Frank #3

by LJ Alonge, Raul Allen (Illustrator)

Overview

An action-packed basketball series from author LJ Alonge set on the courts of Oakland, CA.

Frank’s not great at staying out of trouble. He’s also not great at driving cars. After his joyride ends in a crash, he’s stuck with a court-appointed Community Mentor for the summer. 

But it’s not too bad. Officer Appleby’s all right. And if anyone can handle a basketball team, a police officer, and a new girl on the horizon, it’s Frank Torres.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101995662
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/21/2017
Series:	Blacktop , #3
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	364,550
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	HL690L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

LJ Alonge has played pick-up basketball in Oakland, Los Angeles, New York, Kenya, South Africa and Australia. Basketball's always helped him learn about his community, settle conflicts, and make friends from all walks of life. He's never intimidated by the guy wearing a headband and arm sleeve; those guys usually aren't very good. As a kid, he dreamed of dunking from the free throw line. Now, his favorite thing to do is make bank shots. Don't forget to call "bank!"

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1: PARADISE
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Frank #3"
by .
Copyright © 2017 LJ Alonge.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

2017-03-29
The third book in the Blacktop series features Frank Torres as he navigates the courts (basketball and law), streets, and classrooms of his hometown of Oakland, California.Latino Frank and his diverse fellowship of streetballers, including Justin and Janae, both stars of earlier, eponymous books in the series, fancy themselves unbeatable. But when they move inside and play against well-coached teams, they realize "it's a different game" inside. Though they thought they were unbeatable, they aren't. Scrimmages reflect the complacency and arrogance that define Frank's life, a mentality that has gotten him into trouble many times in the past—joy riding, coming to school reeking of marijuana, throwing erasers at teachers. His community mentor, Officer Appleby, tries to direct Frank toward more responsible behaviors, but it's meeting young, tough-minded artist Toni (star of an upcoming volume) that helps Frank to shape up a bit. Alonge's narrative effectively reveals Frank's street smarts to be a facade, a mask he wears to cover a vulnerability and sweetness that Toni might help bring to the surface. The slim volume, with its large font and easy vocabulary, is perfect for reluctant readers in middle school and high school, with enough basketball action and bad-boy behaviors to attract a readership. More than just sports stories, the books in the series are about characters trying to find their ways in life. (Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews