Lupica, M. (2008). Summer Ball (p. 272). Puffin.
ISBN: 0142411531
$7.99 paperback
Reader's Annotation: Though he's had plenty of success in basketball, Danny Walker is nervous that summer basketball camp will prove he doesn't have talent to compete.
Summary: Danny Walker should be on top of his game. Just back from the national championship with his travel team, and with his parents back together (finally!) he should be ready for anything. But thinking of spending the summer at basketball camp is making Danny nervous. For one thing, he's fighting with his best friend, Tess. For another, he hasn't had the growth spurt he's longing for. Though being short didn't stop him from being a star on travel team, he's secretly afraid that when he competes with bigger players from around the country he won't have the talent to keep up. When he gets to camp, things only get worse. He's in a bunk with kids a year younger than him. He gets the meanest coach at camp. And some familiar faces have come back to haunt him.
Genre: book, coming of age, family, friends, identity, sports, fiction
Series : The sequel to this book is "Travel Team."
Evaluation: Not as good as the first book, but still a compelling read, especially great for basketball fans.
Why it belongs in a Tween Collection: This book is a great balance between the insecurities and emotions of tweendom and the fast paced action of sports. Danny has great friends and supportive parents. He's insecure about his talent, and he's meeting players who really want to beat him at basketball. He's got a tough coach, and trouble with his best female friend. All classic tween drama. But mostly, this is a book about basketball, and so a perfect read for any sports fan.
Readalikes :
- Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery by John Feinstein
- Football Genius by Tim Green
Other Useful Info:
Reviews:
From School Library JournalGrade 5–8—This novel continues the story of Danny Walker, the basketball-obsessed hero of
Travel Team (Philomel, 2004). In the interval between the two books, the 13-year-old and his friends went on to win the travel-team championship. Now that they are heading off to summer basketball camp, Danny is feeling the pressure of being number one. He plays as well as ever, but he's still the smallest boy on the court and anxiously hoping for a growth spurt. As the story begins, things quickly go wrong for him. He fights with his girlfriend before he leaves; at camp, he's separated from his friends and assigned a berth in the younger boys' cabin. There are many familiar elements and few surprises here, yet Lupica breathes life into both characters and story. Danny is a classic sports-story underdog, but he's also sympathetic and engaging. He is surrounded by a cast of supporting characters who add humor and whose interactions ring true. When Danny befriends Zach, who is a younger version of himself, readers see the protagonist grow in empathy and self-awareness. Sports fans will relish the on-court action, expertly rendered in Lupica's taut prose. This worthy sequel to
Travel Team should earn a wide audience.—
Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Sports Illustrated Kids. The Time Inc. Magazine Company.