’t human at all, but a talking, thinking, coaching basketball!
- Word Spelunking
When I was a fifth grade teacher, it was a struggle to find fiction books that appealed to boys, and it was even more difficult to find books featuring male African-American main characters. The Hoop Kid From Elmdale Park fits both of these criteria, and is a title that I certainly would have recommended to my students. The story centers around Bernard Jones, an eighth grade basketball lover, who goes to stay with his grandparents in Elmdale Park for the summer. While he is there, he forms a basketball team to take on the local bullies in an inter-neighborhood tournament. There are some zany twists and turns along the way, including a talking basketball. In addition to learning important lessons about teamwork and advocacy, Bernard bonds with both his father and grandfather over their shared love of hoops. All in all, this was an enjoyable read that is perfect for fifth and six grade boys.
-Lisa Runge, The Kindle Book Review
Teko Bernard has created an exciting basketball adventure both boys and girls will love. Readers will find basketball trivia along with familiar shenanigans that happen on the court. The characters are lively and young readers will relate to them and come to love them. This fast-paced middle-grade read has cool graphics depicting all the action of the characters throughout the pages. This story isn't just about sports, it covers crucial topics such as standing up for what's right and utilizing your voice. Parents and teachers can use this story as a tool for opening up dialogue regarding family, friendship, sportsmanship and bullying.
-Kristi's Book Nook
This was such an enjoyable read! I love the nice, upbeat story, the realistic characters, and the fantastic humor (particularly with G5000’s antics). Bernard is such a relatable character, and he’s a great true-to-life role model. Readers are sure to appreciate the basketball lingo, his love of the game, and his determination to fight the good fight.
- Angelle Pilkington
The book includes illustrations of comic book characters that bring the text to life. I loved the "family" aspect of the story. The binding together of all the generations to fight for a worthy cause for the future of their town. Bernard Jones is a true-to-life role model for kids from everywhere.
- Story Wraps
A fun fast-paced read that provides a great cast of characters who each have a different quirk and skill-set. This was a nice combination of fantasy and reality and I loved the characterization of Bernard's coach. The actions of one of Bernard's biggest rivals was a little surprising but the excitement of a hard-fought basketball game and the importance of strategy and determination is delightfully conveyed. Hopefully there will be more of these entertaining stories.
-The Reading Addict
The Hoop Kid is a good book for boys, especially those boys who like reading sports stories. Reluctant readers might also like this story. It is short, at a mere 125 pages, and the chapters average four to five pages in length.The action, noise, and excitement are typical sports atmosphere and the author did a good job depicting games as exciting and well-paced... The illustrations supplementing the scenes, adding suspense with the black and white images, some split into five or six scenes similar to graphic novel illustrations. There is a lot of emotion in each image, telling the story in wonderful detail.
-Kid Lit Reviews
The character of Bernard was inspiring. I think many boys would be able to relate to him. Not only did he love basketball but he loved his father. He showed strength and courage throughout the story. Though Bernard was upset with his father, he was still able to get past his anger and show how much he cared for him by trying to make his father's plans a reality. This kind of character is someone many boys should get to read.
-Vonnie's Reading Corner
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