Ball Don’t Lie by Matt de la Peña is a pretty good book. I enjoyed reading it because it was an interesting story and wasn’t boring. I also liked it because it was tied with my favorite sport, basketball. The book is about a boy named Sticky who has been a foster child since he was 6 and now is 16 going on 17. The book tells about his many foster homes he has lived in over that 10 year span and about how he hides his pain he feels because of that. He frequently plays basketball at a place called Lincoln Rec where he is normally the only white person there but definitely one of the best players on the court at all times. I liked the way they frequently described the feeling he got playing basketball and the way he repeated everyday actions until they felt right. For instance, he would do and re-do things over and over, like tie his shoes, until they felt perfect which was the same for him on the court. He worked on his game until he was good and you can tell that he is committed to getting even better because he wants to play in the NBA.
The decisions Sticky makes throughout the story show Sticky’s growth as a
person in his migration from boy to man. He basically lives alone in the streets because no one is taking care of him, but his rugged background has helped form his work ethic and has motivated him to be the best at the game he loves. As a basketball player myself, I’ve always heard the phrase “while you are taking a break, someone else is becoming better than you.” Sticky was the one becoming better because he spent all day in the gym whenever he could. The way Sticky showed admiration and love for the game definitely interested me in this book. Overall, it was pretty interesting to see his past in some chapters. This book was pretty good.
~~Z.J.
The decisions Sticky makes throughout the story show Sticky’s growth as a
person in his migration from boy to man. He basically lives alone in the streets because no one is taking care of him, but his rugged background has helped form his work ethic and has motivated him to be the best at the game he loves. As a basketball player myself, I’ve always heard the phrase “while you are taking a break, someone else is becoming better than you.” Sticky was the one becoming better because he spent all day in the gym whenever he could. The way Sticky showed admiration and love for the game definitely interested me in this book. Overall, it was pretty interesting to see his past in some chapters. This book was pretty good.
~~Z.J.
