book data
36 ratings, 4.11 average rating, 21 reviews
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published
March 13th 2007
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
binding
Paperback, 288 pages
isbn
0385734255
(isbn13: 9780385734257)
description
Sticky is a beat-around-the-head foster kid with nowhere to call home but the street, and an outer shell so tough that no one will take him in. He sta...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 67)
Read in August, 2008
recommended to Mallory by:
Alison Ritzrecommends it for: 11th grade sports fans
As a 9th grade English teacher- my job is to introduce students to great books that will change their lives. Books that they will remember for years to come. Books that will be read 25 years from now. This is not one of those books.
Matt de la Pena’s debut novel is born from basketball, pavement and a life caged in the bureaucracy of the foster care system. The gritty urban novel, is an awkward and disorderly ride through one teenager’s life. The protagonist, Sticky (Travis Reichard), is...more
Matt de la Pena’s debut novel is born from basketball, pavement and a life caged in the bureaucracy of the foster care system. The gritty urban novel, is an awkward and disorderly ride through one teenager’s life. The protagonist, Sticky (Travis Reichard), is...more
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To me, this book is kind of like an urban legend.
It seemed very different compared 2 any other books I've ever read.
I didn't exactly learn anything from this book other than how to use my grammar correctly.I enjoyed what the book was about but disliked the way it was written.I feel like the way he wrote the dialouge in the book was very superfulous.I guess his rationale was to be a different author in the way he wrote his book.
It seemed very different compared 2 any other books I've ever read.
I didn't exactly learn anything from this book other than how to use my grammar correctly.I enjoyed what the book was about but disliked the way it was written.I feel like the way he wrote the dialouge in the book was very superfulous.I guess his rationale was to be a different author in the way he wrote his book.
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Ms.Larkin by:
Alison Ritzrecommends it for: 11th grade sports fans
See review under "Mallory Larkin"
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Read in October, 2007
A good young adult book about Sticky, a teenage basketball player living in foster homes in Los Angeles. Chapters go back and forth between Sticky playing streetball with a bunch of adults, Sticky's day-to-day life - focusing on time spent with his girlfriend, and flashbacks to other foster homes and times with his mother.
There was a disconnect between the chapters about playing basketball, and the chapters about Sticky's life off of the court, feeling like they could have been two separate s...more
There was a disconnect between the chapters about playing basketball, and the chapters about Sticky's life off of the court, feeling like they could have been two separate s...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Kathleen by:
ALArecommends it for: Lovers of drama & excitement ; guys who more than simple sports fiction
I really, really liked this book. I chose this book from the YALSA list "Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers", and I have to say there is plenty of drama and excitement to keep the story going. You should be warned that the complex unspooling of Sticky's story can make it very difficult to follow for people who are not very experienced readers or have organizational problems; I had to re-read the first chapter a couple times to make sure I wasn't missing something. There are also some...more
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Matt de la Peña nails the basketball scene and the gritty world of foster homes in this guy-friendly book packed with action, tension, and emotion. Multiple story lines come together in a dramatic ending that is not at all forced. I love how the author takes on numerous issues--pinning hopes on athletics, inner-racial relationships, obsessive compulsive disorder, prostitution--without making this an "issue" book. Because at bottom, what it's really about is Sticky, a ball-playing fost...more
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This book is about a boy named Sticky who plays ball. He has a girlfriend named Anh-thu. He is a foster kid who jumps from house to house. It is basicly of life problem and obstacles he faces in life.
At first this book was just so confusing. It has flashbacks almost every chapter. And so it gets confusing when you are, suddenly, reading a certain time period and, suddenly, you are in another. Later on, I, truly loved this book. I love the passion and love Sticky and Anh-thu have for each...more
At first this book was just so confusing. It has flashbacks almost every chapter. And so it gets confusing when you are, suddenly, reading a certain time period and, suddenly, you are in another. Later on, I, truly loved this book. I love the passion and love Sticky and Anh-thu have for each...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommended to Bill by:
www.HoopsAddict.com
"Three Stones Back"
A powerfully written scene when Sticky learns about his lot in life from some of his adult friends. No matter how far back this kid, you root for him. You root for him when he's playing hoops, you root for him in his relationships, you root for him when he's struggling with his OCD. Sticky is a great character, interesting and strong-willed, struggling through a brutal childhood, foster homes and poor playgrounds in LA. A very gritty story and entertaining bo...more
A powerfully written scene when Sticky learns about his lot in life from some of his adult friends. No matter how far back this kid, you root for him. You root for him when he's playing hoops, you root for him in his relationships, you root for him when he's struggling with his OCD. Sticky is a great character, interesting and strong-willed, struggling through a brutal childhood, foster homes and poor playgrounds in LA. A very gritty story and entertaining bo...more
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recommends it for:
basketball fans & fans of urban fiction
Two things you should know about me. 1. I love basketball & books about basketball and 2. I enjoy dark, gritty novels. So, this book was right up my alley. That said, it took me a long time to read, but I thought the basketball sequences were great and the rest of the story was very good. I was really routing for Sticky even when he was making bad decisions. A great book to recommend to fans of Slam! by Walter Dean Myers.
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recommends it for:
teens
Best book I've ever read that book pulled my soul into it I swear the entire time i thought of it as a movie in my mind with Channing Tatum playing Sticky. If they made this book into a movie I would watch it a million times. For Matt De La Pena to only write one book as great as this the reading audience should really encourage him to write more because this story was amazing.
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I'd probably like it more if I were a teenager, as it is written as young adult fiction, but still a good book. Interesting perspective on how athletic talent is dealt with in poor communities and societies. Is basketball really the panacea it's made out to be? According to de la Pena, no.
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This was a really good book. it is about a foster kid who loves to play basketball. He has been into 4 foster homes already. He is a toruble some kid. He has been arested at least 4 times. I would recommend this book to people who like to read about adventure and sports.
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Read in January, 2006
Matt was a friend of mine in college. Awesome guy, amazing writer. My only claim to fame is that in our senior year, he took second place in the schoolwide playwriting contest and I took first. : ) Seriously, his first novel is terrific.
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Read in December, 2007
Read for LA Project @ school. Focus is 17 year old boy, living in foster care, who hearts basketball...
It's a lot of streetball with pretty tight descriptions of LA courts and parts of the city. Great for sporty boyz.
It's a lot of streetball with pretty tight descriptions of LA courts and parts of the city. Great for sporty boyz.
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Read in September, 2008
I think I'm too old and suburban for this book. I read only the first chapter and failed to understand the majority of the lingo so I gave up. (Not saying a lot for me I know).
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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I loved this book, I thought the pacing was reminiscent of a game, I loved the style and the writing. So good.
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
tom vale
good story, well told--modern, urban. can't wait to see the movie!
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Read in December, 2007
Great for teenages and adults alike. Looking forward to the movie.
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Read in August, 2007
soon to be a movie.. hoop fans will eat this up.
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