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About the Author
Jenn Bishop is the author of five novels for young readers, including the Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner Things You Can’t Say. Her books have been named Junior Library Guild selections and Bank Street College of Education best books and have been finalists for state book awards. She currently calls Cincinnati, Ohio, home. What team do you think she roots for?
About the Book
Competitive basketball takes center court in this fast-paced novel about two girls finding the truth about themselves-and their families-against the backdrop of middle school and college hoops.
Cincinnati, Ohio, lives and dies by college basketball, with two elite Division I rivals separated by a mere three miles.
Rory’s dad just secured a new coaching gig at University of Cincinnati, so it means yet another school and move for her, only this time to her dad’s hometown. Rory’s life revolves around basketball; she’s never had a close friend outside of it. Could this be a chance for a fresh start?
Abby has always lived in Cincinnati, where her dad grew up playing ball and now coaches at Xavier University. But Abby has recently retreated from basketball after a frustrating season that left her confidence in shambles. This year, she finds herself on the outside looking in when it comes to her former teammates, and she could seriously use a new friend.
The coaches’ daughters connect over their shared love of the game when Abby chaperones Rory on her first day of school. But when Abby’s dad practically forbids their friendship because of something that happened between him and Rory’s dad when they were younger, Abby and Rory have no choice but to move their budding friendship underground.
Can the two of them get to the bottom of what went down between their dads in the 1990s before history repeats itself?
Prasie for Free Throws, Friendship, and other Things We Fouled Up
“The pacing is quick, and readers will not be bored with the family/friend drama and the basketball action. Abby and Rory are well-rounded characters with flaws, who come into their own as they realize how much one decision can change their whole lives.” ― School Library Journal
“Jenn Bishop’s ode to basketball, friendship, and the city of Cincinnati charmed me from the first page and made me want to eat Skyline chili and get tickets to a March Madness game. I love Rory and Abby, and middle school readers will, too!” ―Laurie Morrison, author of Up for Air and Coming Up Short
“[T]his brisk and gracious upper-middle-grade selection is a top seed for collections and slam dunk for sports fans.” ― Booklist
“A warm, funny, thought-provoking book that will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.” ―Barbara Carroll Roberts, author of Nikki on the Line
“A love letter to basketball and to all of us―girls and boys, men and women―captivated by the game.” ―Andrew Maraniss, author of Inaugural Ballers: The True Story of the First U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball Team
“An exploration of family, rivalries, and forgiveness, this book scores big.” ―Gillian McDunn, author of When Sea Becomes Sky and Caterpillar Summer
“Abby and Rory’s story is a slam dunk.”―Laura Shovan, author of The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary
“Basketball-loving readers will adore this book, but it’s so much more than a basketball story. A beautifully crafted tale of friendship, family, and forgiveness, with characters so vivid and real you can’t help but root for them, on and off the court.” ―Matt Tavares, New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of Hoops
“A slam dunk for sports lovers, chili-on-spaghetti skeptics, and anyone still trying to find their place in school, in friendship, or in life.” ―Erin Yun, author of the Pippa Park series
“Rich in tight bonds as well as savvy coaching on both game play and forgiveness.” ― Kirkus Reviews
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