The Basket Counts

Library Thing Part D #5 Realistic Fiction Popular
Christopher, Matt, and Karen Meyer. The Basket Counts. Boston: Little, Brown, 1991. Print.

Even though this title was written in 1968, it is still popular and apropos for today’s youth.
Sales associates at Barnes and Noble and at Borders will tell you right out …”boys love Matt Christopher’s sport series. This series continues to sell very well and parents and young readers ask for these books consistently. The Basket Counts is a short quick entertaining read. It is not complex nor too busy with heavy issues, but rather presents a realistic but toned down realism of friendship, tolerance, neighborhood, and sibling problems. Even though it’s a light read, it still addresses school, family, and team sports in a positive and nonviolent manner. Parents, Coaches, teachers, and classes are viewed as assets to a student’s daily life. However the main focus is the basketball court and the boys playing games. The author uses sports terms, vividly describes basketball moves and uses rhythmic sentence patterns that engage readers.
The Basket Counts, opens with Mel Jensen, a transferring student, hoping to be part of the starting lineup, for the Hillcrest basketball team; the Titans. Mel’s father, a dentist, moves his family to predominant white section of Trexton. It appears, Dr. Jensen has been invited to join the established dental clinic of Dr. Collins. There are only two African American families in the community. Mel and Daryl as well as one Hispanic student are the only players treated disrespectfully by two of the team players: Caskie and Stoney. They refuse to pass the ball to them at games and whenever they miss a basket or a pass, Caskie criticizes them is a loud voice. The Coach talks to Caskie and to Caskie’s mother to no avail and eventually benches Caskie their best player indefinitely.
Mel wrestles with the racial slants from Caskie but eventually wins him over after Mel helps Caskie save his friend from drowning. There was no stereotyping of either family; the books main focus was the importance of team unity and strength. This is a definite addition to any school library for elementary and middle school+. I liked the book for reluctant readers. Curriculum connection is language arts, and health class reports. ( )

The reason I liked this book is because it showed how people of different races can learn to get along in the end. I also liked it because it discussed teamwork and how the TItans were able to win a championship. I felt this was something that can happen in real life. -G.M ( )