Coach Carter (Paperback)

by Jasmine Jones (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

When former Richmond High School basketball legend Ken Carter agrees to take over his alma mater's floundering team, he has the players sign a contract that demands good grades, perfect class attendance, and suits on game days. With Coach Carter at the helm, the Oilers' record soon stands at 12 and 0. But when the coach learns that some members of his team are cutting class and failing academically, he locks them out of the gym, incurring the wrath of the players, the school, and the community. Coach Carter's determination to adhere to his convictions puts his philosophy and his players' trust to the ultimate test.

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Amistad (December 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060772522
• ISBN-13: 978-0060772529
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #276,267 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #56 in	Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Sports > Basketball > Fiction
  #88 in	Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > Sports & Recreation
  #95 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > United States > State & Local

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book was a slam dunk!!!!, April 27, 2005

By	Mid-Prairie Teen - See all my reviews

Inspired by the life of Coach Ken Carter, the coach with a tough-as-nails approach. Set in the late 1990s and in California, Carter becomes the basketball coach of his former high school, Richmond High, where he excelled on the team when he was. The team he now coaches has had dismal seasons for years and he's here to bring the team and school to new heights. Part of his approach is to get his team to believe in something and that's education and discipline. Some of the kids on the team come from single parent families and the kids and have to hustle and get by on their own for financial support. Ken's son, Damien, has always played basketball under his father's guidance and transfers from a prestigious school to be on Richmond's team. The first day of practice is a day of reckoning for some players who are not used to being coach by a tough person; and Cruz takes his street mentality to challenge Coach Carter, which proves useless. Kenyon is a good kid and really believes that if the team starts winning, he could be looked upon for an academic scholarship for college. This doesn't go well with his girlfriend Kyra, who might be expecting, and put his future in a tailspin. To achieve success is to have goals, and Coach Carter has each player sign a contract stating that they will attain a 2.3 GPA in class in order to play. Everything is going good when the team starts winning and the spirits are high everywhere within the school, until the grade reports come in with unsatisfactorily results. Not only does Coach Carter stops the team from playing, but he has also locked the doors to the gym, forcing the school and the community to challenge him and his authority.

5.0 out of 5 stars coach carter, November 29, 2006

A Kid's Review

The book Coach Carter is a very interesting and inspiring book. It motivates young readers and basketball players to never stop believing in themselves. It helped me to realize that no matter what the situation is I should never give up. The characters in the story are very realistic and so are the situations. I have never seen the movie of Coach Carter so I would really like to go see it soon and see all the characters come to life. I give this book 5 star because it kept me reading the whole time wanting to see what was going to happen next. This is a really good book and I recommend it to anyone that could have a dream in life. If you've never read Coach Carter before you should diffidently go read it.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Preview to View, January 1, 2005

By	Rosa "Bookworm" (Detroit,MichiganUSA) - See all my reviews

To be honest I didn't have much interest in the movie. That is until I read the book. This is a fascinating story about Coach Carter about not only helping his team win but also teaching life lessons on the way. Looking forward to seeing the movie.