Basketball Books

This is the best in-depth instruction geared toward youth basketball that I have read. It gives parents and coaches step by step instructions for teaching the fundamentals of basketball to young players.

Slam takes place in Harlem, New York. It is about a guy named Slam Harris. Slam loves to play basketball and loves the girls, but academics are not his thing, so, he tries his hardest to keep his grades up to stay on the team.


The climax is when his coach asks Slam to take a season off of basketball. My favorite part of the book, however is when his dad coaches the team, and when he masters his double crossover.


Even the cover of the book is interesting. It tells about the book and that he loves to play basketball. It also shows what he looks like so you can imagine it while you read the book.


I loved this book so much. It is one of the best books I have ever read. This book should be for people 12 and up because of the language, sexual content, drugs, and some mild violence. I would read it hands down any day over any other book.


By: Matt Swilley

I'll make it short and sweet if you love basketball you'll love this book Myers biggest hit

A very realistic coming of age year in a young basketballer's life. One of the most compelling plot tangents was the teenage angst and confusion that the central character experiences at home, at school, over his career path and with his friends and social life. Myers has again written a wonderful read for the young, and for those who wonder what is inside a teen's head today.

Greg is a great basketball player. He is tall and confident on the court and he has a wicked slam dunk. His nickname on his high school team was Slam, and he was a popular guy at school. Then he was asked to attend a magnet school for the arts. His new school is largely white; he is one of the few black students. The classes are much more difficult than the classes at his old school, and the basketball team isn't all that good.

Slam is willing to give the school a chance, but it seems like he is constantly getting lectured about his grades or his attitude. It seems that some of his teachers are out to get him, and he can't bring himself to ask for help in math, the subject he is having the most problem understanding.

Things should be okay on the basketball court, but the coach gets it into his mind that Slam has a chip on his shoulder. He gets even angrier when he challenges Slam to a one-on-one game and Slam wins. Slam makes the team but the coach doesn't start him and only puts him in when the team gets behind and he needs Slam to take back the lead.

It seems that everything is unfair--his classes, his basketball team, and then the fact that Slam's old best friend, Ice, is acting suspicious and Slam thinks he might be dealing drugs. Everything is getting more complex, and Slam feels control of his life slipping away.

I really liked Slam's descriptions of his neighborhood. He describes it from the point of view of one who lives there, and makes the inner city seem less scary. I liked the relationship between Slam and Ice and the fact that going to different schools didn't change them much. I also liked the assistant basketball coach and the way he was so kind to Slam, sort of balancing out the main coach.

Even though things weren't going well for Slam, I felt like he spent too much time blaming others, especially his teachers. It seemed like he thought everyone was out to get him, which I don't think was entirely true.

Slam is a book written by Walter Dean Myers. It a book about this boy named Slam which is a ball and street name what they call him. Slam is a young black boy who in high school playing ball. They say Slam is one of their best players on his high school team. Slam has a best friend named Ice who is the total opposite of Slam! But no matter what they are still going to be the best friends even with the hard times they went through. Why do I think it is important to me,. because it show that as u get older things change, and u start doing mature things. I read this book because some of the thing that I am going through right now even with my teammates or very close friends.

If you have reluctant middle school readers, this is the book for you! Just read the first paragraph to them and shut the book. They will scramble to read the rest. Sharon M. Draper is a remarkable writer who puts the reader right in the middle of the story. You can never go wrong with one of her novels!

I have read this book out loud so many times, I have whole passages of it memorized. I am a middle school English teacher in an urban school, and in common with at least one other reviewer of this book, I know that this book has the power to turn kids on to reading. My most reluctant readers and squirmiest students sit in rapt attention at this book and often seek out more of Draper's books on their own. Even if they don't find any more of her books (my resources are limited!) it often makes kids realize that books can have themes that interest them and plots that rival films for pace and drama.
That being said, I am starting to get a guilty conscience about taking the easy route, and turning them on to reading with such a tawdry, superficial, and badly written book. Good and evil are caricatures in this book; the young protagonists are psychologically unrealistic (too mature); the author seems to throw in every issue that ever made it to a daytime talk show (drug use, racism, the foster care system, sexual abuse, teenage drinking, death, suicide); and there are passages in which the sexual abuse is being described that make me very uncomfortable. They are not so much explicit as mildly eroticized, presumably to draw more interest and invite readers to speculate on details (which, believe me, my students do.) In one scene, the abusive step father is alone with the seven-year old daughter who is recovering from chicken pox. He orders her to take off her shirt. As I recall the passage basically goes (sad that I have it memorized!) "she tensed at the touch of his rough fingers as he searched for spots and found every last one." It is possible for a young adult novel to confront sexual abuse without strange, semi-explicit lines like the above and others in the book. I now find myself censoring as I read out loud. If the book had more literary merit, perhaps such details would not grate on me so.

