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hickeypicks's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic character development! It is about basketball but the 7th grader's home lives are the real story. I highly recommend it for fans of Jason Reynold's Track series.
jetaway's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was so refreshing to have a female character who was also a talented athlete. I appreciated that this novel explored the double standard for sports. I would have given it five starts but the ending was a little too perfectly happy, which is nice for a young adult novel but also a little annoying.
amandell's review against another edition
5.0
What a great book! I really enjoyed this story. Well written, basketball, family focused, and very motivational. I like how the story left some problems open at the end, making it more realistic.
samk530's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
I don't know why but I cried through several scenes in this book... a good cry. I honestly didn't expect much. I often don't have high hopes for fiction books by celebrity authors but I enjoyed these characters, found the story to be compelling, and connected with it in a way that I didn't anticipate. It wasn't perfect but it was definitely an enjoyable ride.
Bonus: it was full of references to the Lorain/Avon area of northeast Ohio.
I don't know why but I cried through several scenes in this book... a good cry. I honestly didn't expect much. I often don't have high hopes for fiction books by celebrity authors but I enjoyed these characters, found the story to be compelling, and connected with it in a way that I didn't anticipate. It wasn't perfect but it was definitely an enjoyable ride.
Bonus: it was full of references to the Lorain/Avon area of northeast Ohio.
bibliobrandie's review against another edition
3.0
Cute inspirational sports story, which sadly isn't my jam. I think younger kids will like it. I got lost on some of the long basketball passages.
hywar's review against another edition
2.0
I think I would have liked this book more and felt more comfortable recommending it to students if it had slightly fewer religious undertones.
tselliot12's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kalypsowolf's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
3.0
I just want to note that I know nothing about basketball. Honestly, I don't like sports pretty much at all. I read this because I won it in a giveaway. My lack of knowledge of basketball will not be informing this review.
The back of this book says it's for ages 8-12. Personally, I think at ages 11 and 12, I would have found this book a bit on the childish side for me. It has a lot of telling you what's going on and what people are thinking and feeling and not a lot of showing. Everything is very plainly laid out and you don't have to put in very much thought. In that way, I think it's great for young readers just getting into novels, but I don't know if that lack of depth would appeal to the older side of the age range.
The characters all kind of blend together personality wise. They all have very different stuff going on in their lives but the characters themselves didn't feel very distinct from one another aside from backstory and home life stuff.
I did like that the salary difference between male and female pro athletes was brought up. Women athletes make so much less money than their male counterparts and it really sucks.
I would definitely recommend this for young kids who like sports. Or if you just like sports. Honestly, I'm 24 and don't like sports, but I still found it pretty enjoyable to read.
The back of this book says it's for ages 8-12. Personally, I think at ages 11 and 12, I would have found this book a bit on the childish side for me. It has a lot of telling you what's going on and what people are thinking and feeling and not a lot of showing. Everything is very plainly laid out and you don't have to put in very much thought. In that way, I think it's great for young readers just getting into novels, but I don't know if that lack of depth would appeal to the older side of the age range.
The characters all kind of blend together personality wise. They all have very different stuff going on in their lives but the characters themselves didn't feel very distinct from one another aside from backstory and home life stuff.
I did like that the salary difference between male and female pro athletes was brought up. Women athletes make so much less money than their male counterparts and it really sucks.
I would definitely recommend this for young kids who like sports. Or if you just like sports. Honestly, I'm 24 and don't like sports, but I still found it pretty enjoyable to read.
smorrison4's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
I could totally see this book becoming a series as we follow Jayden through the rest of his high school years and we find out if he makes it into the NBA. This was a great story and I even teared up a little at the end.