All eyes are on seventeen-year-old Lonnie Jackson while he practices with his team for a city-wide basketball Tournament of Champions. His coach, C...
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Feb 03, 2009
Every on is watching Lonnie Jackson while him and his team practices for a city-wide basketball Tournament. Lonnie Jackson’s head coach, Cal knows Lonnie has what he needs to be a pro-basketball player, but warns him about everything he needs to know. Cal knows because he once had the chance-but failed and screwed up.
As the last seconds of the game clock runs away Lonnie and Cal must make a choice. Are they willing to blow the chance of a lifetime? You will haft to read More...
As the last seconds of the game clock runs away Lonnie and Cal must make a choice. Are they willing to blow the chance of a lifetime? You will haft to read More...
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Feb 14, 2009
Shep
rated it: 
Hoops is the best thing I've read by Walter Dean Myers yet.
It has a great caste of characters, but the foremost, laconic, tough, and funny Lonnie loves basketball. He gets put on a team that has a chance to get seen by some college recruiters. The reading is smooth, the prose poetic without being difficult or unnatural, but the thing that this book has really got is the wisdom and gradual, unsimplistic way it tackles some coming-of-age issues for young, urban Black America.
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It has a great caste of characters, but the foremost, laconic, tough, and funny Lonnie loves basketball. He gets put on a team that has a chance to get seen by some college recruiters. The reading is smooth, the prose poetic without being difficult or unnatural, but the thing that this book has really got is the wisdom and gradual, unsimplistic way it tackles some coming-of-age issues for young, urban Black America.
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Dec 15, 2011
07JordanO
rated it: 
Hoops was a very good book, it is all about chasing dreams and learning hard but important life lessons. It shows what some high school students have to struggle with and how to deal and come through those struggles. Hoops is a very fiting name, not just beacause of a basketball hoop, but it also represents the hoops one has to jump through in life. Lonnie has alot of hopes and dreams but he finds out that those don't come so easily. He is surrounded by alot of temptations: drugs, alcohol,and vi
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Nov 22, 2011
Charles
rated it:
Hoops is a story of struggle and triumph. Lonnie Jackson a teenager almost finished with high school was stuck at a cross road. He had no clue whether or not to get a job or do something with himself. We learn a lot about Lonnie from the decisions he makes. The first somewhat essential decision he comes to that shows a lot about his personality is when he decides to steal a case of liquor not so much to drink but to sell which tells me that he has a tough life where he is willing to steal to pic
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Aug 21, 2011
Josh H.
rated it:
This book is about a boy a young man named Lonnie that is growing up in the ghetto living a hard life. But the thing that he loves the most is basketball. He is very good at it and it have been around him his whole life. He is growing up with a mother that they always get in arguments and the only thing that he will ever do to cheer himself up is play basketball. Then one day he saw a man named Cal laying down on the basketball court. But it turns out he becomes a basketball coach for a couple f
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Nov 30, 2010
This is a good book for anyone who likes the game of basketball. Also for anyone who is interested in what troubles and decisions basketball players go through.i recommend this book for teenagers that have always played basketball so they can relate to Lonnie Jackson. Also for kids that come out of bad or tough neighborhoods because it shows you can make it somewhere in life even through all kinds of troubles. You need to make the right decisions and put everything you have into what you a
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May 04, 2010
Jtscanlon
rated it:
SUMMARY- Lonnie is a talented basketball player who is given a second chance to go to college in a basketball tournament.
PASSAGE- Pg 180 Paragraphs 8,9,10 and 11
PASSAGE- Pg 180 Paragraphs 8,9,10 and 11
"Tell me about it, Lonnie," he said. His voice was a whisper. "We got it, didn't we? It was us out there, wasn't it?"
"I knew I couldn't get the shot off," I started, "and when I saw Breeze cut away from . . . Cal, I love you, man. I really do.
"Tell me about More...
