This award-winning verse novel has a grounding in Basketball and Hip Hop. And it says something that despite the fact that I am not into either Basketball or Hip Hop, I enjoyed it. Did take me a while to get into it, given the number of references early on that I did not get. But there is power in this family story -- it is, in the end, a story about family -- which has a universal appeal. Two twin brothers, Jordan and Josh, are seventh grade b-ball phenoms who fall for their first girl. As in, they fall for the ~~same~~ girl. And they fall for her while in the playoffs. As imagined, this doesn't go well. Far beyond the sibling rivalry, however, is the story of a father and son, of growing up, and of love despite the odds. Like most verse novels, there is a tendency to skim the pages. Don't. The rhythms and subtleties of the tale could be missed. Also, take time to "look" at the pages, as some of the work borders on concrete poetry. It is a story which pulled me in unexpectedly -- sweet and funny and real until an ending comes which I both expected and hoped against hope wouldn't happen. I was grabbing at the tissues with both hands. Don't let the basketball/male themes throw you off. This is truly a book for everyone.
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