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sharknato's review
4.0
Really cool concept with the seamless combination of fantasy and modern sport.
the_fabric_of_words's review
5.0
Have you got a tween who loves basketball and maybe's read a few fantasy stories, but most of them don't hold their attention for too long because...well, the stories don't involve an orange ball? Well, then, this read's for them!
I wish I had found this series when my son, who's now 16 and waaay taller than me, was little. He was bitten by the basketball bug in the third grade and this would have been a perfect read! There were no basketball teams this year, due to COVID, but next year he'll try out again for his high school team. ;-)
You can tell a lot of care went into crafting these stories. It begins with the cover. A layer of luxurious red velvet is laid over the cover and a gold embossed basketball glints in the light.
The books, five in all, are told from the points of view of different players on the West Bottom Badgers team: Rain (the shooter), Twig (the tall man), Cash (the big man), and two brothers, Peño (point guard) and Lab.
The Baders are the worst team in the youth league, set in a fantasy world, a dystopia called Dren. The boys are all on the team for different reasons, but their record's so bad because they each play an "individual" game -- whether consciously or unconsciously. Some do it because they think it's expected (Rain), others because they're afraid of being hurt by teammates (Twig), others because they're actually afraid of hurting someone (Cash), and so on. Problem is, they can't see what they're doing, or why it makes the team so terrible.
Then Professor Rolabi Wizenard walks into the Fairwood Community Center's gym, and they're in for the training camp of their lives. Whether it's shooting from a crumbling plateau, defending against a tiger, storming (or defending) a castle in knight's armor, or getting trapped in the gym as the walls close in on them (Star Wars garbage chute scene nod), their ability to come together as a team will determine if they survive, much less make it onto the team and get to play basketball games and achieve their dreams.
There are so many great morsels in these books and I love that they focus not on the games, but on training camp and each boy's internal struggle, and how that manifests on the court.
An awesome fantasy basketball read!
Teacher's Note:
As a teacher, there's a lot you could do this this book to examine POV -- point of view.
The publisher, Granity Studios, offers a free 7-page Teaching Guide. Unlike other free book guides, you'll have to sign up with your email address to download it, but it came in a few seconds as a pdf file.
I won't post it here, as it's only offered behind the email sign-up wall, but it's a very good teaching guide. The before/during/after reading activities focus on the lessons learned by each individual character; there are 5 after reading discussion questions; an after reading activity that has students assume the roles they would on a basketball team -- defender, point guard, etc. -- and evaluate the character's POV from the assigned role POV and compare / contrast how they differ; evaluate 10 quotes from IRL coaches; a building activity involving spaghetti, jubjubes and masking tape; and even working in pairs on a basketball court to shoot blindfolded! It looks like so much fun to teach!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
I wish I had found this series when my son, who's now 16 and waaay taller than me, was little. He was bitten by the basketball bug in the third grade and this would have been a perfect read! There were no basketball teams this year, due to COVID, but next year he'll try out again for his high school team. ;-)
You can tell a lot of care went into crafting these stories. It begins with the cover. A layer of luxurious red velvet is laid over the cover and a gold embossed basketball glints in the light.
The books, five in all, are told from the points of view of different players on the West Bottom Badgers team: Rain (the shooter), Twig (the tall man), Cash (the big man), and two brothers, Peño (point guard) and Lab.
The Baders are the worst team in the youth league, set in a fantasy world, a dystopia called Dren. The boys are all on the team for different reasons, but their record's so bad because they each play an "individual" game -- whether consciously or unconsciously. Some do it because they think it's expected (Rain), others because they're afraid of being hurt by teammates (Twig), others because they're actually afraid of hurting someone (Cash), and so on. Problem is, they can't see what they're doing, or why it makes the team so terrible.
Then Professor Rolabi Wizenard walks into the Fairwood Community Center's gym, and they're in for the training camp of their lives. Whether it's shooting from a crumbling plateau, defending against a tiger, storming (or defending) a castle in knight's armor, or getting trapped in the gym as the walls close in on them (Star Wars garbage chute scene nod), their ability to come together as a team will determine if they survive, much less make it onto the team and get to play basketball games and achieve their dreams.
There are so many great morsels in these books and I love that they focus not on the games, but on training camp and each boy's internal struggle, and how that manifests on the court.
An awesome fantasy basketball read!
Teacher's Note:
As a teacher, there's a lot you could do this this book to examine POV -- point of view.
The publisher, Granity Studios, offers a free 7-page Teaching Guide. Unlike other free book guides, you'll have to sign up with your email address to download it, but it came in a few seconds as a pdf file.
