Pick-Up Game

Gr 8 Up—This outstanding collection of short stories and poetry (Candlewick, 2011), written by celebrated authors such as Walter Dean Myers, Robert Burleigh, and Joseph Bruchac and edited by Marc Aronson and Charles R. Smith Jr., is read by gifted narrators Dion Graham and Quincy Taylor Bernstine. Each section is told from the point of view of a group of teens and adults playing basketball on a New York City court called the Cage. Competing in these games are males and females of different backgrounds—African American, Latino, Native American, Eastern European, Caucasian. Everyone from player to spectator has something worthwhile to say to listeners. Slowly, a story line emerges, recounting the events of one particular day from different viewpoints. In an afterword read by Aronson, he explains that each YA author was given a turn to add to the story in sequence. Standout characters include Sharon G. Flake's narrator of "Virgins Are Lucky," a story about a teen who values her self-respect over temptation with a not-so-special boy. Robert Lipsyte's "The Shoot" is narrated by a "crippled boy" who has been invisible to everyone at the Cage until he mediates a dispute that ends the tale of this full day. Charles R. Smith, Jr.'s poems add great flavor and are read with verve and style. Graham and Bernstine are superb narrators, giving each character a distinct and authentic voice. There's a lot more than just basketball to keep this collection moving. For all libraries that serve teens.—B. Allison Gray, Santa Barbara Public Library System, CA