Rez Ball

"""Debut author Graves (Ojibwe) presents a deeply personal look at grief, the weight of expectations, and the ways we find connections with those we have lost... This one shoots and scores."" -- Kirkus Reviews ""Debut author Graves, who is Ojibwe like Tre, doesn't shirk from showing his community's ugly experiences, but he never languishes in them. Well-paced and exciting--the action of the basketball games is exceptionally well written--this is a solid piece of sports fiction."" -- Booklist ""Influenced by Byron's own experiences, the challenges Tre faces are realistically difficult, including a team-wide drinking habit that nearly derails everything and Tre's crush and best friend hooking up behind his back. That realism is nicely balanced, however, by a story that dutifully follows the beats of great sports movies with motivational speeches, unbelievable comebacks, raucous crowds, heartbreaking losses, and a lot of heart up to the final buzzer."" -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ""Once started, even the most reluctant readers will be hard-pressed to hit the pause button."" [audio edition] -- School Library Journal (starred review) ""Debut author Graves, who is Ojibwe, realistically depicts life living on a reservation via Tre's earnest first-person POV, and plentiful fast-paced basketball game sequences will appeal to fans of sports fiction."" -- Publishers Weekly"