Forged by Fire is about a young boy named Gerald. Gerald lives with his mother who is addicted to drugs. Gerald was left home alone one day. As a toddler, not knowing that what he was doing was wrong, Gerald set the house on fire. Luckily he survived and his mother was put in jail. Meanwhile Gerald was sent to live with his Aunt Queen. Life with Aunt Queen was better. After a few years he reunites with his mother. Later Aunt Queen dies. Well the end has some turns and I will let you find out what happens in the end. I really liked this book. It was so real and tells how people's lives are with drugs. It's a life learning story. I recommend this book to people who like mysteries, life threatening, and realistic stories.

Forged by Fire By Sharon M. Draper is about a boy named Gerald. His mother is a drug addict and would leave him home alone. He finally gets away from the abuse. He gets to live with his loving aunt until she dies. Gerald has to go live with his mom and his new stepdad. Jordan his new stepdad is very angry and abusive but know one knows that Jordan is doing sexual things to Angel. Gerald finds out and cant take it anymore.
This book is a very excellent book. I like it because it has drama and at the same time is sad.
I would recommend this book to all teenagers because all teens like drama.

Hard to put down! Even if you don't like to read, it's an interesting story.

"Waiting for the World to End" by Nicole Hunter was a joy to read; one of those books that you can't put down once you've started it. I've never been to Ohio, but I felt like I was visiting as the story of teacher/basketball coach Tom Olsen, who is haunted by his past, unfolds. It reiterates that no matter how ideal a person's life may seem, they may be suffering from secrets they harbor. Several real-life issues bubble up that make the reader think while reading the novel, and long after the last page has been read. I think it's a home-run for a first-time novelist, and I look forward to reading more books from the talented Nicole Hunter.

As the Executive Director of the Mom's Choice Awards, many fine works of literature pass through my office on a daily basis. But, because I'm an administrator, and not a member of the jury, I rarely have an opportunity to read the books that are submitted for consideration.

I recently took a rare day-of-rejuvenation, and grabbed Waiting For The World To End from my "been meaning-to-read" pile and headed out to my deck to enjoy a perfect early-summer morning. Although I did struggle a bit with guilt-anxiety for taking the day off, by the second chapter I was completely committed to the book, and didn't think about work for the rest of the day. I finished Waiting in one seating. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read with a complex storyline and rich character development. I just kept thinking, "why isn't Nicole Hunter on the New York Times best-seller list?" Ms. Hunter is an extremely gifted writer.

When reading this book, I was reminded of when I first discovered John Grisham in 1989 with his debut novel, A Time To Kill. I couldn't understand why he wasn't better known. At the time, he was selling his debut novel out of the trunk of his car. Imagine it. Two years later, the world discovered The Firm and the rest is, of course, literary history.

Those who discover Nicole Hunter and Waiting For The World To End will have uncovered a great secret treasure for themselves. A perfect book for the classroom and reading groups, Waiting For The World To End will provoke readers of all ages to consider and clarify personal beliefs, and encourage them to keep their minds and hearts open to people who have made other choices or hold different opinions.

As I read the last page and closed the book cover, I felt a great sense of pride that our program honors such strong and important work.

Dawn Matheson
Executive Director
Mom's Choice Awards

Footnote: Nicole Hunter and Waiting For The World To End earned the prestigious gold medallion for adult fiction in the 2007 Mom's Choice Awards.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Florrie Binford-Kichler, Founder of Patria Press, Inc.- an award-winning independent publisher and Member of The Children's Book Council; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

The prose is fluid and beautiful. The characters are like people you may know. These are life stories, told across time and place, successfully drawing you in to consider various perspectives and possibilities. Like a prism, the book reveals many colors; no situation is black and white.

This is adult and young-adult fiction at its best. Finally, a book that invites discussion across the generations on real-life topics including moral dilemmas. The "open" ending is a reflection of the overarching theme: people write their own life stories.

