TRAINING CAMP

A former NBA superstar is part of a
writing duo that combines basketball and magic to tell the story of a
struggling inner-city team.

Twelve-year-old Rain treasures the
Fairwood Community Center and his team, the West Bottom Badgers. Although it is
run-down, the walls hung with tattered banners, for Rain, the gym represents
his best chance of becoming a success. The team owner, Freddy, has also brought
in a new coach, professor Rolabi Wizenard, with a decidedly different way of
running things. He seems to speak in riddles and use magic—the appearance of a
tiger to assist in a drill, for example. As Rain contemplates life, he hears
Rolabi in his head, challenging his fears and his thoughts about himself. Teammate
Alfie, aka Twig, is from a comfortable suburban family, and some of the guys
never let him forget it. Mercilessly teased, he has no one to confide in—but he
might be the one to unlock the secret behind their new coach. The novel is
unusual in structure and plot as readers experience the same incidents
portrayed through different perspectives, each revealing another layer of the
story. The end of training camp and the approach of actual games concludes the
novel, leaving a cliffhanger for the next volume. Physical descriptions are
limited, but most major characters are brown-skinned.

Solid, authentic basketball action
with plenty of food for thought, colored with elements of fantasy. (Sports
fantasy. 10-13)