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Shook

by Julian Randall

Basketball, injury, and finding a way back

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Awards & Recognition

  • Editorial selection

    A Read Across America selection

    Selected for Read Across America.

AlbakiReads Editorial

Basketball, injury, and finding a way back

Eighth-grader Malik “Shake” Page has his sights on Marshall Grove’s varsity basketball team, a goal tied to his family’s Chicago basketball legacy. A fractured ankle puts that ambition on hold just as tryouts approach. Away from the court, he is also facing distance from his best friend and a growing silence with his father, while experiencing anxiety symptoms such as sweaty palms and a bubbling feeling in his chest. The novel brings these pressures together in a story about injury, identity, family connection, and the challenge of returning to something that matters. Its setting in Marshall Grove and its focus on a young basketball player shape a coming-of-age story that also addresses mental health.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Ages 9–12 interested in youth sports stories
  • Readers who enjoy coming-of-age fiction about family and friendship
  • Readers seeking fiction that addresses anxiety and mental health

Themes

Basketball and ambitionInjury and recoveryAnxiety and mental healthFamily and friendshipIdentity

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A National Book Award nominee!

"A gift!" --#1
New York Times-bestselling author Jason Reynolds

Shake's dream of making the varsity basketball team is in peril when he gets injured. Can he rebound and make his way back onto the court--and back to feeling like himself? For fans of Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds.

Beautifully designed with illustrations.

"Masterful." --Newbery Honoree Jasmine Warga

Malik Page--though unless you're his mama, call him "Shake"--dreams of making the Marshall Grove varsity basketball squad as an eighth grader. Then he'll be on his way to joining the ranks of Chicago legends like his pops and late Uncle Kenny. But when Shake fractures his ankle in a championship game, he's sidelined for the first time since his first dribble.

As his world is turned upside down, Shake feels like there's ginger ale bubbling in his chest and sweat slicking on his palms. With a best friend who's getting more distant by the day, a growing silence between him and his dad, and varsity tryouts fast approaching, Shake will have to cross up every obstacle to find a way back onto the court--and back to being himself. Thankfully in Marshall Grove, the sky is always full of hope.

Perfect for readers who love:
● Sports Stories (though non-sports fans, you'll love this one too!)
● Short, Quick Reads
● Hopeful Depictions of Anxiety and Mental Health
● A Main Character Who Exudes Swagger
● Humor and Heart

A Read Across America selection!

"Readers, make permanent room on your shelves--and in your hearts-- for this witty and poignant novel." --National Book Award winner Elizabeth Acevedo

"Stunning.
This book is powerful." --Newbery Medalist Tae Keller

"Witty, electric and profound." --National Book Award Finalist Amber McBride

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