Snowboard Showdown

This Matt Christopher chapter book explores the intense sibling rivalry between Freddie and his older brother Dondi, focusing on their competitive snowboarding. When Dondi challenges Freddie to a dangerous run down "Devil's Ravine," Freddie must confront his fear and decide if winning is worth the potential injury. The story offers a compelling look at peer pressure, risk assessment, and the importance of making responsible choices, even when faced with the desire to impress or outshine a sibling. It's suitable for early to late elementary readers who enjoy sports action and stories about family dynamics.

Freddie and his brother Dondi have always been competitive. Dondi has a job, money to spend, and girls chasing after him, and now he can even drive! But Freddie knows that he has something his brother does not: better snowboarding moves, more daring runs, and overall more advanced techniques. When Dondi challenges his brother to a run clown the very dangerous Devil's Ravine, Freddie knows his brother has raised the stakes of their competition too high. Yet he is left with a problem: does he accept Dondi's challenge and potentially hurt himself, or does he back away? If Freddie is leery of Devil's Ravine, then how will Dondi fare on the slopes? The run is very risky, and Freddie must now decide if this brotherly competition, and opportunity to outshine his brother, is really worth it.