Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Fast Break

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
From the #1 bestselling author of HeatTravel Team and Million-Dollar Throw comes a feel-good basketball tale reminiscent of The Blind Side.
Forced to live on his own after his mom dies and her boyfriend abandons him, 12-year-old Jayson does whatever it takes to get by. He will do anything to avoid the foster care system. Besides, his real home has always been the beat-up basketball court behind the projects in the North Carolina hills, and his family has always been his friends and teammates. He manages to get away with his deception until the day he gets caught stealing a new pair of basketball sneakers. Game over. Within a day a social worker places him with a family from the other side of town, the Lawtons. New home, new school, new teammates.

Jayson, at first, is combatative, testing the Lawtons' patience at every turn. He wants out, yet the Lawtons refuse to take the bait. But not everyone in Jayson's new life is so ready to trust him—and even Jayson's old friends give him a hard time now that he's attending a school full of rich kids. It's on Jayson to believe that he deserves a better life than the one he once had. The ultimate prize if he can? A trip to play in the state finals at Cameron Indoor Stadium–home to the Duke Blue Devils and launching pad to his dream of playing bigtime college ball. Getting there will be a journey that reaches far beyond the basketball court.

In the tradition of uplifting stories like The Blind Side, Fast Break has all the family-friendly sports action Mike Lupica has become known and loved for.
Praise for Fast Break
"Eager fans will find this a slam-dunk. A must-purchase."–Booklist
"Lupica's announcer-like delivery will have you breathless, on the edge of your seat, cheering."–Florida Times-Union
"Fast Break is the perfect middle-grade read for fans of basketball. With so much attention to detail in each game, readers are practically with the characters on the court. Lupica has done it again."–VOYA 
 

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Levels

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      September 1, 2015
      Twelve-year-old Jayson, a tough kid from the poor part of Moreland, North Carolina, is sent across town to live with foster parents, where he'll play basketball for a rival team. Jayson's mom's boyfriend took off a few days after Jayson's mom died. Ever since, Jayson has been guiltily stealing bread and peanut butter from corner stores. When Jayson is caught trying to steal sneakers to replace his worn, too-small pair, he is matched with the Lawtons, a pair of kind, wealthy, and patient foster parents, who enroll him in a private school, Belmont Country Day. Jayson is a notoriously talented point guard, and basketball has always been his emotional outlet, but now his anger bubbles out on the court as well as in his new home. Jayson's progression from resentment of his new life to acceptance follows a predictable path, as does his basketball season, which includes two tense games against his old team. Nevertheless, the dynamics here are handled with subtlety and depth, particularly Jayson's shame at being labeled a thief. Jayson's friendship with Zoe, a popular and outgoing star soccer player, shows warmth and mutual respect, though the question of what will happen after a conflict erupts between them goes strangely unresolved. Nothing groundbreaking here, but Lupica delivers solid sports action and character growth. (Fiction. 10-14)

      COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      September 1, 2015
      Grades 5-8 Lupica is the go-to guy for quick-reading, enjoyable sports fiction, and his latest adheres to his formula of mixing expertly described play-by-play actionin this case, basketballwith interesting personal stories. Broaching serious topics, yet assuredly entertaining, this story of a scrappy white kid, Jayson, growing up in a black neighborhood is a kind of Blind Side in reverse. Hiding the fact he's barely subsisting after his mom dies and her boyfriend abandons him, he's tripped up by his need for some new kicks. When he's caught shoplifting, he winds up being taken in by an older, affluent African American couple who are incredibly long on patience, as Jayson acts out his anger and hurt before pulling himself together to lead his new school's b-ball team to victory and a chance to play in Duke University's Cameron Indoor Stadium. Friends old and new, a crush, and the comparison of his old digs to his new home life flesh out the story. Eager fans will find this a slam-dunk. A must-purchase.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5.2
  • Lexile® Measure:840
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

Loading