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pixiepages's review
4.0
This wasn’t what I expected at all but I did love it. The writing was amazing and it made you actually see each scene play out. It starts off with a group of basketball players getting a new coach, but he is not like any coach they've ever had before. The book is broken down into 5 books and each book focuses on a different person. So it was interesting because it was pretty much the same story 5 times but it didn’t get boring. It was interesting to see how each player has their own struggles and what they do to face it. Excited for the next one.
kt15's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
saidtheraina's review
5.0
When I chose to read this book, I had no idea that Kobe Bryant was going to die on January 26, 2020.
I was preparing for my annual tour of local middle schools, and for those visits I'm always looking for books which center non-white people. I'm also always looking for books that will appeal to middle schoolers who don't identify as readers. And also books that center non-white people which fit into "genres" other than realistic. This checks so many of my boxes.
And although the Kobe Bryant branding made me hopeful that this thing might appeal to more hesitant readers, I worried that the girth of this thing would put those same kids off (did you notice it's almost 600 pages?). I also didn't love that the actual writer is the opposite of ownvoices.
But I decided to try it.
And although I loved the concept, and knew that many elements would appeal to emerging readers, I was still worried as I read it. Not only was it long, but that length came from the fact that the books contains five different tellings of exactly the same events (with slightly varying content depending on character perspectives). Would teens who didn't identify as "book people" have patience for the repetition?
But I enjoyed it, and was kind of into the giant red fuzziness of the thing (literal fuzzy cover, if you haven't seen it irl). So I decided to booktalk it.
And then Kobe died.
The kids definitely responded. I chose to sell it by abridging the scene that starts on page 26 where Rain encounters the moving floor. I never utter the word "basketball" in the booktalk. They were consistently into it.
I also have had conversations with a mother who said her picky-reader teen devoured the whole thing and where can we get the rest of the series.
One thing I love about this is that it ISN'T a realistic sports story. At least not only that. There are lots of great realistic-feeling scenes of playing basketball, but it's set in a dystopic world, and has a significant fantasy core. I mean, it sure seems like this should have been done before - magical coach? Seems like a ::duh:: moment once it occurred to me.
This is good. I hope this series, this publishing company (the publishing company's name is a reference to the magic in this book) doesn't die with Bryant.
I was preparing for my annual tour of local middle schools, and for those visits I'm always looking for books which center non-white people. I'm also always looking for books that will appeal to middle schoolers who don't identify as readers. And also books that center non-white people which fit into "genres" other than realistic. This checks so many of my boxes.
And although the Kobe Bryant branding made me hopeful that this thing might appeal to more hesitant readers, I worried that the girth of this thing would put those same kids off (did you notice it's almost 600 pages?). I also didn't love that the actual writer is the opposite of ownvoices.
But I decided to try it.
And although I loved the concept, and knew that many elements would appeal to emerging readers, I was still worried as I read it. Not only was it long, but that length came from the fact that the books contains five different tellings of exactly the same events (with slightly varying content depending on character perspectives). Would teens who didn't identify as "book people" have patience for the repetition?
But I enjoyed it, and was kind of into the giant red fuzziness of the thing (literal fuzzy cover, if you haven't seen it irl). So I decided to booktalk it.
And then Kobe died.
The kids definitely responded. I chose to sell it by abridging the scene that starts on page 26 where Rain encounters the moving floor. I never utter the word "basketball" in the booktalk. They were consistently into it.
I also have had conversations with a mother who said her picky-reader teen devoured the whole thing and where can we get the rest of the series.
One thing I love about this is that it ISN'T a realistic sports story. At least not only that. There are lots of great realistic-feeling scenes of playing basketball, but it's set in a dystopic world, and has a significant fantasy core. I mean, it sure seems like this should have been done before - magical coach? Seems like a ::duh:: moment once it occurred to me.
This is good. I hope this series, this publishing company (the publishing company's name is a reference to the magic in this book) doesn't die with Bryant.
mwbuell's review
4.0
Okay, I have a lot of thoughts on this one. I LOVED so many things about it. I love the characters. I love how it’s about basketball but that it’s a fantasy novel. I love the setting, the city they live in, and how SOMEHOW they are going to turn it around. I LOVE the characters!!! I love how deeply you get to know them and how different their personal adversities are.
This book is really a masterpiece. You put sports, fantasy, and vulnerable stories together to get an amazing novel.
My only hang up with it was how it was told. It took me a LONG time to get through this one. I think the perspectives of different players were important and added to the value of the story. But it was just a little too repetitive. I sometimes felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen next, even down to who was going to say what. I wonder if this story could have been told better in chronological order, but with individual chapters from different characters’ perspectives. If it was hard, at times, for me to get through as an adult, I can imagine it would be even tougher for kids… which is so unfortunate because it is a one-of-a-kind story with amazing potential!
That being said, I’m glad the author chose to tell the sequel from one perspective, and I am excited to read it.
This book is really a masterpiece. You put sports, fantasy, and vulnerable stories together to get an amazing novel.
My only hang up with it was how it was told. It took me a LONG time to get through this one. I think the perspectives of different players were important and added to the value of the story. But it was just a little too repetitive. I sometimes felt like I knew exactly what was going to happen next, even down to who was going to say what. I wonder if this story could have been told better in chronological order, but with individual chapters from different characters’ perspectives. If it was hard, at times, for me to get through as an adult, I can imagine it would be even tougher for kids… which is so unfortunate because it is a one-of-a-kind story with amazing potential!
That being said, I’m glad the author chose to tell the sequel from one perspective, and I am excited to read it.
njstoltzfus's review
4.0
Basketball just makes me… :’)
I had a Wizenard of my own in high school. She taught me SO MUCH about basketball and life and she was really the most wonderful coach I could’ve asked for. She was definitely a little magic.
I miss this sport and the feeling of Team so damn much and this book did a little to patch up the hole that graduating left inside me.
It goes to show that even a kids book about twelve-year-olds is still good for an adult’s soul <3
“You are stardust and light. If they cannot see that, then you have chosen to hide it.”
I had a Wizenard of my own in high school. She taught me SO MUCH about basketball and life and she was really the most wonderful coach I could’ve asked for. She was definitely a little magic.
I miss this sport and the feeling of Team so damn much and this book did a little to patch up the hole that graduating left inside me.
It goes to show that even a kids book about twelve-year-olds is still good for an adult’s soul <3
“You are stardust and light. If they cannot see that, then you have chosen to hide it.”
hydenseek's review
3.0
Great premise but this book is literally one week in five perspectives. As in the week plays out five times just different people. It got really boring…on round two.
unicornglitteryblood's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
I’m gonna be honest, this book was a nightmare to read. Basically you follow several characters and each chapter is the EXACT same events viewed by each character. Which means the exact same dialogues.
It was incredibly boring to read the exact same lines 5 times. The whole book is just a repetition. This book could have been much shorter if the dialogues weren’t written exactly the same at every chapter.
It was a poor writing decision. Every character sounds the same, none is lovable.
It was incredibly boring to read the exact same lines 5 times. The whole book is just a repetition. This book could have been much shorter if the dialogues weren’t written exactly the same at every chapter.
It was a poor writing decision. Every character sounds the same, none is lovable.
lovelife1008's review
3.0
I enjoyed the magical aspects of this book but did not understand the basketball parts of the book. I have never been a big fan of books revolving around sports so I was not the target audience for this book.
sky899's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5