Adam Reed is a hooper. Basketball is his passport. In Minnesota, he only knows two people: his friend, Barry Roland and Kase Kinshaw, his tormentor, who calls him “The Refugee”. When Adam meets Carli Anderson and is invited to join a special AAU team with Minnesota’s best players, everything changes. Soon, his team becomes his family and he becomes better friends with Carli. However, Kase sees Adam as a threat to his relationship with Carli. One day, an off-court fight forces Adam to choose between basketball and his family.
I liked the theme of determination reflected in this book. It does a good job of portraying Adam trying to find out who is truly is. I also appreciated the small side “mini-plots” which gave more character to Adam and his friends. Also, I liked Adam’s creative problem solving to bring peace in his school. However, the author could’ve enforced a stronger storyline as in some parts of the book, it felt pointless. Overall, I think the book did a good job showing Adam as an incomplete individual.
In my opinion, the most memorable part of the book was when Adam and his team mate, Devin, petition to save another teammate, Khalil, from being kicked from the team. It shows how close their team was and helped to complete Adam as a character. It also showed how Adam evolved as a person, from being lost to finally finding his family. This helped to eventually end the book.
Reviewed by Anmol Mital, 8th grade, Twin Hickory Area Library
HCPL TeenScene's Read + Review 