Danger Zone

Klass, David. Danger Zone. New York: Scholastic, 1996.


Children's Literature Annotation:

When he joins a predominantly black "Teen Dream Team" that will be representing the United States in an international basketball tournament in Rome, Jimmy Doyle makes some unexpected discoveries about prejudice, racism, and politics.

Awards and Honors:

• Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2000 Winner High School Maryland
• Children's Literature Council of Southern California Awards, 1997 Winner Outstanding Fiction for Young Adults United States
• Golden Sower Award, 1998 Winner Young Adult Nebraska
• Sequoyah Book Award, 1999 Winner Young Adult Oklahoma

Review:

Alexandria LaFaye, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)

International Youth Basketball, death threats, racism, poverty, and romance are the interwoven issues in this fast-paced sports novel. Jimmy Doyle, known as the Snowman by his teammates, is honored to be selected to represent the U.S., but he gets more than he bargains for when he accepts. As the only white and inexperienced member of the team, Jimmy must prove himself worthy. Klass has a way of giving blow-by-blow descriptions of the basketball games that thoroughly involves the reader. He broaches many important topics with candor--Neo-Nazism, race relations in Los Angeles and in Europe, and the ethics of the media and politicians. He also provides a personal flavor to the novel by revealing the Doyle family's struggle to deal with the death of Jimmy's father and the bankruptcy of their family business. An intriguing novel that has a lot to say to today's young adults. 1996, Scholastic, $16.95. Ages 12 up.

Collection Suggestion:

This looks like a great novel that tackles issues that are not only important to teens but also entertaining. Most sources say that it would be good for middle and high schools. I would most likely recommend it to students from 7th to 10th grade, and perhaps older if they are particularly interested in basketball.

In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle

Blais, Madeleine. In these girls, hope is a muscle. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1995.

Barnes & Noble Annotation:

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist tells the story of a high school girls' basketball team's championship season and their fierce, funny, sisterhood-is-powerful quest for excellence. Reminiscent of A Sense of Where You Are and Friday Night Lights, Blais's book takes readers through an incredible season of the Lady Hurricanes of Massachusetts.

Awards and Honors:

• National Book Critics Circle Award, 1995 Finalist in General Nonfiction
• ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 1996
• ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 1999 Good Sports

Review:

Publishers Weekly, January 1996

When Pulitzer Prize-winner Blais pokes gentle fun at Amherst, Mass., where an infuriated teen-aged athlete in the heat of the fray may yell, "You ignore your inner child!" you suspect this will be a special book. And it is, as the reader follows the Amherst High girls basketball team-the Lady Hurricanes-in the 1992-93 season, from game one on December 15 to the final game on March 16, when they all but obliterated Haverhill, 74-36, to win the state championship. While this is the story of well-bred, upper-middle class, genteel girls who learned to be tough, it is also a picture of a changing period in American sports history, when a town rallied around its female athletes in a way that had previously been reserved for males. Alternately funny, exciting and moving, the book should be enjoyed not only by girls and women who have played sports but also those who wanted to but let themselves be discouraged.

Collection Suggestion:

While the story of this team would appeal to readers of all ages, the story may drag at points for younger readers when the author goes into detail about Amherst, MA, the hometown of the hometown team. For this reason, I would recommend it to high school librarians but not necessarily middle school librarians. That said, this book begins to fill a huge void of decent literature about female athletes so even middle school librarians might consider the book if they have students who might not want to wait until high school.

The Perfect Shot

Alphin, Elaine Marie. Perfect shot. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, 2005.

Children's Literature Reviews

Brian uses basketball to block out memories of his girlfriend and her family who were gunned down a year ago, but the upcoming murder trial and a high school history assignment force him to face the past and decide how far he should go to see justice served. Includes facts about miscarriages of justice in American history.