I loved every second I got to spend with Tom and Mary, the main characters in Waiting for the World to End. Maybe it was because I could relate to both of them so much, maybe it was simply due to the writing. (It certainly didn't hurt that both Mary Oliver's poetry and Margaret Atwood's fiction showed up in the book.)

This book is for those of us with regrets, for those of us who understand the sadness of living with our own choices and the lonliness of not being connected to anything of real personal value, and for those of us who feel as though we've missed out on the important things in life.

The author wrote this book in a way that was easy to understand. She included intense details about what was going on in the characters' personal life. From the first page, I just couldn't put it down. Those couple of pages kept me hooked. It made me want to know what was going to happen next.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who would want to know what the "inside" life would be like whenever it is that you enter the "real world". This book shows how a female was in 3 different relationships, and in the end it effected her life dramatically. It showed great examples on what hardships you would come across when you get older, and are choosing to deal with the opposite sex(mate). On a scale from 1-5 with 5 being the highest, I would most definitely give this book 5 stars*****. You would really be astonished at what things are really happening in this book!

This book is a slam dunk, for sure. I really enjoyed Threesome, I thought this book was a great read. It, had me right from the start, definitely a page turner. A must read. A quick read. A story well weaved.

First of all I read Brenda L Thomas book "The Velvet Rope" which was a page turner for sure, but when she spoke on Sasha a brief moment in that book I knew I had to meet her. I keep telling myself thoughout this book that this character is 38 yrs old which really threw me off. She had it going on. Her relationships with these men were totally sexual.To think that she didn't have a mother, sounded more like she didn't have a father. Each man wanted her sex and she loved it. Phoenix would be any personnel assistant dream boss. What single women wouldn't fall for him. I knew her and Cole would not last after his wife's suicide. And Trent, well he had his own issues with baby-mamma drama. I personally thought she should have stayed with Phoenix and rode the wave.

Let's be honest. How many women out here have slept with someone else's man and knew this man was either married or seeing somebody? When do you say enough is enough.

Sasha is not your average woman. She doesn't mean to do it, it just happens. How you could resist a sexy multimillionar basketball player with the name of Phoenix Carter? Making more money that you have ever made. Plus his beautiful fiance and two little children don't know.

Easily, the first man you slept with had wife and committed suicide right in your bedroom. Stop. This is not the lifestyle to go.

Brenda Thomas gives us something to look at with this book. How easy it is for a man/woman to cheat on his/her significant other. You see how I said his/her. Women we cheat too. Brenda doesn't get that far into it, the book is an easy read but she gives just enough to think about if our man is cheating.

This is the first book I've read by Brenda L Thomas and I thought it was OK, but I think Eric Jerome Dickey or Zane or Terry McMillan are better writers. This isn't a deep book, but it does have a good story line that I really enjoyed. It is an easy read - two chapters near the beginning are only half a page long. She has a good writing style, but no depth and that's what I thought was lacking.
The story is about Sasha and how she finds herself in several different relationships all with different consequences. Her first partner that we read about, is married and his wife commits suicide in Sashas bedroom. She then finds herself with her boss; a up and coming basketball player with more money than he knows what to do with. Then there is Trent. While she knows he's 'with' someone else (and that someone is carrying his baby) that only makes her want him more. Something about this book draws you in, so I give it four stars for the plot, but it lacks a star because it's not a powerful and intense book like the kinds I like to read.

Could have been interesting, but this book was so foul (language) I had difficulty staying with it. It has remained, unfinished, on my bookshelf.

I knew of Jim Carroll, read some of his poetry and such. And then I saw the movie--and let me tell you, you have to see that one. So I finally got around to picking up the book. Carroll is unflinchingly honest (though I do suspect he took many liberties with the story) and the story is brutal. This book does not glamorize drug abuse, as it shouldn't. This is a book I'll be coming back to over and over.

This odd mix of biography and novel takes some terrible situations and turns them into a quest for purity. You won't be able to put it down.

fun story, sure it's dark but you know what you're getting when you pick it up. I like that this book despite being a novel shows how heroin use doesn't cause health problems other than its addiction. too bad he became a thug on it, which also doesn't need to go hand in hand with drug use despite popular misconception. loved the movie, the book is about as good. can relate to more of this book than probably anyone on amazon (nyc, prep school, former precocious poet & dope user, successful shooting guard, thriving today). not saying that to brag but to say it holds up enjoyably as hell well as an odd mix of biography and novel.

