Saturday, February 7, 2015

Stealing the Game, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar knows basketball, but does he know story telling?  In Streetball Crew Book 2, Stealing the Game, Abdul-Jabbar, with some help from co-author Raymond Obstfeld, tells a fun story for teens.  The Streetball Crew made their first appearance in Sasquatch in the Paint.  The middle-school basketball buddies now face a new challenge, a club team from the rich part of town.  They are older and bigger, but the Streetball Crew still brings a game.

When Chris's brother Jax returns from law school, Chris knows something's up.  Jax sets up the game with the club team to pay off a debt to their coach.  Chris sets his pal Theo on the case, and when things finally become clear, it's not at all what Chris thought was going on at first.

Stealing the Game portrays the importance of teamwork, believing in your family, and doing the right thing.  I appreciated the character that Chris and his friends showed on and off the court.  It was also nice to see such positive portrayals of their school basketball coach and their principal.  Stealing the Game isn't all about playing basketball, but basketball-loving young readers will want to keep on reading after the games are over.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

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