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 Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Nate Gilman has spent all summer working on his game at the full court near the Sigma Chi fraternity house. A new school year is about to begin, and he will soon learn if his hard work will pay off. It has to. After all, Nate is the "golden boy" of his small Indiana town. He is handsome, makes good grades, comes from a rich family, and has an awesome J (jump shot). Besides, compared to his brother Marvin, who fired the gun that killed his neighborhood playmate, Jeff, Nate is close to perfect. Or is he? Days before Midnight Madness, the practice marking the beginning of basketball season, coach interrogates each of his players about their alleged involvement in a break-in. No one falters in their loyalty to each other or in their willingness to ensure that the team remains intact and eligible to play at the season's start. Coach releases a sigh of relief until Nate, who tries to maintain his usual faþade, which now includes covering up his participation in the robbery, admits his involvement. When he does, team members turn against him, he is kicked off the basketball team, and he realizes that he has no idea how to play his position in the game of life. This title is a must-have for those interested in putting books in the hands of adolescent boys, but female sports fans and those who like books with severely flawed heroes will find it a page-turner as well.-KaaVonia Hinton-Johnson.

Nate is looking forward to the start of the basketball season when he hopes to finally become a starter on his high-school team. One night in late summer, at the end of a pickup game, one of Nate's teammates suggests that they break into a local fraternity house. Despite his pangs of conscience, Nate goes along with the crime and helps carry the loot to a van. The basketball players are soon the prime suspects in the break-in, which becomes big news in Nate's small Indiana college town. Nate wants to come forward, but his girlfriend and friends talk him out of it; his confession would mean that he and the others involved would be kicked off the team. The sports story and Nate's dilemma are made more complex by Nate's difficult relationship with his tormented older brother. The layered issues, together with excellent writing sparked with many sharp phrases, make for a compelling novel that offers no easy answers.

Nate's high school life is focused on his single-minded efforts to make the varsity basketball team. His dream begins to unravel after the team bully convinces Nate and teammates to break into a college frat house and loot it. Complicating things is the crime's only witness: Nate's brother, Marvin, who is homeless. Strong character development and realistic dialogue are mixed with fast-paced sport action.