Carl Deuker

Do you like sports? Because I have just the book for you. It's about an intense rivalry between two kids who become friends to try and win their championship game.

The main conflict of the story is when Trent's brother Zack shoots a man after telling the police that he was beating up animals by the river. Zack went by Trent when they were going to fire a gun when Zack got some bullets. Trent refused that night but Zack went and decided to shoot it a bit and almost killed Nick's brother's girlfriend's brother.

The protagonist in the novel is Nick Abbott who plays high school basketball at Bothell High School. He is a freshman playing on the varsity team with Trent Dawson who bullied him in junior high. Trent and Nick were not close friends until they started playing at night against each other. The Antagonist in the novel is Zack Dawson, Trent's older brother who gets in trouble for beating animals and for shooting a man. Another main character in the story is Nick’s dad, he helps Nick get better to play on the varsity team. He tells Nick about the final shot being the one to take it, and always finding the open man when playing offense.

The theme of the story is happiness. Trent does what makes him happy which is playing basketball. The story is written around basketball and how it helps them be happy. By the end of the novel, Trent decides to do what makes him happy and join the team in the game. Nick finds happiness when playing basketball and winning with the team. Almost everyone by the end of the book finds happiness in their life.

I recommend this novel because it tells an interesting story about a boy being bullied and
coming to terms with the bully to play in the championship game, although the bully's brother
does something wrong the bully stays and plays in the game, so his life won’t be ruined
because of his brother's mistake.… (more)

As a former baseball mom, this book brought me right back to the days that my oldest son played baseball. He played since he was 5, started pitching at 8 and never looked back until he burned out from playing. I have never had a book like this that make me feel both sad and nostalgic at the same time. For Laz to decide to play for the team or protect his brother was a hard choice that no one should ever have to make. Giving up your dream for your family shows integrity. I was very happy with the ending. This was a fast pace read, read it in 3 hours. I was immersed in the gameplay, bringing me right back to the days I was the score-keeper for my son's team. I miss those days and Mr. Deuker brought me right back there. Thank you!… (more)