SuitabookSport and self-worth
Nick is trying to prove he is good enough for his high-school varsity team.
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Book details
Carl Deuker - Author
This is a sports-centred coming-of-age story in which basketball connects two very different teenagers. Alongside competition, it considers family change, loneliness, friendship, loyalty and betrayal through Nick’s changing relationship with Trent.
While trying to prove that he is good enough to be on his high school's varsity basketball team, Nick must also deal with his parents' divorce and the erractic behavior of a troubled classmate who lives across the street. Nick Abbott and Trent Dawson have nothing in common but basketball. It's sophomore year and Nick is trying to deal with his parents' divorce. He also really wants to be a star on the basketball team. Trent, his neighbor, is angry, and aggressive. The two form an uneasy bond as they quietly practice each night on Nick's backyard basketball court. But as the basketball season progresses, their lives become unexpectedly intertwined. In this story of an unlikely bond, Carl Deuker explores the confusing place between loneliness and friendship, between faithfulness and betrayal. Filled with gripping game play, this is a story about choices. While trying to prove that he is good enough to be on his high school's varsity basketball team, Nick must also deal with his parents' divorce and the erractic behavior of a troubled classmate who lives across the street.
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Sign in for personalised guidanceThis is a sports-centred coming-of-age story in which basketball connects two very different teenagers. Alongside competition, it considers family change, loneliness, friendship, loyalty and betrayal through Nick’s changing relationship with Trent.
Nick is trying to prove he is good enough for his high-school varsity team.
Nick and Trent practise together at night despite having little in common, and their lives become intertwined.
Nick is dealing with his parents’ divorce while navigating school, sport and his relationship with Trent.
Parents may wish to notice the treatment of divorce and a classmate described as angry, aggressive and troubled. The friendship’s movement between loyalty and betrayal could invite discussion about trust and responsibility.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the current material supports only a cautious reading; another book-specific source is still needed.
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