Jared thinks he's the best player on his basketball team and can't figure out why his teammates snub him when he tries to break their losing streak single-handedly. After losing his temper and getting thrown out of a game, the sixth grader is confronted by a teammate. Resisting a fight, Jared realizes that he must surrender his ego for the benefit of the team. Eventually, everything clicks and he learns that the path to success comes when he puts the needs of others ahead of his own. The story's setting in Hudson City, NJ, is deliberately generic, as are the characters. The concluding chapters offer game-by-game summaries that reinforce the idea that Jared is now a team player. Sports enthusiasts may enjoy the story at face value, but Chris Crutcher's novels offer deeper characters with sophisticated stories.
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