Hot Hand

This book was really good. I recommend this book to sports fans and basketball fans. ( )

Ten year old Billy Raynor only lives for one thing, and that's basketball. When he's on the basketball court with his buddy Lenny and his team the Magic, he's truly happy and it seems like all of his problems disappear. Or at least they would if Billy's dad wasn't also the team's head coach. Worse, Billy's parents have just separated and his dad has moved out of the house. And Billy's dad won't get off his back about his playing, insisting that Billy shoots too much and is trying too hard to be a sports hero instead of a team player. Both Billy and his father want to see the Magic go all the way to the championship this year, but even if the team makes it, will the two of them still be father and son when it's all over?

Billy's difficult relationship with his father takes center stage in this novel. Billy's dad is stubborn, opinionated, and has his own ideas about what Billy should and shouldn't do. He often doesn't listen to Billy, and clearly has his own problems to worry about as well. In short, he's the kind of dad we all can be sometimes. While Billy and his father are antagonists throughout the novel, Billy nevertheless still yearns to make him proud. Lupica's depiction of a difficult father and son relationship is quite realistic of their conflict while also avoiding demonizing either Billy or his father. He also portrays how children can often feel trapped within situations larger than themselves, especially those situations (like separation) that may never have a happy ending. The level of the text is appropriate for young readers, and this is an excellent book for a child (especially a boy) who loves basketball or sports, who is caught in the midst of his parents' separation or divorce, or who has a father who may sometimes ride him just a little too hard when trying to teach him important life lessons. Review by Book Dads ( )