In the Paint (South Side Sports) - Softcover

Rud, Jeff

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551433370 ISBN 13: 9781551433370

Publisher: Orca Book Publishers, 2005

Synopsis

For as long as he can remember, Matt has wanted to play basketball. Now, as he tries out for the team at his new middle school, he realizes that the easy days of elementary ball are over and that this is a much more serious game. Dealing with a hard-driving coach, competitive teammates and his own insecurities in a new school, Matt needs to call on all his skills, both on and off the court, to make the team and keep his head above water. When he is involved, albeit unwittingly, in tagging a store with racist graffiti, Matt finds himself in more trouble than he bargained for. And when he fights back against an aggressive teammate and is threatened with suspension from the team, he learns that it is not only game-time decisions that count, but also the choices made after the crowd has gone home and the gym is silent.

About this title

About the Author

Jeff Rud was a print journalist in western Canada for twenty-eight years, twenty of them as a sports writer. He is currently executive director of communications and strategy in British Columbia's Office of the Representative for Children and Youth. He lives in Victoria, British Columbia, with his wife, Lana, and likes to coach high-school basketball in his spare time.

From the Back Cover

One look at the hard-nosed, sneering Grant Jackson standing above him told Matt no apology was forthcoming. "Just remember, rook," Grant hissed quietly. "I'm the starting point guard on this team."For as long as he can remember, Matt has wanted to play basketball. Now, as he tries out for the team at his new middle school. He realizes that the easy days of elementary ball are over and that this is a much more serious game.Dealing with a hard-driving coach, competitive teammates and his own insecurities in a new school, Matt needs to call on all his skills, both on and off the court, to make the team and keep his head above water.

From the Inside Flap

baseball, peer pressure, competition

Reviews

Gr. 5-8. After Matt Hill makes his middle-school basketball team, he spends a lot of time on the bench, watching the skilled point guard Grant Jackson. Gradually, Jackson and his friends recognize Matt's basketball abilities and invite him to become part of their group. But when their nocturnal activities involve hate crimes directed at the Asian owners of a grocery store, Matt decides that he wants out. Jackson is kicked off the team for his criminal actions, but he bears a deep grudge against Matt that leads to violence. Although the novel features many of the required elements of the standard sports story, fans of the genre may be disappointed by the brevity of the descriptions of Matt's games; the focus here is on the moral choices that Matt faces. This is a fast-moving, involving story, and Matt is a character that many readers will be glad they have gotten to know. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Matt was momentarily stunned, but he bounced up quickly, wiping the trickle of blood from the side of his mouth.

One look at the hard-nosed, sneering Grant Jackson standing above him told Matt no apology was forthcoming. "Just remember, rook," Grant hissed quietly. "I'm the starting point guard on this team."

Edition details

• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1551433370
• ISBN 13: 9781551433370
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176