• 218 pages, or 4 hours on audiobook

• Ages 13+

Game by Walter Dean Myers is a young adult novel published in 2008. It is about a young teenager growing up in a rough neighbourhood trying to do well in basketball. 

Drew Lawson wants to play college basketball and eventually play in the NBA. But he needs to improve his grades and there is also pressure to fit in. He struggles a lot with gang-related peer pressure from lots of the people in his neighbourhood. He has to deal with violence around him, and his mom worries about him getting into trouble. Basketball offers him a way out, but he has to put in the effort at school too.

The novel describes Drew very well, and this is an important part of the experience. I like how it gives you a good sense of where he lives and what he is going through. I also like how Drew manages through his challenges, especially with peer pressure. I can relate to how Drew is struggling to get good grades, and I think this is relatable for a lot of teenagers these days. One thing that was difficult was how the beginning of the book jumped right into dramatic events in the neighbourhood before you got to know the main characters. However, overall the book was pretty good.

I would recommend this to struggling teenagers, and to people who play basketball. I think that people might want to learn about Harlem before reading the book. I think that it would also help to know something about basketball.