Home Court Advantage

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Eleven-year-old Debbie doesn’t even hope that she will ever be
adopted. Most parents want little kids who are cute and smart and never
get into trouble. It seems to Debbie that the only thing she is good at
is basketball, so when Greg and Angela Lowell want to adopt her, she is
suspicious of their motives. Even after moving in with them it is hard
for Debbie to believe that she is really in a “forever family.”

Debbie is thrilled to make the basketball team at her new school, but
for some mysterious reason one of the players has taken a serious
dislike to her. When Debbie is accused of stealing from her teammates,
she learns that she has a family who trusts, loves, and supports her, no
matter what, and she can finally believe that she is home to stay.

This very sensitive and touching story deals with the challenges facing
foster children and older children who are adopted. It is refreshing to
have a main character who struggles to conform to expected behavior and
doesn’t always succeed. Although the basketball story provides the
framework for the main theme, readers looking for lots of sports action
may be disappointed. However, the story is filled with suspense and may
capture the sports enthusiast’s interest beyond the court.
Recommended.