July 1, 2011
Gr 4-9-High school freshmen Ben and Logan have been friends and basketball teammates for a long time. Hud is a flashy player who has honed his skills in pickup games at a local recreation center and bristles at the strict rules of a coach who doesn't appreciate his penchant for "French Pastry"-a fancy streetball style of play. As team captain, Ben has to convince Hud not to quit and to follow the rules. This easy-to-read book has a nice blend of game action, lessons in discipline, and even some actual history of Holcombe Rucker Park in New York City, famous for its All-Star list of some of the greatest names in basketball. Bowen knows sports and his audience, and he scores again with Real Hoops.-Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI
Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2011
Grades 4-6 Ben, captain of his high-school-freshman basketball squad, is faced with a dilemma when he spots the hotshot new point guard he had recruited breaking a team rule. Capped by a tribute to some of New Yorks playground-hoops heroes, this simply written tale in the Fred Bowen Sports Story series is chock-full of suspenseful game action and takes a comfortably predictable course right up to a surprise closing announcement from the team coach, who turns out to be strict but not unnecessarily rigid.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)