Customer Reviews

Players

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Joyce Sweeney depicts perfectly the lives of 5 young, talented, athletic boys. They all have a goal; the All-City Championship. I play and enjoy basketball very much, and I like to read books about how to get better, biographies on players, and just books in general about basketball. This book was by far the most captivating and most enjoyable one to read. Players was so interesting and so real, I was drawn in and couldn't put it down. I would stay up late during weeknights and read. I've NEVER done that before. It even has adventure in it! Some of the parts were so thrilling I even got goosebumps. If you want a GREAT book about basketball, choices, life, and relationships, this is your book. I think I'll even read it one more time and experience it all over again!!

. . . to enjoy this book. But if you are one, you'll like it even better. When Noah, a transfer from another school, tries out for the Corey's school team, he seems like a dream come true -- a high scorer to complete the roster and help them win the championship. But Corey's best friend, Luke, suspects there's more to Noah than that. And by the time Corey begins to realize that Luke may be right, it may be too late to save the team . . . and Luke. Diabolical Noah is a great character -- just when you think he couldn't be any more horrible, he tops himself! But just as important are the relationships between the team members. And readers will find sinister plots, setups, and car chases enough to keep them turning pages until it's over. I read it in one night! Bet you will too. Also, check out Sweeney's Free Fall, for the same kind of exciting story.

Players Book Review

Players written by Joyce Sweeney, is an awesome book to read for all ages. Sweeney uses the innocence of a high school basketball team to show how one person's evil can destroy many lives if that person is not stopped. The themes of deceit, mistrust, and extreme competitiveness are recurrent throughout the novel.

Many high school players want to be the best in their sport. They always want the spotlight to be on them. In Players, one of the main characters, Noah, is way too competitive. For example, Noah goes to great lengths to get a couple people off of his new basketball team just so he could have a starting position at his new school. The quote "You found out he was [gay]" (186) was said by Corey, another member of the team. Noah found out one of the starters on the team was gay so he blackmailed him. He told him if he didn't quit the team that he would tell everyone. In addition, Noah plants a gun in Luke's locker so Luke would get suspended and he could have the starting center spot on the team. Noah has a chronic lying disorder that is caused by his competitive nature. This eventually catches up to him. If Corey had just sat back and not done anything to stop this madman, Noah would have gotten away with this and ruined many lives. It is good to want the spotlight and to want to be the best, but tearing others down to build yourself up is never the right thing to do.

During the time Noah is running around making everyone's life miserable, he is actually really nice to the people he is using. For example, Noah secretly becomes good friends with Corey's sister on the internet. He tricks "Renee" into thinking he is some goth freak which Renee happens to like. At the end of the novel Noah uses this trust he has with Renee to kidnap her and almost kill her. This causes her to have to go through therapy because of her "too trustful" attitude. It is a nice gesture to be nice to someone you don't know, but trusting them before you really know them can be a bad decision. In addition, Corey is also tricked by Noah. Noah gives Corey some pills before there first basketball game to give to Luke. Luke's neck is hurting. Corey, not even knowing Noah at the time, gives Luke the pills and thinks nothing of it. Luke faints during the first period. Corey's trust is misplaced when he does this. Corey knows that Noah really wants Luke's position, but doesn't think twice about giving him the pills. Being overly trustful to a new friend can be a dangerous thing.

Anyone can relate to this novel because of the competitive nature in our youth and because everyone has trusted someone they shouldn't have. Everyone knows the old cliché "you can't judge a book by its cover". Noah put on a good act, but was eventually discovered. Finally, the novel shows how if we are not in control of our competitiveness, it can lead to harmful things.

To say this book is a page-turner would be an understatement. Set in a Catholic high school, the basketball team is determined to win the Miami All-City trophy. What should be an easy task, suddenly seems unattainable when new kid Noah is added to the roster. His moves are good, but his intentions aren't. After all, basketball isn't a one man show. When mysterious things begin to happen to his teammates--tampered medications, a gun in a locker, and the sudden departure of a key player--team captain, Corey, is the last to realize that Noah is behind it all. The book will keep you hooked up until the final buzzer, when Noah's launches a last ditch effort to get back at the squad. Joyce Sweeney certainly knows how to keep the reader engaged.
--Reviewed By Kerry O'Malley Cerra

A Review by Remo

Corey is the star basketball player for his school averaging just about twenty seven points per game. He is the team captain and everything is going his way. That is until the new player, Noah Travers makes the team. Lately there are suspicious things happening with the team and the members. Most of the team is blaming it on Noah. Corey doesn't want to jump to conclusions because he believes that Noah should have a fair chance. Who is right, Corey, or the rest of the team?

I really liked how this book kept me on the edge of my seat. It's the first book in quite a while that I couldn't put down. It sort of all fit together to make an exciting story that really could happen which made it very fun to read. I also like the book because I can relate to it in a number of ways so it gave me a lot of interest. I knew what they were talking about when they discussed plays and read stats. A lot of the players on the team in this book reminded me of the players in my team. The only thing that I didn't like in this book was the ending. It was very vague and not a very exciting climax. The climax was quite strong but the ending was pretty boring. I really wanted it to sort out so you could see what happens after all the excitement.

I would recommend this book to someone who likes sports and who is excited with mystery. I thought it was very fun and enjoyable to read. It was long but I never wanted to put it down.

I can't help but wonder as I read the other reviews if I read the same book as everyone else. I originally picked up this book because I teach 7/8th grade English and thought it might be something for my students who are into sports. What I found was an overly simplistic "mystery" with predictable twists and a couple of sexual references thrown in here and there. Normally I agree with the ALA on their picks for reluctant readers, but I think they missed on this one.

5 young, talented basketball players, all with the same goal; The All-City Championship!! These boys have played together for a few years but now some players unexpectedly quit the team in their senior year. Could it have something to do with the transfer student who pushes his way into everyone's life?? The teams starting forward surprisingly quits the team and won't tell anyone why. Luke suddenly faints before a game, gets hurt at practice by Noah, and then finds a gun in his locker...there is definitely something going on. Not only does Luke have his suspicions about Noah but the whole team and even the coach are rethinking Noah's position on the team. This book is a gripping story from the first page to the end. Players is about friendship, trust, choices, ambition and relationships and will capture any basketball player from the start.

Wow! I loved this book. Normally I don't read books in two days but this one I couln't put down. This book does have basketball in it but you don't have to be a die hard sports fan to understand this book. You don't even have to know anything about sports to understand it. I recommend this book to anyone who has time or doesn't have time. It's not a very long book and it's a quick read.

This was a suspensful book. The protagonist was Corey, and the antagonist was Noah. During this book the basketball team has high hopes for all state. It goes through the book with many problems and solutions. In the end someone close to Corey is near death.This was a great book.

This book was really awesome. It was hard to put it down. I really enjoyed it. It was kind of confusing in the beginning. I wish there was a second book.