This is the best book that I have ever read. It is so well written that it takes your breathe away. In this book he transforms horrible awful situations into a quest for purity. I didn't want this book to end.

This book tells about Micjaels jordans life all the way from his college life in north Carolina to the nab playing on the Bulls. He led them to 6 nab championships. Then he went on to win the gold in the summer olympics. He is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the book For The Love Of The Game. One thing that I learned about this book is that you should never give up and always keep on trying. Even if you are not good at something at first then you should not give up and keep on trying untill you get good at the thing. And that you should not just stick with one thing but, try other things. You might be good at it. And that things just do not come to you, you have to work at it. That is what I learned about the book.

The book is full of great photos. I especially liked the one of Jordan and Dr. J! It also has great statistics from Michael Jordan's career. The layout is very different. I did not like it all that much. I was also a little disappointed that we did not really get to see more of the real Jordan. For a brief moment, we saw his humanity when he wrote about his father. Briefly, he mentioned his family. But mostly, he wrote about himself on the court. I guess I was hoping for more humility from this superstar. I believe he has it in him but the book doesn't show it. He certainly has much to brag about, but I thought he always let his bragging be seen through his play on the court.

For The Love of the Game by Michael Jordan is the best book about Michael Jordan ever. This book is so cool. The pictures are great of Michael Jordan. I have read this book four times already and I also have the paperback and the hardback. This book means so much to me because I am going through what he went through when he was in high school. He got cut from his basketball team too, and he gives me ways in the book to put that behind me and keep me going on with my life.

The book I read was for the love of the game. It's about Michael Jordan and his life. I'd give it four stars because it explores through his basketball statistics to personal information. He talks about how he was drafted and how he almost didn't chose nike. It talks about all the inside information. It is one of the best autobiography's I've ever read. If you like basketball or a sport, you will reall like it. I learned a lot of stuff I'd probabaly would have never known. Some of the things I didn't know was that he played baseball. He also was number 45 in basketball for a year. His first Air Jordan was band from the league. I would recommend this book for people who like sports and biography's.

It only took me one day to read Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. When this happens, it's because the book is so good and engrossing I don't want to put it down. This book is heartbreaking and joyful and hopeful! It's the story of Junior, a Spokane Indian, that transfers from his reservation high school to an all-white high school in a nearby town. He receives grief from both sides but ends up finding the hope he has always wanted and needed. Junior goes through a lot of life-changing events during his first year at the new school. By the end of the story, he has come full circle. He's able to embrace both his past and his present while looking towards the future. It's an amazing ride! It's a bittersweet look at the life of a boy stuck between doing what he wants and doing what is expected. I highly recommend this book for all ages, young and old!

Sherman Alexie is the best as witting things that are heartbreakingly-funny-and-true, or maybe its funny because it is true. Its a wonderful young adult book that I'm sure in on its way to being banned in maybe high school libraries for being too graphic and probably too true. I think a lot of young adults will relate to the story and if they don't directly maybe they'll spend some time thinking how everyone is doing the best they can with what they have. This s a particularly good story for anyone dealing with or who has dealt with an alcoholic family or parent.

Sherman Alexie's first young adult book will seem very familiar to many young and especially older readers. Those of us who are familiar with J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Stephen King's "The Body" (made into the film Stand By Me), and also Sherman Alexie's own The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, will hear voices from all of those works converge in the protagonist of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Arnold Spirit. Arnold Spirit is a contemporary and Native American poltergeist of Holden Caulfield, and the overall tone and worldview of this book is quite different from The Catcher in the Rye.

Stylistically, the book has a hackneyed feel. It really does seem like something Salinger may have written. The main difference is that, in the end, The Catcher in the Rye is not hopeful. Salinger writes a dark comedy/satire and leaves the reader with a darker sense of humor and a sharper sense of cynicism. Alexie is far more interested in making tragedy a part of life. Another reviewer here found the amount of dead bodies surrounding one Indian boy's life to be unrealistic and unbelievable. I wish that were true. I wish Native American communities weren't decimated by alcoholism and poverty, but it's simply and completely true.

But wait, this isn't a completely sad book; it's actually filled with hope. It dares the reader to consider a boy's coming of age from a non-white perspective. It makes the reader ponder how men are built in the United States: What does it mean to become a man for a Native American boy, for a black boy, for an Asian boy, for a Latino boy? I admit that I don't know those stories, but now perhaps I am beginning to understand at least one of them - what it might be like for a Native American boy growing up in crushing poverty, tucked away on a reservation.

