Review: We Are Family

 

Jayden Carr has been training all summer to be ready for Hoop Group--the free afterschool basketball program where his hero, NBA superstar Kendrick King, got his start. But when his beloved coach tells him there's not going to be a Hoop Group this year, Jayden is heartbroken.

And he's not the only one. Coach Beck's daughter, Tamika, was planning to be the first girl ever to start for the squad. Chris King, Kendrick's only nephew, spent the summer bragging that his uncle was coming home just to watch him play. For Anthony Pierson, Hoop Group was supposed to be his way out of trouble. And for Dexter Donyel, all 4'6" of him, Hoop Group was his chance to finally be part of a team, instead of just watching from the stands.

For each kid, Hoop Group was more than just a chance to ball; it was an escape, a dream, a family. Now their prospects seem all but impossible--but then the world hasn't met Jayden, Tamika, Chris, Anthony, and Dex before. Determined to have their shot, the five new friends scrap, hustle, fight, and play hard to save their season to prove that sometimes a chance is all it takes. - Summary from the publisher

My Thoughts: I really liked this book.* I loved Jayden but my heart went out of the Tamika. I adored her characters and how she was determined to make this team happy - even if it meant standing up to her father. I loved Chris's story arc and how he changed. I loved how this team became a team of underdogs but had each other's backs. 

*There was one nitpicking problem and that was the layout. I didn't like how they characters switched POVs in the middle of the chapters. It was sometimes hard to figure out the new character's POV and took me out of the story.

Cover Thoughts: Fantastic - so many little details.

Source: My Library

Library Recommendation: A must have book for school and public libraries.