I won't post it here, as it's only offered behind the email sign-up wall, but it's a very good teaching guide. The before/during/after reading activities focus on the lessons learned by each individual character; there are 5 after reading discussion questions; an after reading activity that has students assume the roles they would on a basketball team -- defender, point guard, etc. -- and evaluate the character's POV from the assigned role POV and compare / contrast how they differ; evaluate 10 quotes from IRL coaches; a building activity involving spaghetti, jubjubes and masking tape; and even working in pairs on a basketball court to shoot blindfolded! It looks like so much fun to teach!
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
aleksandradee's review
3.0
This is a cute story to read or listen to the audio version with children. It was cute, it was inspiring and the audio was like a performance but it was very repetitive. I won’t judge it harshly because it’s supposed to be a children’s book but I did grow bored with it fairly quickly.
cheollie's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
monniebiloney's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
The 'book' order doesn't really matter, so you can read them in any order. The official order is the best order I think, but you would be not be spoiled or anything if you decided to switch it up. If I were to read this again, I would try to read 1 chapter of each book, then the enxt chapter and so on. I think it would be a cool way to read it
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Self harm, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Body shaming, and Bullying
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship
dewalt335's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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
4.5
Wow. I mean, Wow. This physical book contained the same story from five different perspectives and it was an amazing ride. Anyone who reads this will be able to relate to one of the players and learn from Rolabi. I’ve been making a point of reading all of the books Kobe was a part of this year and this one taught me more than any of the others (even though those are great too. I am 24 years old and the lessons from that book as well as some of the things Rolabi says just slap you in the face with your own reality.
Kobe’s influence and experience is definitely apparent in this series, but Wesley King, BRAVO. I mean I just don’t know how to explain how eye opening this series is and how difficult it is to write about the same 10 days of events from five different points of view but still encapsulate the reader ENTIRELY. Chef’s Kiss tween writing.
Kobe’s influence and experience is definitely apparent in this series, but Wesley King, BRAVO. I mean I just don’t know how to explain how eye opening this series is and how difficult it is to write about the same 10 days of events from five different points of view but still encapsulate the reader ENTIRELY. Chef’s Kiss tween writing.
shreerang's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jeremychiasson's review
1.0
"Training Camp" is a morbidly fascinating glimpse into Kobe Bryant's deranged egotism. The lavish, garish cover design can not disguise the utter lack of literary substance present in this monument to marketing hubris. Even if kids are taken in the by the concept, they just don't end up liking this book.
I love Harry Potter, and I love basketball, but "Training Camp" did not successfully synthesize these two elements. Like Peanut Butter and Mayo. YUCK.
I love Harry Potter, and I love basketball, but "Training Camp" did not successfully synthesize these two elements. Like Peanut Butter and Mayo. YUCK.
booknallnight's review
5.0
OK all I can say is WOW. What a fantastic read!! There is so much packed in here I don't know that I can adequately describe how I feel after reading this, but I will try...
This book is broken into five parts, each describing a main player's POV. You would think it would get boring or frustrating but that is not the case here. Each perspective brings you closer to the main characters and gets you emotionally involved. I was in tears during some parts of their stories.
Scattered throughout the story, and at the beginning of each chapter are Wizenard Proverbs such as:
"If you don't like being alone, you must learn to like yourself."
and
"There is always a deeper darkness. Find it, face it, and know the night will pass "
These quips are easy to apply to the daily grind of life and really make you look deep and reflect. I will be writing some of these down and taping them around.
Even though the core storyline revolves around basketball, this is a story anyone can enjoy. The main point I took away was that we, as humans, are so quick to judge others' lives. We think someone has it harder or easier when in fact we know nothing at all. If we LOOKED, we would see, and we would find that things are never what we think they are.
This book is broken into five parts, each describing a main player's POV. You would think it would get boring or frustrating but that is not the case here. Each perspective brings you closer to the main characters and gets you emotionally involved. I was in tears during some parts of their stories.
Scattered throughout the story, and at the beginning of each chapter are Wizenard Proverbs such as:
"If you don't like being alone, you must learn to like yourself."
and
"There is always a deeper darkness. Find it, face it, and know the night will pass "
These quips are easy to apply to the daily grind of life and really make you look deep and reflect. I will be writing some of these down and taping them around.
Even though the core storyline revolves around basketball, this is a story anyone can enjoy. The main point I took away was that we, as humans, are so quick to judge others' lives. We think someone has it harder or easier when in fact we know nothing at all. If we LOOKED, we would see, and we would find that things are never what we think they are.