Jump Ball: A Basketball Season in Poems [Hardcover]

Mel Glenn (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

A collection of poems captures the spirit, drive, love, and devotion of the players, teachers, fans, friends, and families who perform a key role in a high-school basketball team during a season of play."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9. "To all my old-fogy colleagues,/Who seem to think that/Basketball has assumed some/Inordinate celestial weight/In the educational firmament,/I have a simple message: 'Get a life!'" That phrase from physics teacher Fiona Sullivan is just one of the realistic viewpoints presented in Glenn's story, told in free-verse poems. Jump Ball captures the pulse of the basketball season?on and off the court?in poignant, honest, and well-spoken glimpses into the many personalities who work and play at Tower High School. The Tigers have a hot point guard, Garrett James, who is destined for the NBA?but he has to make it through high school first. A lot of demands are placed on him by school, fans, media, etc. Garrett's popularity affects everyone. His coach believes, "Publicity is a poison,/Like a cup of wine/That can raise a man to drunken heights/Only to crash him down into frightening depths." Teenage crushes, pregnancy, homelessnes, and the glamorization of athletes are all examined here. Tower High's championship season is chronicled in fine, easy-to-read vignettes interspersed with broadcast accounts of the games. The insights of the players and adults are cleverly penned. They're sure to interest sports fans or just those desiring a look into human nature. The startling, tragic event that grips the team at the end of the season will keep young people reading to learn the fate of the troubled and terrific Tigers.?Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Basketball dreams shatter when a high-school team bus goes out of control on an icy road in this latest novel-in-poems from Glenn (The Taking of Room 114, p. 222, etc.). The course of Tower High's championship season becomes clear through the musings of a gallery of players, groupies, teachers, parents, and bystanders; the author expertly creates dramatic tension with early hints of the tragedy to come, but the voices he creates are largely focused on their own lives and concerns of the moment. Those voices are not as strong and distinct as some messages and strokes of broadly brushed irony, e.g., two pages after Rayanne Walker declares how hard she's worked to raise her son, and how hard he works to earn college money, he is killed in an attempted robbery--and his memorial service is just another item, along with the Spring Concert and the scores, in the school's morning announcements. Though Glenn's language is largely conversational, he breaks occasionally into quick, rap- like rhythms, or even concrete poetry, evoking the feel and pace of basketball action rather than conventionally describing it. His fans will find the characters falling into familiar types, and though at its best the poetry is exciting, some superficial, indifferent adults and the imminent crushing of so many hoop dreams give the story a bitter, discouraging cast. (Fiction/poetry. 12-15) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1 edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052567554X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525675549
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #649,583 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best books!!!!, June 8, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jump Ball: A Basketball Season in Poems (Hardcover)

i read this book in my LA class. It affected everyone. This is a book that you can really get into and it keeps you guessing. Theres something mysterious that the whole town is talking about and you don't find it out untill the end!! it teaches kids lessons and many things that they can relate to like teanage pregnency i loved reading this book! i thought that it was very realistic and if you never liked reading those books about magic and faries then this is a great book it's something different i've never read a book like it i think 99% of people would like it

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poetry, Basketball and Drama, May 2, 2004

By 

Mrs B. "fivealino" (Sherman Oaks, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jump Ball: A Basketball Season in Poems (Hardcover)

This is a journey of a high school's basketball team through one season a winning season. But a tragedy hits the team and the school. It is done in first person poetry. The reader hears many different voices. These voice include of players, students, teachers, their families and the media. There is a connection to the school and the team that builds through the story.
This is a fast read. The poems have a rhythm to them that moves you through basketball and the story. If a reader was ever skeptical about poetry or reading, this book would be a great asset.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book for everyone( Jump Ball), February 23, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jump Ball: A Basketball Season in Poems (Hardcover)

If you love Basketball you'll love this book, if you don't like basketball you'll love this book. Jump Ball is a book for all. This book creates real life scenarios for everyone to enjoy.You may get attached to the coach or the coaches wife or maybe one of the players or their girlfriends.
Jump Ball is about high school and Jr. high students that are trying out for basketball and the struggles that are going on behind the scenes of the basketball court. These kids eat, sleep, and drink basketball. You learn about the things they go through with their girlfriends and the things the girls go through with their boyfriends. You may just fall in love with some of the characters and the way they live their life.
If you are a Teen that loves to read on books that relate to you THIS IS THE BOOK!Jaw dropping, head turning type of book that you will want to read over and over again.I personally love this book if you take my advice you would love it too!You will not want to miss a beat of this book.
Short read and great to learn from, I suggest you read this!