Athlete vs. Mathlete by Canadian author W.C. Mack (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2013) follows two twin brothers through their journeys of self-discovery, rivalry, and what it means to be a team. The book won the 2016 Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Book Award and was a finalist for the New Jersey Garden State Children’s Book Award (2016), the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (2016), and the Texas Library Association Bluebonnet Award (2014-2015). Mack has written several books for young readers, which often reflect her passion for sports. The novel explores The Effects of Peer Pressure, discusses how Mindset Matters, and reinforces that It’s Okay To Be Who You Are.

This guide follows the 2013 Bloomsbury Children’s Books first paperback edition of Athlete vs. Mathlete.

Plot Summary

Athlete vs. Mathlete follows fraternal twins Owen and Russell Evans along their parallel paths toward acceptance of themselves, each other, and the teamwork they are capable of together. Owen has always been the athlete of his family, excelling at basketball, while Russell is the mathlete, particularly involved with the Masters of the Mind club at school.

At the novel’s outset, Owen is frustrated that the new basketball coach is requiring everyone to tryout—even the players who were on the team the year before—and Russell’s team worries about the upcoming Masters of the Mind meet, as well as how they are down one team member. When the basketball coach sees how tall Russell is, he orders Russell to try out for the team. Russell agrees reluctantly because he has no athletic skill and doesn’t want to play or be associated with his stereotypical view of athletes. Owen also doesn’t want Russell to try out, because the idea of Russell usurping his athlete status threatens him, but he comforts himself with the idea that Russell will never make the team.

To keep Russell from embarrassing himself (and Owen) too much at tryouts, Owen and their dad help Russell prepare. The first step involves outfitting Russell with the proper gear to play. At the store, Russell sees a pair of Nike shoes, and he is amazed to find that those shoes make him want to give tryouts all his effort. With stress growing in the Masters of the Mind club, Russell turns to daydreams of basketball as an escape, even though he’s convinced he has no chance at making the team.

At tryouts, Owen and Russell are shocked when Russell turns out to be good at the game. Both boys make the team, which elates Russell and leaves Owen feeling frustrated. Owen feels his worst fears have come true, and the next several weeks are a mess of emotions as Owen fails to cope with Russell getting attention from the coach and other players. After Russell leads the team to victory in a close game, Owen throws the Nikes in a dumpster, both because he wants to get rid of the shoes and because he’s angry that Russell is stealing all the glory.

When Russell learns what Owen did, the boys argue and stop speaking to one another. After a lecture about teamwork from his dad, Owen realizes he’s been a terrible teammate and brother. He retrieves the shoes from the dumpster and works to regain Russell’s trust. When the basketball team badly loses a game without Russell, Owen realizes how much teamwork matters and how much their team needs Russell for his unique skills. Owen apologizes about the shoes and tells Russell he wants to be true teammates, which finally gets Russell to forgive him. In the book’s final chapters, Russell’s Masters of the Mind team advances to the next phase of the competition and the basketball team wins a game thanks to teamwork from Owen and Russell.