Review of "T-Man and the Game" - youth book

Before posting the review, I must state here that I do owe an apology to the author, CJ Boerger, for waiting so long to read this book.  It was such a small paperback that it got buried under larger books I received, and as a result, reading it was delayed.  But I am glad I dug it out, as it was a nice book that not only the intended audience will enjoy, but adults should as well.  Here is my review of "T-Man and the Game." 

Title/Author:

“T-Man and the Game” by CJ Boerger

Tags:

Basketball, fiction, youth, middle school

Publish date:

April 21, 2015

Length:

100 pages

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (outstanding)

Review:

Tommy, aka “T-man”, loves basketball more than anything else in life.  He is one of the best players on the Bulls, a fifth-grade basketball team fighting to make the playoffs.  What Tommy does to help his team win and overcome some of his fears and worries about the game and other things as well is illustrated in this entertaining book by CJ Boerger aimed at readers in the same age group as Tommy.

The story is mainly about basketball and there is plenty of action on the court as Tommy, his teammates Willie, Gregg (make sure you spell it with two “g’s”) and Cooper battle it out for the rest of the season.  In the meantime, Tommy has to also address other issues that are typical for a boy his age – school work, a crush on a girl, how to talk to his parents.  In Tommy’s case, that is doubly important because his father is the coach of the Bulls.

The story is written in a manner that middle school students will easily understand.  It speaks in their language, especially those who play basketball like Tommy.  Both the dialogue and the action on the basketball court are realistically written for students of this age.  How Tommy addresses his fear of public speaking so he can give a speech at school is terrific.  The same goes for his interactions with Chloe, the girl in his classroom – this is tastefully and realistically written.

While the book is aimed at middle school aged readers, adults will enjoy this as well as they relive that period in their lives and smile as they do.  At least this reader smiled quite often while reading the book.

I wish to thank Mr. Boerger for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Pace of the book:

The book is easy to read for the target audience and it should be a good fast paced read for any reader at any age.

Do I recommend? 

Any young person in middle school or about ages 6-14 will enjoy reading this book in which the protagonist addresses many of the issues he is facing.

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/T-Man-Game-CJ-Boerger-ebook/dp/B00WIK8J5I/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433001893&sr=1-1&keywords=T-man+and+the+game

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/t-man-and-the-game-cj-boerger/1121802689?ean=9781511523516