From the #1 bestselling author of Heat, Travel Team and Million-Dollar Throw comes a feel-good basketball tale reminiscent of The Blind Side.
Forced to live on his own after his mom dies and her boyfriend abandons him, 12-year-old Jayson does whatever it takes to get by. He will do anything to avoid the foster care system. Besides, his real home has always been the beat-up basketball court behind the projects in the North Carolina hills, and his family has always been his friends and teammates. He manages to get away with his deception until the day he gets caught stealing a new pair of basketball sneakers. Game over. Within a day a social worker places him with a family from the other side of town, the Lawtons. New home, new school, new teammates.
Jayson, at first, is combatative, testing the Lawtons' patience at every turn. He wants out, yet the Lawtons refuse to take the bait. But not everyone in Jayson's new life is so ready to trust him--and even Jayson's old friends give him a hard time now that he's attending a school full of rich kids. It's on Jayson to believe that he deserves a better life than the one he once had. The ultimate prize if he can? A trip to play in the state finals at Cameron Indoor Stadium–home to the Duke Blue Devils and launching pad to his dream of playing bigtime college ball. Getting there will be a journey that reaches far beyond the basketball court.
In the tradition of uplifting stories like The Blind Side, Fast Break has all the family-friendly sports action Mike Lupica has become known and loved for.
Praise for Fast Break
"Eager fans will find this a slam-dunk. A must-purchase."–Booklist
"Lupica's announcer-like delivery will have you breathless, on the edge of your seat, cheering."–Florida Times-Union
"Fast Break is the perfect middle-grade read for fans of basketball. With so much attention to detail in each game, readers are practically with the characters on the court. Lupica has done it again."–VOYA
The sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Travel Team!When you're the smallest kid playing a big man's game, the challenges never stop—especially when your name is Danny Walker. Leading your travel team to the national championship may se...
It’s one single steamy July day at the West 4th Street Court in NYC, otherwise known as the Cage. Hotshot baller ESPN is wooing the scouts, Boo is struggling to guard the weird new guy named Waco, a Spike Lee wannabe has video rolling, and vir...
Reverse spin, triple pump, reverse dribble, stutter step with twist to the left, stutter into jumper, blind pass. These are me. The moves make the man. The moves make me.Jerome foxworthy -- the Jayfox to his friends -- likes to think he can handle ...
Narrator: Peter Francis James Published: 08/25/2009
It's basketball season. And for once, triple threat Alex Myers is not the one in the spotlight. There's anew new guy in town, and Max Bellotti promises to turn the Lions' losing streak around and lead the team to a conference title. Alex is psyched,...
Twelve-year-old Danny Walker knows something the coaches don’t: You can’t measure heart.Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court, but don’t tell him that. Because no one plays with a bigger love of the game. Or ...
From the New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander comes Rebound, the dynamic prequel to his Newbery Award-winning novel in verse, The Crossover. Before Josh and Jordan Bell were streaking up and down the court, their father was learning his...
Bestselling sports writer John Feinstein exposes the big money and backroom deals that pervade college basketball recruiting in this fast-break novel.Terrell Jamerson is the number one high school basketball player in the country. His team is poised...
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of HEAT, TRAVEL TEAM, and MILLION-DOLLAR THROW! Pedro Morales loves playing basketball, but he's more of a team guy than a star - that would be Ned Hancock, the best player in their entire town...
#1 New York Times bestseller Mike Lupica makes his return to the basketball court! There's a reason teammates call him "True." Because for basketball phenom Drew Robinson, there is nothing more true than his talent on the court. It's the kind that c...
