Hoops of Steel

April 1, 2007
Gr 9 Up-Love of basketball and Honors English, and the surrogate parenting of neighbor Granny Dwyer, help high school senior Jackson O'Connell deal with the breakup of his family, being ostracized at school, and having second-string status on his varsity team. Haunted by his father's alcoholism, which led to a climactic night of violence and self-defense, Jackson is labeled "Mr. Killer" by wary classmates. Estranged from his parents and living with Granny Dwyer, he hangs out on weekends with Danny and other new friends on rival Shoreview's basketball team. As the boys wisecrack and compete on Danny's backyard "High Court," they banter about racial attitudes, their rich versus poor New Jersey towns, girls and sex, acne and body odor, and their basketball dreams. When Ivory Lewis, an alluring, manipulative classmate, betrays Jackson's new friend, Thaddeus, and falsely accuses a favorite teacher of sexual advances, Jackson learns the importance of loyalty and forgiveness. His narrative is candid, witty, and full of angst as he struggles to understand Danny's racist father; wonders if he can trust his own father's letter of apology; wavers in his attraction to smart, perceptive Kelly; and anxiously waits for the coach to give him more playing time. Although the alcoholism and domestic violence in Jackson's family are believably tragic, the circumstances of the night that finally broke up his family seem unnecessarily bizarre. Nonetheless, sports quotes that begin chapters, lively on-court descriptions, crisp dialogue, and an assertive but reflective narrator will attract teen readers."Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2007
In the year since his family was torn apart by domestic violence, high-school-senior Jackson O'Connell has tried to keep his life on track. He is helped by Granny Dwyer, a neighbor who took him in and provides a stable home, and by his passion for playing basketball. Then a coach derails his basketball plans, and over the course of the school year, Jackson wrestles with his anger and insecurity. In his debut novel for youth, Foley includes too many troubling subplots that require deeper treatments. Particularly undeveloped are story lines about Jackson's favorite teacher, who is accused of misconduct with a student, and about the racial tension on the basketball court, which is exacerbated by a player's bigoted father, who uses the " n"-word. What does feel fully realized here are the exciting basketball scenes and the small moments that reveal Jackson's fragile self-confidence, which is rocked nearly as much by his "volcanic" acne as it is by the emotional scars his family has left.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)