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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
challenging
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
A YA debut for sports fans everywhere.
🏀
Tre Brun loves playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team, but it’s hard to live up to his big brother, Jaxon’s, legacy. Jaxon died in an accident, but he still is a presence in Tre’s life, especially when his father is constantly comparing the two, finding Tre lacking. When Tre goes out for varsity basketball and falls short. He works hard to get called up from JV and tries to take his team to state for them and for Jaxon’s dream.
🏀
This was a strong debut from @makwa_giniw I enjoyed learning about Tre’s Ojibwe culture. Tre’s struggle with grief and survivor’s guilt will resonate with many teens. The relationship between Tre and Khiana was adorable! We need more books like this in our middle & high school libraries.
CW: grief, loss, death of a sibling, alcoholism, alcohol, racism, injury, car accident, bullying, cultural appropriation, classism
🏀
Tre Brun loves playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team, but it’s hard to live up to his big brother, Jaxon’s, legacy. Jaxon died in an accident, but he still is a presence in Tre’s life, especially when his father is constantly comparing the two, finding Tre lacking. When Tre goes out for varsity basketball and falls short. He works hard to get called up from JV and tries to take his team to state for them and for Jaxon’s dream.
🏀
This was a strong debut from @makwa_giniw I enjoyed learning about Tre’s Ojibwe culture. Tre’s struggle with grief and survivor’s guilt will resonate with many teens. The relationship between Tre and Khiana was adorable! We need more books like this in our middle & high school libraries.
CW: grief, loss, death of a sibling, alcoholism, alcohol, racism, injury, car accident, bullying, cultural appropriation, classism
This book was everything I need. I loved it. I love getting to read about the people on the Rez and their relationship. Plus it was great listening to the audiobook and feeling like I was there in the audience or even on the court playing.
This novel is one of 50 recommended by the New York Public Library as a must-read for all teens. Most of the on-court basketball references escaped me, but the first person narrative was compelling.
We meet Tre Brun within months of his big brother's lethal car accident on the Red Lake Ojibwe Reservation where they live in northern Minnesota. Jaxon Brun was the reservation's star bball player and had been on the high school varsity team since 8th grade--historically an unheard of achievement. Tre's parents are grieving to such an extent that Tre is essentially invisible, which was tolerable when he, too, worshipped Jaxon--but now, he needs more, especially because he's grieving, too:
"It hurts the worst when they blame themselves. I never know what to say, or if I should say anything at all. But it tears me up inside when I see them get that distant look in their eyes when their stories go that direction. Some nights they talk in circles, wondering if Jaxon would still be here if they had been stricter or if he’d had a curfew. On really bad nights, they slowly start blaming each other, pointing out who let him get away with what. Or they get caught up on the events of that day. How they should have put winter tires on Jaxon’s car, or how they should have gotten him something better for winter driving, like a Jeep or a truck, instead of passing down their old car. Those nights their voices grow quieter with every sentence. Those nights rip the stitches off my heart...Sometimes I feel like I’m the ghost here."
Their dad was also a star, in his day, and once Tre begins to shine, he immediately believes Tre should fill both Jaxon's shoes and his own--a heavy burden:
“'There’s no way you don’t make it this year. You’re my son. You were born with my skills. Just like Jaxon was. Top two scorers in school history, and the first two to lead the Warriors to district championships.” I try not to roll my eyes. It’s like he thinks he’s Odin, Jaxon was Thor, and we live on Asgard. Guess that would make me Loki. I force down wild rice."
Tre works hard. He's drilling every day, on his own. Then a couple of guys on the varsity team are caught drinking and he's invited to replace one for their two weeks' suspension, although he'd been rejected from varsity because he's only a sophomore. This is a tough entry, because not everyone is supportive of the newcomer, especially under these circumstances. He flubs his first game, but soon improves. Then he REALLY improves, and he becomes a full time member of the varsity team.
" 'I mean, look at you. You’re tall as hell, and fit. Would be weird if you didn’t play at least one sport.” “I am?” I look down at myself, like Pinocchio when he turns into a real boy. “Oh, right? Like you don’t do a thousand crunches and push-ups every single morning. You know you’re ripped.” “I guess I didn’t really think about it. I’ve just been obsessed with becoming the best basketball player I could be.'”
He falls in love--or thinks he does--with a girl who's very clearly told him she's not interested that way. When his bff starts dating her he starts binge-drinking and finally punches his friend relentlessly during a party where alcohol flows freely and he's so drunk his lips are numb. By this time he's become the star his brother was, and the school principal gives him a break--with the condition that he gets the entire team to refrain from drinking until the remaining two weeks of the season are over. Despite thinking it'll never work, with his parents help he hosts a pizza party and asks his team to stay clean while they go to state. And they all agree.
Will they win state? At the very beginning of the book, we've read about the dream of even going to the state finals:
"If our team wins, we go to the state tournament, which our school has never done, ever. If we lose, well, we go home, like usual."
This is author Byron Graves' debut novel. He is an Ojibwe and grew up on the Red Lake Reservation. He played basketball there; his team made it into Slam magazine, as does Tre's. He knows how important the game is there, and how the losses of yesteryear wear heavy even on older generations, along with two hundred years of irreparable losses to whites. This is his homage is to his people.
If you know a teen boy, this book would be a wonderful gift.
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I played basketball in high school, and this book took me back to the drama, the intensity, and the sheer love of the sport. I didn't feel lost in the many, many characters, the breakneck action was clear and a joy to follow, and Tre's determination, humility, and devotion to his team really shone through. I didn't really love the love triangle situation, but I loved the genuine love and care between Tre and his friends. A triumphant coming-of-age and a celebration of Native athletes.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This book was such an excellent YA story! I'm glad it's on the Battle of the Books list this year for my students, and I think I might make it the first HS book club book....
It's slightly weird to me that I liked it as much as I did, because I know very little about basketball. I was raised on 90s sports movies, though, and I would love to see this book on the big screen -- it was right in that realm of the underdog players, but still fresh and new.
It's not actually weird to me that I liked this book, though. The storytelling is so well done! The main character is realistic, likeable, but highly imperfect. Sometimes, I massively cringed as I was listening to the audiobook! I loved the way the author created Trey's support network. Also, how Graves made him such a multi-dimensional character, not just in his struggles, but also in his tastes and interests. Just all around a great YA story! At times I got teary -- that's how invested I was!
It's slightly weird to me that I liked it as much as I did, because I know very little about basketball. I was raised on 90s sports movies, though, and I would love to see this book on the big screen -- it was right in that realm of the underdog players, but still fresh and new.
It's not actually weird to me that I liked this book, though. The storytelling is so well done! The main character is realistic, likeable, but highly imperfect. Sometimes, I massively cringed as I was listening to the audiobook! I loved the way the author created Trey's support network. Also, how Graves made him such a multi-dimensional character, not just in his struggles, but also in his tastes and interests. Just all around a great YA story! At times I got teary -- that's how invested I was!
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes