Hoops

by Walter Dean Myers

Overview

By the groundbreaking author of the award-winning Monster–a visionary who influenced and inspired a generation–this fast-paced and poignant story reveals the fierce underworld of sports.

All eyes are on seventeen-year-old Lonnie Jackson while he practices with his team for a city-wide basketball Tournament of Champions. His coach, Cal, knows Lonnie has what it takes to be a pro basketball player, but warns him about giving in to the pressure. Cal knows because he, too, once had the chance—but sold out.

As the tournament nears, Lonnie learns that some heavy bettors want Cal to keep him on the bench so that the team will lose the championship. As the last seconds of the game tick away, Lonnie and Cal must make a decision. Are they willing to blow the chance of a lifetime?   

An ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults    

AWARDS FOR WALTER DEAN MYERS:
New York Times Bestselling Author
3-Time National Book Award Finalist
Michael L. Printz Award
5 Coretta Scott King Awards
2 Newbery Honors
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (2012-2013)
Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement
Children’s Literature Legacy Award
                                                                         

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307976116
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	02/14/2012
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	75,670
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	740L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

1937–2014
WALTER DEAN MYERS was one of the premier authors of children’s books. Random House Children’s Books is the publisher of many of his titles, including On a Clear Day, 145th Street: Short Stories, Hoops, The Outside Shot, and What They Found: Love on 145th Street. Among his many honors are Monster, the first Printz award winner and two Newbery Honor Books, Scorpions and Somewhere in the Darkness. He is also a two-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, for Now Is Your Time! and Fallen Angels. In addition, Myers has received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for his contribution to young adult literature. Myers was also named the 2012-2013 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Read an Excerpt

One of the things my father used to say was how his days were piling up on him. When I told him I didn’t know what that meant, he said one day I would.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Hoops"
by .
Copyright © 2012 Walter Dean Myers.
Excerpted by permission of Random House Children's Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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What People are Saying About This

Earl Monroe

"Hoops, to me, captures growing up on the streets of Harlem. Basketball is presented not as a sure way out of the ghetto, but as one way for kids to get in touch with the confidence needed to deal with their everyday realities... It is rare to find a story that takes the time to honestly and sensitively explore black men, women, and kids." -- Earl "The Pearly" Monroe, former captain, The New York Knicks