Butler, Caron and Justin A. Reynolds. Shot Clock. Fiction. HarperCollins/K. Tegen, 09/2022. 304pp. $16.99. 978-0-06-306959-6. OUTSTANDING. GRADES 7-9.
Tone is a thirteen-year-old African American growing up in the Milwaukee projects, where family, friends, and basketball are what keep him going. When his best friend D is killed by the police, Tone is determined to honor D’s legacy by making the team that D carried to two national championships. A dream team of authors (Butler is an NBA All-Star and Reynolds nails teen dialogue) combine to produce a sports novel packed with on-court action, activism, community, and heart. Even better, the plot manages to both defy expectations and surpass them. As Tone learns, there is more than one way to win.
Melissa McAvoy, Retired