Nov 16, 2009
Kamrin
rated it: 
So...technically I liked this book. It definitely kept my interest, and I couldn't put it down. I started reading it at night, and didn't go to sleep until I had finished the entire thing. It's about a boy who lives in Harlem, Lonnie. Lonnie loves to play basketball and in the spring of his senior year, he gets the opportunity to play in a tournament with college scouts. At first, Lonnie isn't really sure if he wants to play because he doesn't really like the coach. However, after a while, Lonni
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Aug 13, 2009
Jason_W.
rated it:
The book Hoops is about a kid named Lonnie Jackson who it's in his point of view. While he goes to a tournament his coach Cal, teaches him many things both physically and his mental strength. Cal becomes Lonnie's best friend as he also teaches him lessons outside of basketball. Cal Jones was in the National Basketball Association or the professional basketball. So Cal wants Lonnie to be seen by the College scouts who came all over just to see this tournament in New York City.
Meanwhile Cal More...
Meanwhile Cal More...
May 13, 2010
Tdragon
rated it:
Walter Dean Myers’ book Hoops is about a young black 17 year old kid named Lonnie Jackson. He knows how to play basketball better than any other. Lonnie lives in the Harlem, NY at the Grant, a place he works at ever since his mom has been, as Lonnie says, “All over my back lately,” (2). It is an incredible story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves basketball, and overcoming obstacles.
This story is about a High school ball player named Lonnie. He is an amazing basketball pl More...
This story is about a High school ball player named Lonnie. He is an amazing basketball pl More...
May 12, 2010
Mguido
rated it:
Hoops, a fiction book, by Walter Dean Myers is a great book filled with sports, romance, and real life situations.17 year old Lonnie Jackson can really play basketball he has enough skill to get him to play in college and in the NBA. His new coach Cal played in the NBA he was banned for shaving points. Lonnie wants to quit the team when he finds out that Cal is a wino. He continues to play with the help of his girlfriend Mary-Ann and his friends. Lonnie’s team is excepted to play in the local to
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Sep 03, 2009
Sandra
rated it: 
This novel combines minority inner city African American culture with basketball to make a superior YA novel. The protagonist starts out selfish, hostile, closed to others and arrogant. An ex NBA player, one who made a mistake which brought drastic consequences, organizes a basketball team with the protagonist and his friends. The protagonist and other members on the team struggle with issues of racism, identity within black culture, stealing, gambling, cheating, dealing with racketeers, viol
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Jul 27, 2011
Lori
rated it:
This short book could count for either a sports book or an urban realism book; I chose to read it simply because my library did not have Dairy Queen (sad face) and I had heard of the author, Walter Dean Myers, but never read any of his work. Hoops is told from a 1st person POV; the narrator, Lonnie, is a teenage boy growing up in Harlem. His dad disappeared from his life, so he eventually latches on to his basketball coach, Cal, a former NBA player who was thrown out of the league for shaving po
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Sep 26, 2010
704jeremy
rated it:
Over the summer the three books I read were Maus by Art Spiegelman, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, and Hoops by Walter Dean Myers. After I finished all three books I realized all of the primary characters had an issue with how they got along with their parents. They didn't like to be around their elders much.
Maus: A Survivor's Tale was a very moving story more so because I had recently spoken with a family friend who had survived the holocaust. This was very interesting consideri More...
Maus: A Survivor's Tale was a very moving story more so because I had recently spoken with a family friend who had survived the holocaust. This was very interesting consideri More...
