by Matt Christopher
I thought I'd read a Matt Christopher novel, since he's the #1 Sports Writer for Kids and has written about a million books. So I chose Center Court Sting. I was impressed! Not only was the play-by-play basketball in the novel exciting and graphic, but the story of Daren McCall figuring out how to be a better team player and friend was realistic and gripping.
Daren is a decent basketball player on his middle school team, the Rangers. They are one of the best teams in their league. However, their success is jeopardized when Daren can't get his anger under control. He loses it on the court and in the locker room one too many times. His coach, and even his close friend Lynn start to call Daren on his bad attitude. But the trouble is that Daren isn't sure why he's acting the way he is--it seems like all the problems are other peoples' fault! He even messes up a chance to impress his next door neighbor, Judy, when her little brother goes home crying after playing ball with Daren.
Luckily, Daren has a dad who listens and helps him out by giving him some good advice. At school and then on the court, Daren starts to pull it all together--just in time for the final game with their rival team, the Demons.
Daren seems like a regular kid, dealing with the kind of frustrations everyone has sometimes. When he finds out some sad information about one of his teammates, he's able to understand why the other player has seemed so hostile. And he changes his own behavior. For anyone who likes basketball, or any sport, this book is a great read.
(ISBN: 0-329-09547-1)
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