Pull (D-Bow High School Hoops) - Hardcover

Readers who have followed D-Bow through his first two years at Marion East will find themselves slipping effortlessly back into his life, his candid, present-tense narration comfortably familiar. ... [Kevin] Waltman continues to keep it both real and fresh for D-Bow. --Kirkus Review Derrick's first-person narration is strong and distinctive, and the teen-speak and basketball vernacular make the numerous sporting sequences exciting to read. ... A strong cast of secondary characters alternately support or sabotage Derrick as he tries to avoid the pitfalls of inner-city life and the mistakes he's seen peers and family members make. --Booklist Online

"As a childrens/YA bookseller, I LOVED THIS BOOK. The language, the characters, the basketball-they are all spot on perfect ...I am so excited about this series."-Cynthia Compton, 4 Kids Books, Zionville, Indiana Junior year. Derrick Bowen has put in two good years getting ready for this season. He put in the work and earned his coach's trust and his role as the starting point guard for Marion East. Marion has never won the Indiana state championship, but this year the team is Derrick's. And Derrick is good. Opponents worry when Derrick-D-Bow when he's pounding the rock-steps onto the court. Major colleges work feverishly to recruit him. Derrick is ready to run teams off the court. If only he could get on the court and stay on it. Old school coach Bolden suspends Derrick for the first game of the season after Derrick's best friend Wes gets busted for carrying a joint while in Derrick's car. Even after that, Marion High's team just doesn't quite click. They don't want to follow Derrick's lead as squad's dominant player. Dissension and selfishness are threatening to tear the team apart. And then Derrick hears a sickening snap as he lands awkwardly after a thunderous dunk. Can Derrick lead the team to victory from the bench? Kevin Waltman grew up Indianapolis, the son of basketball coaching legend Royce Waltman.Family life was basketball life. Pull is the third book in his D-Bow High School Hoops series. Waltman teaches at the University of Alabama.