Carl Deuker is the author of many sports novels including On the Devil's Court Heart of a Champion and Painting the Black all of which were selected as ALA Best Books for Young Adults. He lives in Seattle Washington.
<p>Nate plays soccer but he doesn’t love it. He plays because it’s what his family expects. <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Then Lucas Cawley moves in across the street. Lucas isn’t like any of Nate’s sports friends he’s poor his parents are mostly absent and he’s devoted to his sister Megan who has a learning disability. Lucas may be an outcast at school but he and Nate find common ground in their fierce games of one on one basketball. </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">It’s not long before Nate realizes that basketball is his sport. But Nate has an axe to grind with star players Colin and Bo who have disrespected him for years. Nate believes that outplaying those two is the most important thing . . . until he learns that life is about more than getting ready for the next game. </span></p>
