Summer Ball
by Mike Lupica
from Puffin
The sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Travel Team!
When you ’re the smallest kid playing a big man’s game, the challenges never stop—especially when your name is Danny Walker. Leading your travel team to the national championship may seem like a dream come true, but for Danny, being at the top just means the competition tries that much harder to knock him off. Now Danny’s heading to Right Way basketball camp for the summer, and he knows that with the country’s best players in attendance, he’s going to need to take his game up a notch if he wants to match up. But it won’t be easy. Old rivals and new battles leave Danny wondering if he really does have what it takes to stand tall.
Miracle on 49th Street
by Mike Lupica
from Puffin
Josh Cameron is MVP of the championship Boston Celtics and a media darling with a spotless reputation. He has it all . . . including a daughter he never knew. When twelve-year-old Molly Parker arrives in his life, claiming to be his daughter, she catches him off guard. Molly says her mom, Jen, revealed his identity before losing her battle with cancer. Josh isn’t so sure about this girl—she must be trying to scam him for his money. Still, there’s something about Molly that reminds him so much of Jen. But as Molly gets to know the real Josh, the one the camera never sees, she starts to understand why her mother never wanted her to know her dad. Josh has room in his heart for only two things: basketball and himself. Does Molly really want this man for a father? Together, these two strangers learn that sometimes, for things to end up the way you want them to, you have to fire up a prayer at the buzzer and hope it goes in.
Travel Team
by Mike Lupica
from Puffin
Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court, but no one has a bigger love of the game, or a better sense of how to hit the open player with the perfect pass. Then the local travel team—the same travel team Danny’s dad, Richie Walker, led to the national championship on ESPN when he was a kid— cuts Danny because of his height. But Danny isn’t about to give up on basketball. It turns out that he’s not the only kid who was cut for the wrong reasons. Now Danny and his dad are about to give all the castoffs a second chance and prove that you can’t measure heart.
The Perfect Shot (Young Adult Fiction)
by Elaine Marie Alphin
from Carolrhoda Books
Long Shot: A Comeback Kids Novel
by Mike Lupica
from Philomel
Pedro Morales has always been content helping others look great. The epitome of a point guard, he plays the game to set up his teammates—Ned, in particular, the star forward on the receiving end of Pedro’s pinpoint passes. Pedro wants to make his father proud, and so he runs for class president. Yet doing so means going one-on-one against Ned, easily the most popular boy in school. And Pedro learns the hard way that being a good teammate doesn’t mean that others will return the favor. Now Pedro wants to win more than ever—but this time, it’s for himself.
Center Court Sting
by Matt Christopher
from Little, Brown Young Readers
Basketball forward Daren McCall is quick with an insult, quick to take offense, and quick to blame anyone but himself for his troubles. So when center Lou Bettman accuses him first of badmouthing him, then of vandalism, Daren turns the tables and insists that Lou is out to get him. The team splits into two camps. The fight heats up when Daren falls victim to an outrageous act. But did Lou retaliate, as Daren suspects, or is someone else trying to teach Daren a lesson?.
Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery (Final Four Mysteries)
by John Feinstein
from Yearling
Steven Thomas is one of two lucky winners of the U.S. Basketball Writer’s Association’s contest for aspiring journalists. His prize? A trip to New Orleans and a coveted press pass for the Final Four. It’s a basketball junkie’s dream come true!
But the games going on behind the scenes between the coaches, the players, the media, the money-men, and the fans turn out to be even more fiercely competitive than those on the court. Steven and his fellow winner, Susan Carol Anderson, are nosing around the Superdome and overhear what sounds like a threat to throw the championship game. Now they have just 48 hours to figure out who is blackmailing one of MSU’s star players . . . and why.
Praise for John Feinstein:
“The best writer of sports books in America today.”—The Boston Globe
“Feinstein’s beat, it turns out, isn’t sports; it’s human nature.”—People on A March to Madness
“A basketball junkie’s nirvana.”—Sports Illustrated on A March to Madness
“One of the best sportswriters alive!”—Larry King, USA Today on A Good Walk Spoiled
From the Hardcover edition.
Million Dollar Shot, The (new cover)
by Dan Gutman
from Hyperion Book CH
Eddie Ball has the chance of a lifetime: to win a million dollars by sinking a foul shot—during halftime at the NBA finals, no less! A million dollars would mean the end to his and his mother’s problems. But someone really wants Eddie to shoot an air ball on the big day, and will do anything to sabotage the million dollar shot…
Hoops
by Walter Dean Myers
from Laurel Leaf
A teenage basketball player from Harlem is befriended by a former professional player who, after being forced to quit because of a point shaving scandal, hopes to prevent other young athletes from repeating his mistake.
Salt in His Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream
by Deloris Jordan
from Aladdin
Before basketball star Michael Jordan's name was uttered reverently in households all over the planet, young Michael was just a shrimpy kid trying to play ball with the big boys in the neighborhood. Tired of being teased by the biggest boy on the court, Michael is convinced the only solution is to grow taller. His mama smilingly suggests putting salt in his shoes and saying a prayer every night. His daddy tells young Michael that "Being taller may help you play a little better, but not as much as practice, determination, and giving your best will. Those are the things that make you a real winner." And so they are. At 6-foot-6, Michael may not have grown up to be the tallest player on the court, but he sure did turn out to be one of the best!
As his mother and his sister, Deloris Jordan and Rosalyn Jordan are in a pretty good position to tell us all about what made Michael a star. They create an image of a cozy, loving family life any child would be happy to come home to. Award-winning illustrator Kadir Nelson's oil pictures of the gangly little Michael with hyperlong arms and oversized hands capture the preteen potential as well as his gawky grace. This warm, uplifting story will encourage young readers to chase their dreams with hard work and faith. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter
Michael Jordan.
The mere mention of the name conjures up visions of basketball played at its absolute best. But as a child, Michael almost gave up on his hoop dreams, all because he feared he'd never grow tall enough to play the game that would one day make him famous. That's when his mother and father stepped in and shared the invaluable lesson of what really goes into the making of a champion -- patience, determination, and hard work.
Deloris Jordan, mother of the basketball phenomenon, teams up with his sister Roslyn to tell this heartwarming and inspirational story that only the members of the Jordan family could tell. It's a tale about faith and hope and how any family working together can help a child make his or her dreams come true.
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