Learning the Game

(Paperback)

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Description

Over the hot, Indiana summer, Nate's high school basketball team practices on a local court off a row of fraternities.

Reviews

SLJ 12/1/05
WALTMAN, Kevin. Learning the Game. 217p. Scholastic. 2005. Tr $16.95. ISBN 0-439-73109-7. LC number unavailable.
Gr 8 Up-Nate's brother, Marvin, accidentally shot his friend five years ago. This chance event sends him away from home and down the road of drugs and crime, leaving his wealthy parents in a fog of denial. Nate's goal is snagging the final starting spot on the varsity basketball team, and he practices every day on a court outside a local fraternity house. One thing leads to another and Nate finds himself following some of his teammates into the house, stealing whatever they can and rationalizing that the wealthy fraternity boys will not miss a few electronics. As Nate struggles with his conscience, he learns about how a chance decision can make or break someone's life. Does he confess to his coach and risk incriminating the entire team Does he follow his girlfriend's advice and protect his image Does he seek out Marvin and try to learn from his mistakes Readers picking up the book for sports action will not be disappointed, but they will also find themselves relating to and intrigued by Nate and the tough choices he is forced to make. Conflict ranges from external as players compete for time on the varsity team, to internal as Nate must decide between right and wrong and chance versus choice. Teenagers will relate to these well-developed characters who make poor decisions and are then left to struggle with the consequences.-Julie Webb, Shelby County High School, Shelbyville, KY
Kliatt
Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, July 2005 (Vol. 39, No. 4))
Waltman, the author of a similar YA novel, Nowhere Fast, knows how to get at the heart of an adolescent boy, especially one unsure of who he is. The protagonist is Nate, who lives a comfortable life in the best section of a small town in Indiana; he is the younger brother of Marvin, whose life appears to be in ruin after an accident with a gun. Marvin knows when Nate is involved withp