Swagger
- Author Carl Deuker
- Narrator Charlie Thurston
- Publisher Blackstone Publishing
- Run Time 7 hours and 54 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Children’s / Teenage fiction: General fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Sporting stories, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Ball games and sports: Basketball, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Boys and men, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Abuse, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Emotions, moods and feelings.
Titles Purchased
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- Over 20
Price p/Title
- €9.95
- €8.95
- €7.95
- €6.95
- €5.95
Listen to a sample
What to expect
High school senior point guard Jonas Dolan is on the fast track to a basketball career until an unthinkable choice puts his future on the line.
Levi was simple, like a child. It was the best thing about him, and it was the worst, too.
When high school senior Jonas moves to Seattle, he is glad to meet Levi, a nice, soft-spoken guy and fellow basketball player. Suspense builds like a slow drumbeat as readers start to smell a rat in Ryan Hartwell, a charismatic basketball coach and sexual predator. When Levi reluctantly tells Jonas that Hartwell abused him, Jonas has to decide whether he should risk his future career to report the coach.
Pitch-perfect basketball plays, well-developed characters, and fine storytelling make this heartbreaking psychological sports novel a slam dunk.
Critics Review
-
“Deuker creates a textured cast of parents,
Booklist
coaches, and teens and deftly handles themes of personal ethics,
teamwork, burgeoning friendships, and coping with an abusive adult…Deuker
elevates his sports novel to the level of a literary work, inviting
readers to empathize with Jonas and use his experiences to consider
their own values.” -
“After his dad loses his job, basketball point guard Jonas Dolan starts over with a new team…Jonas’ friendship with Levi, a sensitive, generous, loyal, devout Christian from Arkansas, gives the novel a strong, emotional center. The basketball action is well-drawn, and Jonas’ frustration at Knecht’s style of play is palpable…A largely well-executed exploration of team spirit, friendship, and the devastating impact of untrustworthy adults.”
Kirkus Reviews -
“The novel includes descriptions of many basketball plays and strategies, which should make this book particularly appealing to fans of the game…Once Jonas (and readers) figure out what’s going on with Coach Hartwell, the pace quickens, and Jonas’s struggle to do the right thing intensifies.”
Publishers Weekly
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.