Feb 11, 2009
Andrew
rated it:
4Q 3P S
Hoops is a story of Lonnie Jackson. He is a hard nosed, ear to the street African-American male, in his senior year of high school. As Lonnie moves closer and closer to finishing high school, he is faced with trying to think about how he is going to find his own way. Lonnie earns a meager paycheck and shelter over his head by working a smaller hotel in Harlem. Lonnie's father had left him and his mother, and after taking the job at the hotel, Lonnie spent most of his days
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Apr 17, 2010
Zack
rated it:
Lonnie Jackson is a rising basketball star in Harlem who juggles girls, basketball, and a rocky relationship with his mom. I can definitely make connections with him and I think we’re alike since we love basketball, live in Harlem, and so forth. One night after an argument with his mother, Lonnie went out to shoot some hoops, and on the floor he noticed a man. He figured he was just a hobo and simply shooed him off the court. But one day, at this center where Lonnie often plays basketball, he
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Dec 04, 2011
Alma
rated it:
Myers, Walter Dean. Hoops. Laurel-Leaf Press. 1981. 183 pp. ISBN: 0440938848. Genre: Realistic Fiction, Sports
Rating: 3.73 Stars. Lonnie is a poor teen, growing up in Harlem with a love of basketball. He is faced with the challenges of being poor and being a great athlete.
Summary: Lonnie loves basketball and is ready to play on the city-wide tournament. He is faced with the challenges of being 17 and being on the team.
Main Characters: Lonnie Jackson – 17 year More...
Rating: 3.73 Stars. Lonnie is a poor teen, growing up in Harlem with a love of basketball. He is faced with the challenges of being poor and being a great athlete.
Summary: Lonnie loves basketball and is ready to play on the city-wide tournament. He is faced with the challenges of being 17 and being on the team.
Main Characters: Lonnie Jackson – 17 year More...
Aug 11, 2009
Mindy
rated it:
I love Walter Dean Myers and I love basketball, but I ended up finding this book a little boring. It took me a long time to finish it because I never felt like going back to read it. It's, of course, well written and tactfully includes the love story and the conflict and a couple characters you like despite their flaws. It takes place and Harlem, and one aspect I liked was that the violence of Harlem was naturally present. The story never felt like it was making too big of a deal about the a
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Jan 23, 2011
Nicholas
rated it:
This book is about a basket ball player called Lonnie and he is like the best in his town at basket ball until he meets this coach called Cal and Cal beats him basket ball and says he wants to coach him. At first Lonnie says no then he agrees and tells his friends and they form a team. Cal believes they can be really good and end up famous so play other teams and they win a lot of them but then since they live in a bad neighborhood bad things happen to them such as fights from other teams. Also
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Sep 30, 2009
David
rated it:
I choose Hoops because it is a good example for teens to see how hard someone has to work to get a better future and the hard work you have to go through. This is story of a guy that plays basketball out in the streets. He has a hard life at home his parents don’t like him and the only way to feel happy is playing ball he ends up getting a chance to play different teams to earns a scholarship to go college and have a good education but his decsions make it hard.
The central More...
The central More...
Oct 21, 2011
Shyheem
rated it:
Hoops is the best thing I've read by Walter Dean Myers. The book came out in March 15,1983. The genre of this book is basketball. The award is a boy named Lonnie is trying to make to the NBA. There are 183 pages in the book and it took me four days to get it done. The setting took place on the court, at his house, and in the narborhood. The main characters are a boy named Lonnie and coach Cal.
The setting took place on the court, at his house, and in the narborhood. The protagon More...
The setting took place on the court, at his house, and in the narborhood. The protagon More...
Apr 11, 2010
Jimmy
rated it:
Lonnie meets a alcoholic who turns out to be his new coach named Cal. Lonnie didn't really like him at first but found out he used to be a pro player. Then he started to look up to him. Cal helps Lonnie improve how he plays at first. But when the championship game rolled around, he was put into a decision of to keep Lonnie on the benches so they lose the championship for let him in there and win the game.
I think the book was interesting because I got hooked into the book after t More...
I think the book was interesting because I got hooked into the book after t More...
Apr 02, 2011
Jodi
rated it:
Hoops is about a group of boys from Harlem who unite to play basketball for coach Cal, a former pro basketball player. Cal has seen two sides of life, success and failure. He teaches the boys all he can about life, even the part that sometimes people you care about let you down. Basketball is the only thing that will get some of these boys into college.
I used to play basketball, so it was really fun to read this book. Sometimes coaches are some of the most inspiring people in kids' l More...
I used to play basketball, so it was really fun to read this book. Sometimes coaches are some of the most inspiring people in kids' l More...
Mar 29, 2011
Bizkhalifa
rated it:
Hoops by Walter Dean Myers is a classic sports novle. I exspecialy enjoyed this book because I could so easily relate to the main character as well as to the story line. The main character is a seventeen year old named Lonnie Jackson. Lonnie is very talented and can go very far in basketball. But along the way Lonnies coach knows hes going to give in to pear pressure. Lonnies coach Cal is a heavy bettor. There basketball team makes it into a very elite tournament. then Lonnie and cal get offe
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Apr 20, 2009
Bruce
rated it:
Basketball in Harlem in the 1980s and still upsetting to some in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 2009
Lonnie Jackson remembers one of the things that his father said before he split was that “his days were piling up on him.” At seventeen Lonnie is starting to feel the same way. Then one evening he goes over to the playground to shoot some baskets and he trips over a wino lying in the middle of the court. He doesn’t know it at the time, but he’s just met his future coach.
Myers exp More...
Lonnie Jackson remembers one of the things that his father said before he split was that “his days were piling up on him.” At seventeen Lonnie is starting to feel the same way. Then one evening he goes over to the playground to shoot some baskets and he trips over a wino lying in the middle of the court. He doesn’t know it at the time, but he’s just met his future coach.
Myers exp More...
Dec 03, 2009
Lori
rated it:
I liked this book from the beginning. The protaganist, Lonnie, talks about family problems which I can relate to at the moment. He loves to play basketball, but when he gets a new coach who he hates, he really wants to quit. With the support of his girlfriend and and his other friends, he ends up leading his team to city championships. His coach believes that Lonnie has a lot of potential to get into the NBA. Throughout the Book, Lonnie has to make a lot of decisions which affect his personal li
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Feb 21, 2009
Mark
rated it:
I gave this book three stars because it was good but it got boring at times.This book was about a young adult(Lonnie Jackson) growing up on the streets of new york and he had to find a way to make it out without getting caught up by the dangers of the street.But along the way he gets the chance of his life.he gets to play in a city wide tournement with his friends and there is a chance for him to go to college and get away and get an education. he meets an NBA star along the way and he helps hi
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Apr 20, 2010
This book was one of my favorite outside quarter reading books yet. I think I loved this book so much because it was really easy for me to relate to, because I also love and play basketball. My favorite character was Lonnie, the main character, because he was good enough to go to the NBA, which I think would be awesome. My favorite part was their last game, because it was intense and action-like. Sports are easily my favorite genre of books, because of how much I like sports. I like playing, wat
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Oct 15, 2010
Trent
rated it:
This book is and o.k book.. It really didn't do anything for me while I was reading it and I'm a very sports minded person, so I thought this book would catch my attention. I really wouldn't recommend this book if you are like me because you would want to drop it on the first 3 chapters. But its basically about a young boy by the name of Lonnie and he and his team is practicing for this city-wide tournament. He gets the chance to play in front of some scouts. He and his coach doesn't get a long
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Jan 25, 2010
Brandon
rated it:
Hoops
By Walter Dean Myers
Review by Brandon Sanders
At the age of thirteen I was a dominate basketball player. This book reminds me so much of myself. Why? Because in this book Lonnie was encourage to go to basketball try-outs because of his skills. When I was in grammar school (Anton Dvorak Elementary) my friends knew that I knew how to play so they pushed me to go to try-outs. There encouragement paid off because I went on to More...
By Walter Dean Myers
Review by Brandon Sanders
At the age of thirteen I was a dominate basketball player. This book reminds me so much of myself. Why? Because in this book Lonnie was encourage to go to basketball try-outs because of his skills. When I was in grammar school (Anton Dvorak Elementary) my friends knew that I knew how to play so they pushed me to go to try-outs. There encouragement paid off because I went on to More...
