ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

Twins Owen and Russell have followed different paths. Owen loves playing basketball, while Russell takes pride in leading the school's Masters of the Mind team. When the new basketball coach spots Russ in the hallway ("Hey, you! . . . Tall kid!"), he recruits him for the seventh-grade team. Russ hopes that sharing basketball will help him grow closer to his twin, but Owen responds to him as an invader on his territory. The experience shifts the dynamics of their relationship and leaves them both shaken, yet more aware of their fundamental bond. The first-person narrative alternates between the brothers, a technique that works well, showing each one's emotional makeup as well as individual points of view on the problems at hand. There's wit as well as painful reflection in the novel, which shows both boys developing unrecognized talents behind their cool jock and proud nerd facades. A promising first volume in the Athlete vs. Mathlete series.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Owen was the jock. I was the brains. And that was how it was supposed to be.

Kirkus Reviews

Seventh-grade fraternal twins Owen and Russell are as different as night and day, and that spells trouble when both of them make the basketball team. Owen is the quintessential jock: He plays basketball nearly all the time, and when he isn't playing, he's thinking about it. Russell, more concerned with academics, serves as leader of his school's Masters of the Mind team, a group that competes against other schools to solve tough mental puzzles. He's generally regarded as physically inept. Russell and Owen don't understand each other's worlds, but previously, it hardly seemed to matter. Then the new coach asks Russell to try out for the team because he's tall, and with that height comes a surprisingly satisfying skill in blocking shots. Owen, no longer the sole star athlete in his family, becomes increasingly jealous as his father, who once more or less ignored Russell, begins to focus on both sons. Chapters alternate between the brothers' first-person accounts, providing readers with a nice look at their diametrically opposed thinking. Russell's chapters are amusing, as he discovers unexpected talents and abilities. Owen comes across as much less attractive; readers may be surprised by the level of his anger and his childish behavior. Despite the differing perspectives, though, it's never more than a superficial exploration of the differences between brothers, enlivened by welcome infusions of basketball. (Fiction. 10-14)