Off Season, Book 6

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

Nick and Kia are going to British Columbia to spend a few weeks of
summer vacation with Nick’s cousin Ned. Ned lives a very different
kind of life in the isolated wilderness of a national park with his
forest-ranger father. Nick and Kia expect to learn about wilderness
living, but they don’t expect to be playing any basketball during
their visit. However, Ned surprises them with the opportunity to play a
few games, both on a homemade court in the woods and in the closest
town, where Ned may be moving. Ned doesn’t have any friends, nor does
he go to school. But he has skills and knowledge that prepare him to
handle the frightening situation they encounter when they become trapped
in a dangerous forest fire. As Nick and Kia face a real “do-or-die”
situation, they come to understand how the things they learn in sport
help prepare them for life, and that teamwork and leadership are
essential in life as well as in sport.

Eric Walters keeps his popular basketball series interesting with a
change of setting and focus in this latest volume. The writing is full
of interesting facts, good-natured humour, and thrilling suspense. The
consistent development of the characters allows readers of the series to
really get to know and appreciate them. There is a wholesome dose of
moral instruction in the story that is delivered with good humour and
good sense. Highly recommended.