Score for Imagination Book Review

Score for Imagination (Lola Jones Book 2)
Written by Jonathan Eig
Illustrated by Alicia Teba Godoy
Published October, 2020

Review
T has read his first full chapter! He just needed help with some of the names, like "Antoinette." He is super excited and super proud, as am I. A year ago, I didn't think much about early chapter books. Now, they are indispensable. I've said it before, but I'll reiterate: I credit FaceTime reading with grandparents throughout the pandemic with his burgeoning reading enthusiasm. I credit "Chips and Chapters*" with the explosion of his reading fluency.

Score for Imagination addresses a common problem: boys vs. girls. The boys at school refuse to play soccer with the girls, despite the teachers' requirement that they do. The sly boys find ways to exclude the girls without appearing to do so. Lola is not to be thwarted, and seeks various though unsuccessful ways to integrate herself into the game. Much to Lola's exasperation, her grandfather invites a neighbor boy and his grandfather to join them for dinner. Lola and the boy team up to to bring the boys and girls together into cohesive soccer teams executing real plays instead of individuals competing in a version of bunch ball. I won't spoil the how, but I will say that it's clever, a bit manipulative, and very gratifying to see.

Readers will identify with the the issues Lola faces and appreciate the authenticity. Lola's a fleshed-out character with a hinted-at backstory that implies the complexity of real life. While the focus is on the recess rivalry, there is more to the Score for Imagination than just the soccer conflict – the undercurrent hosts themes of friendship, family expectations, and cooperation. Between the relatable content, the fun illustrations, the size of font, and the complexity of language, Score for Imagination is a winner!

*Chips and Chapters is a special time after school where T and I share a bowl (or three) of chips and a chapter book. He reads the first pages of the chapter while I eat, then we trade off until the last page in the chapter, which he reads. He's been increasing the number of pages he reads in each chapter. Score for Imagination is the first time he read a whole chapter! 

Extra:

Book 1: Some Pigtails

Note: A review copy was provided by Albert Whitman & Co. upon request, for the purpose of this honest review.