Funny, gut-wrenching, and spilling over with heart, Hooper is an uplifting breath of joy, and gives us all cause to be hopeful. I loved it!
This sports/school/domestic drama checks all the boxes. What could be another boilerplate basketball novel benefits from a tight cast of well developed secondary characters who surpass their expected stereotypes.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Lessons on small-town politics and what it means to be a good friend abound in this well-plotted work.
Geoff Herbach captures rural-urban rivalries and the challenges of finding a home.
Hooper is a slam dunk! A sports novel with incredible action and tons of heart. I challenge you not to fall in love with these terrific, flawed characters, and just try to put this one down once you start. Impossible.
Raw, funny, and deeply honest, Geoff Herbach gifts us a story about the messiness of life and the importance of talking about it—ultimately showing us how to not only trudge through it, but to soar.
Author Geoff Herbach has a remarkable ability to create characters who make us laugh and think, sometimes within the same sentence. Read Hooper and let your self be changed.
This sports/school/domestic drama checks all the boxes. What could be another boilerplate basketball novel benefits from a tight cast of well developed secondary characters who surpass their expected stereotypes.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Lessons on small-town politics and what it means to be a good friend abound in this well-plotted work.” — Booklist
“Herbach’s ability to expand the narrative from solid game play to confronting racial injustice is remarkable. No one here is perfect, and their failures make readers cringe yet root for success. Hoops and so much more.” — Kirkus Reviews
“There’s much to love in this sports tale. Fast-paced play-by-plays vividly depict the speed and beauty of the game. Adam’s backstory is heartrending and with immigrant mistrust and nonviolent protests in the national spotlight, this is a timely and realistic teen drama and swish—nothin’ but net.” — School Library Journal
“This sports/school/domestic drama checks all the boxes. What could be another boilerplate basketball novel benefits from a tight cast of well developed secondary characters who surpass their expected stereotypes.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Funny, gut-wrenching, and spilling over with heart, Hooper is an uplifting breath of joy, and gives us all cause to be hopeful. I loved it!” — Andrew Smith, Michael L. Printz Honor and New York Times Bestselling author of Winger and Grasshopper Jungle
“Fresh, funny, thoughtful, subversive, and totally absorbing. Book of the year!” — Robert Lipsyte, Margaret A. Edwards award-winning author of The Contender
“Hooper is a slam dunk! A sports novel with incredible action and tons of heart. I challenge you not to fall in love with these terrific, flawed characters, and just try to put this one down once you start. Impossible.” — Bill Konigsberg, Award-Winning Author of Honestly Ben
“Raw, funny, and deeply honest, Geoff Herbach gifts us a story about the messiness of life and the importance of talking about it—ultimately showing us how to not only trudge through it, but to soar.” — Gae Polisner, author of In Sight of Stars and The Memory of Things
“Author Geoff Herbach has a remarkable ability to create characters who make us laugh and think, sometimes within the same sentence. Read Hooper and let your self be changed.” — John Coy, author of Gap Life
“Geoff Herbach captures rural-urban rivalries and the challenges of finding a home.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
Lessons on small-town politics and what it means to be a good friend abound in this well-plotted work.
This sports/school/domestic drama checks all the boxes. What could be another boilerplate basketball novel benefits from a tight cast of well developed secondary characters who surpass their expected stereotypes.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
12/01/2017 Gr 8 Up—Abandoned by his father at a Polish orphanage, Adam had no one until fate brought him to Renata, an American studying abroad whose heart was so moved by the lonely little boy that she adopted him. Now living in the Minnesota, Adam Reed has grown tall and strong enough to be a beast on the hardwood. On the basketball court, chants of "MVP" follow his colossal dunks. His raw talent gains him not only the attention of beautiful fellow baller Carli Anderson, but also of an elite AAU (amateur athletic union) team. With "Basketball is my passport" as his mantra, Adam throws his heart into trying out for this team. But focusing isn't easy. The class bully takes particular joy in mistreating Adam, regularly calling him "Duh" and "the Refugee." That same bully spends time picking on Adam's best friend, Barry, a kind kid with a deeply troubled home life. Juggling his AAU team responsibilities, his friendship with Barry, his relationship with Renata, and a blossoming romance with Carli, Adam finds the balance he's struck tenuous at best. There's much to love in this sports tale. Fast-paced play-by-plays vividly depict the speed and beauty of the game. Adam's backstory is heartrending and with immigrant mistrust and nonviolent protests in the national spotlight, this is a timely and realistic teen drama and swish—nothin' but net. VERDICT Highly recommended for first purchase.—Abby Bussen, Muskego Public Library, WI
2017-10-28 Adopted from Poland three and a half years ago, Adam decides that basketball may be his "passport to a good life." Originally Adam Sobieski, the white teen is now Adam Reed, his adoptive single mother's name, and life has gotten more complicated. The two of them have moved to a small Minnesota college town from Philadelphia, where Adam first began to learn basketball. With his increased height—he's now 6 feet 6 inches—he is gaining attention and is invited to play with an elite team in the Twin Cities. Teased for his poor English and social awkwardness, Adam has only one friend until Carli Anderson, also a basketball star, enters his life. The green-eyed white girl pushes him in multiple ways, and gradually Adam begins to understand more than just the game. When Adam plays with an all-black team of excellent players, he learns some uncomfortable truths. Class and money, racial injustice, and loyalty to true friends come into focus. The book is written as though Adam is speaking to readers in broken English that is both unconvincing and unfortunately played for laughs. Nonetheless, Adam is appealing, and Herbach's ability to expand the narrative from solid game play to confronting racial injustice is remarkable. No one here is perfect, and their failures make readers cringe yet root for success. Hoops and so much more. (Fiction. 14-18)