Often, this kind of writing is called "multicultural," but I find that moniker to be somewhat dismissive and arrogant. This is an American story, written for and about the current generation of iPod-wielding American teenagers. I understand that the thematic similarity to past writers might irk some readers, but The Catcher in the Rye is due to be updated. Bars are becoming smokeless, teenagers rarely wear hats and ties on weekdays, and when is the last time you saw a real, live working pay phone? The props and settings of The Catcher in the Rye are outdated and almost alien.

Alexie updates the props of the coming-of-age story, so that his readers don't become uncomfortable and disoriented. But Alexie also changes the focus of the coming-of-age story. Boys don't have to grow up to be their fathers. Freudian pressures don't affect everyone necessarily. Sometimes, a boy will strike out on his own, and even though it's dangerous and bad things will happen to him, there will also be funny and joyful things.

The ordeal of contemporary teen life fits well with Alexie's voice and writing style. The writing has edge and whimsy, playfulness and moments of sustained clarity. While I still think The Catcher in the Rye is readable today, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a good alternative to a recurring narrative.

This book is well written, with interesting believable characters. If a child wonders what it would be like to be "different" in a community, this book would give him a good introduction. The protagonist in this book is confronting insecurities in himself and in his Navtive American community. For young people who wonder what it is like to live with differences, this book would be a good introduction. The author has a good grasp of what it is like to be different. I would recommend this book.

I was looking for a good book for my almost 13 yr old who is an avid reader and reads on an extremely high level. Unfortunately, most of the books on his reading level are not on his maturity level. In reading the reviews of this book, I thought I had found a good one for him. Not so much. The book includes much rougher language than expected. There are also some very crude joking situations. In flipping through the book, there was something inappropriate on almost every page I came to. I wished I had read more excerpts before ordering.

This series made me fall in love with fantasy. It offered me a few hours away from life. A relaxing read with plenty of entertainment - excellent choice if you're not in the mood to dig through complex wording and lengthy plot development. Well written without unnecessary complications.

I can't believe there's no continuation. The Chester novel that's received the highest rating... what a shame.

a book comes along that really inspires you... to vomit. Of the many books of sci-fi schlock I've poured through in my lifetime, this one is one of the worst. The characters are rarely interesting and the plot seems thin and in the end of this book, rushed. It seems by the 170th page of boring melodrama the author was in such a hurry to cut it short to fufill "trilogy" requirements she railroaded the characters into confusing and counter-intuitive behavior. I re-read the last part of the book to make sure I wasn't missing anything, and I wasn't. I haven't bothered to read the next two books in the saga. Usually, a first installment of a saga is supposed to grip you, not repulse you. And this did such a wonderful job of repulsing me I refused to even continue with the series. Instead, I reread "Dune" and found my faith in sci-fi writing restored.

Originally, I read part 2 of this series first. When I first read this book I had to re-read part 2 again. I say in it self that each book can stand alone, that's what part two did for me. This is the humble but aristocratic orgins of who we call the golden one. Ampris born a slave, stolen from her mother & brought up in the ways of the privilige Viis. The King of the Viis or the Kaa, his daughter wanted Ampris as her pet. As Ampris grows up she come across with conflicts with her own identity and her place in society. As the book continues she feels she is just more than a pet & more of a slave. Later, she crosses path with another character of the book Elrabin is also shown as a seperate story. Eventually, when they end up meeting in the end which somehow, in part two, thier friendship is very crucial & neccessary to the series.

I've read the other reviews of how people got confuse with the Lucasfilm logo thinking its a Star Wars book. I always saw the logo and never got any confusion thinking it has something to do with Star Wars. Lucasfilms has done alot more than just Star Wars and this series prove it can go outside the Star Wars Universe. This series is very entertaining and originally in my book. I find it rare that some books like all the books in this series get any type of attention which I believe it should. This is an excellent read. Also, it's excellent find if anyone come across with any of the books in this awesome triology. Deborah Chester is an awesome writer and I'm looking foward to read more books by her.

This book could turn some off by the chincy cover and meoldramatic clichéd back. However, the book is nothing of the sorts. It's a great read, and you'll be able to gobble it up quickly.

Regardles of the LucasFilm's brand, it has nothing to do with Star Wars, and the only resemblence is that it's Science Fantasy. The characters are incredibly well-drawn, and if you react to the book the same way I will, you'll want to keep reading.

The plot moves quickly, and is really two plots, because it follows the lives of two characters who don't meet until the end of the book. One, Elrabin, is a poor, homeless street thief who runs away from home at the age of seven, and Ampris, a member of a race deemed subhuman by the Viis Empire (the badasses of the book) who is bought out of poverty and into royalty to be the pet of the Emperor's daughter. So, a nice ying and yang scenario is set up.

This book is really a medophor I think for the stupidity of biggotry and class distinction in society, but it's still a fun, light read. Buy this book knowing that it's not an importan piece of Science Fiction literature, but knowing you'll have a good time.

I am an avid fan of fantasy and sci-fi, and when I noticed this book on the shelf at the local book store, I was interested enough to buy it. The first book in the trilogy, "The Golden One", doesn't really let one know how bad the writing is going to get. I give it one star simply because it isn't particularly well-written, and the storyline is transparently bland. It is obviously intended to hook the customer into buying the whole trilogy, which only goes downhill from the beginning. The really sad thing is that there was a lot of potential to make this interesting, but the characters, instead of developing, become more and more one-dimensional as the story progresses. The conversations and thought-processes of the characters could have been written by a fourth-grade B student. By the end of the third book, I was so disgusted and impatient to simply be done with it, that I had to force myself to read it through to the end instead of tossing it into a garbage can. I won't give away any parts of the story, just in case someonee is foolish enough to buy this stinker, but be forewarned: the author becomes so pedantic towards the end that there can be absolutely no doubt, at all, not even the tiniest, smallest, most miniscule bit of doubt, that the lead character, Ampris, is a "tragically noble heroine who just wants to believe the best in others no matter how many times they disappoint her". Or that everyone else in the books, with the exception of her best friend, is a despicable, self-centered, back-stabbing excuse for a (sorry, can't use the word "human", so insert your own noun, here).

This series, in conclusion, is an utterly pathetic attempt at writing, that starts out mediocre and eventually becomes simply abominable. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON IT!

I first bought this book at a book fair when i was in the sixth grade. I am now 21 and still read this book at least once a year. Though I have matured and moved onto to other more advanced readings, I still find David Klass' Danger Zone as my favorite book. As well as having great details enabling you to really envision the basketball games, he gives a great view of life and the great differences in cultures and races both near and far. I greatly recommend this book to any reader no matter what the age. FIVE STARS

Danger Zone, by David Klass, is a story about seventeen year old, basketball star, Jimmy Doyle, who lives in Minnesota. He saves the day by making his spectacular and wild three point shots. One day two coaches from the USA Olympic basketball team invites Jimmy to play for the team in Italy. At first he turned down the offer, but later he accepted it.

When they got to Italy, fans started being racist and hating the "Dream Team USA" because of the color of their skin. The trouble then started when a German who claimed to be a "Nazi", posted a death threat on the local Roman newspaper. Now the team must watch their every step and move or else they will get killed.

Told from Jimmy Doyle's point of view, this story will be an action packed and fast paced adventure for readers of all ages.

A white basketball player Jimmy Doyle from Granham , Minnesota is the best player in the area. He is so good that he gets invited to play on the American Dream Team that gets to play in Europe against other countries. Once he is on the team he soon realizes that the team is mostly black and some of his black teammates don't like that Jimmy is on the team. But the biggest problem for the team is the racism and prejudice that they face from the people in Europe. The people are saying hateful things to the black players and the players face bigotry throughout the whole time. And Jimmy who thought that the Dream Team would be all about playing basketball but soon realizes that it is actually about the hatred of his black teammates. So now Jimmy and his teammates have to find a way to get through this together.
I really liked this book a lot. It talks about a lot of important issues that people go through and people like me and you need to read about. I haven't really seen a lot of books that talk about these kinds of things and I like the fact that this book took it there. The only thing that I didn't like about this book is that in some of the prejudice parts they went a little overboard in some parts. But actually it might of not of been overboard to some people but it really depends on how you look at it. To find out if this book was overboard of just right you need to read this book.

