Told in verse, 12 year old twins Josh and Jordan Bell are starters on their junior high school basketball team. But when Jordan gets close to the new girl at school, Josh feels a rift growing between them that grows as their team moves closer to the championships.
The long version:
Endearing and charming middle grade read. Alexander does an excellent job of describing the action and minutia of basketball with vernacular that's accessible and still feels true to a 12 year old voice. The familial relationships between Josh, his brother and his parents are quite lovely.
While the main plot revolves around basketball, it's also a book about how the rules of basketball apply to life. Alexander intersperses the narrative with "basketball rules" that even those not acquainted with the game will have no trouble identifying as life lessons for a middle grader.
The plot takes an unexpected darker turn, unexpected even though Alexander sets the reader up for it quite well. While surprising in a way I wasn't prepared for, this wasn't my novel to write. Maybe I was just too involved, a testament to the writing, but Alexander manages the darker turn and the ensuing conclusion with eloquence and grace.
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