Travel Team

Summer reading projectBy: Gianni LeonardoTravel teamBook review This book is about a young basketball player named Danny Walker. He tries hard to get on the basketball team. Danny usually makes the team, until this year, When he didn't make the team, he felt confused. He later found out that he didn't make the team because he was too small. Danny's dad decides to make a team for him. Danny's dad used to play basketball until he got in a car crash. They then won a couple of games and eventually made playoffs. Danny's dad then gets in another car crash. After that, the best player, who breaks his wrist later on, joins the Middletown Vikings. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially if you love basketball. The book is very suspenseful. Every chapter has its own problem to be solved. The characters are very relate able, which makes the book even better. Once you pick the book up, you can't put it down. The theme of this book, is not to give up. Even though Danny was cut from his team, he still kept going. And believed in himself and kept his head up high and didn’t doubt himself. Even through the darkest times, Danny still has hope for his team. I think if you play basketball or any sport in general and you are having trouble of making the team this book will show you to not have doubt, to be confident and keep trying. Hopefully this will show you a little bit about the book . You can learn from Danny’s experiences from his problems. !

I read this book to my class of high school students who have special needs. Luckily, I used a think-aloud strategy so was able to modify some of the language on the fly and discuss and elaborate on some of the situations as they appeared in the book. Although the book is quite appropriate for most middle school students, there is a subset of students who have limited social experience and whose parents might be disturbed by some of the language and situations in the book. I have had students as young as 5th grade who have mild learning disabilities and loved the book. My 11th grade students who are in Life Skills were fully able to comprehend much of the book but did not have a social context to understand some of the language or events. The basketball play-by-play descriptions went too long for most of my students so, at their request, I skipped some of that so we could find out more about the characters and plot. They were interested enough to ask so that is high praise!

I ordered Travel Team and Hero by the same author Mike Lupica mainly for the book Hero which I had seen in a store and Travel Team because while researching Hero on Amazon.com it had good reviews. When they arrived luckily I picked up Travel Team and read it first. I thought it was a great young adult fiction book. I loved the characters and the story and was disappointed when it ended it left me wanting more and there were unaswered questions. After finishing the book I went back to Amzon.com and discovered thre was a second book Summer Ball which I am now reading. After finishing Travel Team I read Hero, a big disappointment. Thank goodness I didn't read it first. For suspense the main character keeps going back and forth asking "Uncle John" and Mr. Edmond questions about his father and his death and they keep giving him cryptic vague double-speak answers that I guess is suspose to be suspenseful. Do people really answer questions that way with vague nonsenesical answers. Also for a book with the title Hero there is very little action. Read Travel Team and skip Hero

Nice series for boys who love BB ... there is good story that touches on many life lessons and good values . My boy loved this writer and I would highly recommend it ! Nice plots - age appropriate and edicational as well as entertaining .

I liked the book considering I don’t love basketball, I highly recommend it to people that love basketball and don’t mind mild language

My 12 year old loves this book as she can relate to the player. She shared that the book was an easy read.

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Super book about determination, integrity, sportsmanship, friendship and love of the game😊. I enjoyed reading it with my 12 year old grandson. Many positive life lessons reinforced.