June 27, 2016
One of two books kicking off the Blacktop series, written at a fourth-grade reading level, Alonge’s first novel taps into the conflicted voice and emotions of 15-year-old Justin Shaw, a talented African-American basketball player trying to find his way. After accidentally burning down a local corner store in a misguided attempt to impress some guys in his Bushrod Park neighborhood of Oakland, Calif., Justin tries to assemble a ragtag basketball team to play against a tough team from nearby Ghosttown (“They show up to your neighborhood like Vikings—ready to conquer, pillage, and plunder”). It’s a coming-of-age story with hard edges and heart, and Justin’s strained relationship with his estranged, alcoholic father is especially well-handled. Another player on Justin’s team stars in Janae, available simultaneously. Ages 12–up.

April 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-Justin is having a tough summer in his gritty Oakland neighborhood. In order to distance himself from his alcoholic father and his boring stepfather, he has a list of goals for himself but is torn between his love of video games and literature and his desire to fit in with the other teens in his neighborhood. When Justin's attempt to earn points with the local gang by vandalizing a store ends poorly, his friend Frank decides that the two can prove themselves by defending the neighborhood basketball court against the rival Ghosttown players. They find enough misfit members to make a team, and Justin discovers that even though he hasn't achieved his goals, he has made progress toward them. This is a quick read with uncomplicated prose, and the basketball descriptions, as well as the theme of identity, will resonate with readers who are interested in urban fiction. Justin isn't caught for setting the store on fire, and he doesn't experience any guilt over destroying his friend's livelihood, which is disturbing, and the anachronistic use of the term Negro is confusing. VERDICT While the short length and cover illustration make this seem appropriate for a younger audience, the situations and coarse language make this a better purchase for high school libraries with struggling or reluctant readers.-Karen Yingling, Blendon Middle School, Westerville, OH

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2016
Alonge inaugurates a new basketball series set in Oakland, California, with a story featuring a young man trying to figure out basketball and life. Who exactly is Justin Shaw? Is he "a good boy," as his friend Omar, the Nigerian store owner, tells him? Is he "a nobody, a zero," as he himself thinks? Maybe his imaginary headline has it right: "Simpleton Gives into Peer Pressure, Ruins Life." Though he grew 7 inches last spring and is now 6-foot-4, at Bushrod, the local basketball court, he's no good, "a mess of arms and legs, uncoordinated like you wouldn't believe." The brief novel is both a satisfying basketball story and an African-American boy's first-person account of finding his way in the world. He's reading Don Quixote and is kind of like the fictional protagonist, except his windmill is the social scene of Bushrod and his unfortunate, sometimes-disastrous, attempts to fit in. When Justin and his best friend put together a team to play the invincible Ghosttown team, it seems that a Rocky-style battle of underdog vs. the mighty is in the offing, but debut author Alonge plays the game just right and stays true to his protagonist, letting Justin face the giants while knowing he's really playing for bigger stakes. A satisfying character study that will leave readers racing to get the simultaneously publishing second installment, Janae, starring the tough, sharpshooting girl standout on Justin's team. (Fiction. 13-18)

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July 1, 2016
This gritty series-starter follows African American fifteen-year-old Justin through Oakland, where he and friends learn to scheme and swindle; the story culminates in a basketball showdown with a rival neighborhood. The book contains true-to-life flawed characters--including adults such as Justin's alcoholic father--who struggle to make good choices. Accessible prose (with profanity) and fast-paced action make this suited to older reluctant readers.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)