Long Shot

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

The players of the “Magic” rep basketball team come back this season
to find that everything has changed. Their mild-mannered coach has
retired and his replacement is a tough, fearsome, and humorless former
basketball celebrity. Nick struggles to adapt to the new expectations
and does his best to perform to perfection. He even welcomes some of the
changes that Coach Barkley makes. However, the pressure of gruelling
workouts and the coach’s emotional harassment of some of the players
takes all the fun out of the game. When Nick’s parents witness Coach
Barkley’s behavior they argue about the wisdom of allowing their son
to play with such an ill-tempered coach, but ultimately they leave the
decision up to Nick. Nick chooses a course of action that is both brave
and wise and offers the possibility of a happy future for the team.

Eric Walters continues to create psychologically compelling reading in
his bestselling basketball series. In this story, the shadow side of
sport is examined and the consequences of competitiveness taken to the
extreme is shown to be disastrous. The main characters once again prove
mature beyond their years and have valuable lessons to teach the adults
in their lives. Although serious in subject matter and mood, this story
is powerful enough to hold the interest of middle-school readers. Highly
recommended.