Do you know what it is like to be in the zone? Jimmy Doyle is a small-town hero in Granham, Minnesota, but he wonders if he can play at the top. When he is invited to play in an international tournament in Italy, he must choose to stay at home and help in the family store, or to go and play in the chance of a lifetime. Jimmy feels that he must stay at home and help his family, but he ends up going anyway with his family's support. He flies out to Los Angeles and meets the other nine teammates for the first time. Some arguments between Jimmy and his teammates occur before they fly out to Italy. The team dominates the competition until a death threat from psychotic terrorists force the team into hiding. David Klass's novel Danger Zone, published in 1996, tries to tell the reader about bad race relations and judging without basis can be a bad thing for all people.
In Danger Zone, there is a great deal of assumption others done by the American team. Augustus LeMay, a monstrous all around basketball star, believes that Jimmy only got onto the team because he is a white boy. Augustus says "I just don't have patience for having to put a rich, white boy, who couldn't last five minutes in our city, on our team." Also, Jimmy assumes that L.A. is a nice place because of the places that he was taken to, not being shown the slums and the poor portions of L.A. Augustus shows Jimmy the slums that he comes from to show how hard that he had it. Then, the team flies to Rome and they also assume that Rome is a nice place. Then they receive a death threat and realize that Rome isn't as nice a place outside of what they had seen. Later in the book Augustus realizes that Jimmy is an okay guy and starts to be less hostile towards him but the two still don't get along well.
Another theme in Danger Zone is how race can get in the way of a team. Augustus and Jimmy don't get along at first. This is because Jimmy is white. Augustus thinks that Jimmy can never be as good as his cousin, Devonne Saunders, because he's white. Then, Ray, the team joker, gives Jimmy the nickname snowman. Jimmy assumes means that he is cold like a snowman because he's from Minnesota, but the other teammates realize that it is because he is white. Augustus and the team finally realize that Jimmy is an okay guy and a good player.
Danger Zone does a superb job at telling the reader about race relations and judging done by most people. The author hid this message, and yet he still did extremely well in getting his points across. He accomplished his ideas and still made such a good story that makes the reader want more and more. I personally was devastated when I lost my copy of the book. I had to read it so much that I borrowed the book from my Classmates and teachers. Most people can read this book and get something out of it, I know that I did. Overall I would have to give this book a 9 out of 10.

Jimmy is a star in his hometown, but can he play with All Stars in the U.S? Jimmy is from Minnesota where he is the star in small town Granham. He can play Basketball, but can he compete with international teams as he joins the U.S. Teen Dream Team? They first travel to Los Angeles to practice with the team before the tournament. The top ten teen players in the country make the team and Jimmy is one of the two white players. Does his color make him look bad in the first practices? "Danger Zone" published in 1996 by David Klass shows Augustus' (black player on Jimmy's team) life in L.A. is very different from Jimmy's small town life. After Jimmy puts that and other conflicts behind him the U.S. Teen Dream Team flies to Italy for the tournament. There are more conflicts and a death threat is sent to them. Racism and loyalty take over the tournament.

Racism collides with teammates and others, as they meet for the first time in L.A. and Italy. In the first practices, Jimmy cannot make a shot to save his life. Augustus thinks his cousin should have made the team instead of some no name. His thoughts turn into fists as he says to Jimmy, "You only made the team, because you're some rich white boy." Then it becomes Jimmy vs. Augustus in a fist fight. As the U.S. team flies to Italy some of the fans don't like Jimmy's teammates or the color of their skin. The dark skinned people in Italy are treated differently, as Augustus sees black people poor and living on the streets and he discusses this issue in a press conference. Fans from other teams think he and his black teammates should not be in this tournament.

Are you loyal to your team and teammates though the whole tournament? Some players on Jimmy's team are loyal to their team in hard times, but one is loyal to them all the time. Augustus is that one. He toughened up and put the death threat behind him when others worried about what was going to happen during the tournament. Augustus was accustomed to being treated differently because of his childhood in L.A. and kept the team alive in the tournament. He is concerned about his teammates and when Jimmy is having a rough time sleeping, Augustus tells him "You're not helping us win and you look like death warmed over." Augustus is thinking about the team as a whole and for Jimmy's welfare.

"Danger Zone" by David Klass is successful at showing anyone can overcome different types of obstacles when they have a goal. This book shows not to judge a book by its cover and "Danger Zone" shows racism plays a part even in a basketball game. This book has thrilling hoop action and is excellent to read. I would recommend this book to anyone, because it's story on how a teen copes with racism in a team environment. You won't want to put this book down; you'll just keep turning the pages. I give this book nine out of ten stars.