LEARNING THE GAME
Kevin Waltman
Scholastic Press
Fiction
ISBN: 0439731097
224 pages

Sixteen-year-old Nate practically lives, eats, and breathes basketball. He spends most of his free time shooting hoops and trying to improve his game, in hopes that the coach will give him a starting position when the season begins.

During the summer Nate and his teammates practice at the nearby frat house's empty basketball court. Branson, a braggart and a bully, decides to break into the empty frat house, and he talks the team into joining him. Branson even convinces the others to help him load up his old van with electronics, clothes, and other items from the house. The boys basically strip the house of anything valuable that can later be sold, and Nate helps load the van. Only one player, Jackson, walks away in disgust, wanting nothing to do with the robbery.

Because Nate's older brother Marvin, no stranger to the local police, lives near the frat house, he becomes a suspect in the robbery. The team has an unspoken pact. Cheneyville is a small town, and soon rumors start swirling around the team since they practice at the frat's court. When questioned by school authorities, to a man, the team denies any involvement in the robbery.

Still, the pressure is really on. Nate's parents are suspicious. Lorrie, Nate's girlfriend, begs him to remain silent about the robbery, but Nate's conscience is bothering him. He and Jackson are good friends. Nate knows he let Jackson down, and Jackson doesn't appreciate having to lie for the team. Marvin tries to keep the police at bay while encouraging Nate to come forward with the truth and deal with whatever happens.

Nate is very confused and frightened. If he confesses he will be in big trouble at home, at school, and with Lorrie. He knows his confession will implicate the team and that the team will turn on him. He will lose his friends, his place on the team, and the respect of his parents. There will be punishment of some sort, and the basketball season will be over for him. If he remains silent, though, it surely will force Marvin to leave town.

Kevin Waltman has done an excellent job of inviting the reader directly into the center of Nate's dilemma. Sometimes the reader empathizes with Nate's predicament. Other times, the reader wants to shake Nate out of his self-absorption. Always, though, the reader keeps turning the page to see what happens next.

   --- Reviewed by Carole Turner

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