STREETBALL CREW: SASQUATCH IN THE PAINT

Book ID/图书代码： 06540513B61426

English Summary/英文概要： Theo Rollins is starting eighth grade six inches taller, and his new height is making everyone expect more from him. Coach Mandrake wants to transform him from invisible science geek into star basketball player, even though Theo has little experience with the game. When Theo tries to hone his skills by playing pick-up ball in the park, kids are eager to include him at first; then they quickly see that he has no control of his gangly body. A girl named Rain even dubs him “Sasquatch.” To make matters worse, all his time spent on training is starting to hurt his science club’s chances of winning the “Acalympics,” the school’s trivia competition. Just when Theo thinks he can’t handle any more pressure, he’s accused of stealing. Can he find the real thief before he is kicked off the basketball and science club teams, or will his attempt at sleuthing be yet another air ball?

Loosely based on challenges that NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar faced while growing up, Sasquatch in the Paint is a slam dunk for fans of basketball action and absorbing mysteries.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 升上八年级的西奥•罗林斯突然身高飞长，直奔6英寸高，他的新身高也使得大家对他的期待随之增加。教练曼德里克希望将他从一名默默无闻的科学怪咖转型为明星球员，尽管西奥对于篮球几乎没有任何经验。起初，当西奥想要通过和公园里的孩子们练习接球游戏来磨练自己的技巧时，孩子们都很愿意带着他；然而很快孩子们便发现他似乎根本不知如何自如地控制自己瘦长的身躯。一名叫芮恩的女孩甚至戏称他为“北美野人”。更糟糕的是花费在篮球训练上的大量时间也无形中大大降低了科学社赢取学校智力竞赛“Acalympics”的几率。就在西奥觉得自己再也无法承受更多的压力时，他又被指控偷窃。西奥能否在被篮球队和科学社踢出前找到真正的小偷？又抑或他的侦探之举将成为另一个让人惊喜的空心球？

本故事主要改编自NBA传奇卡里姆•阿卜杜尔•贾巴尔的真实事迹，他在成长过程中同样经历了许多困难和挑战。书中提及的“北美野人”对篮球运动爱好者和神话研究者而言，则是著名灌篮高手。（DC）

Awards/获奖情况：KIRKUS; June 15, 2013 (starred review)
A crisp tale of sports, smarts and what it means to be your own man or woman—or boy or girl, if you happen to be 13.
It seems to be an embarrassment of riches to be, say, one of the best basketball players in history and also write tightly entertaining novels for kids, but there you have Abdul-Jabbar. Surely Obstfeld added polish and framing, but this obviously is a work of someone intimate with sports and, by extension, how sports can serve as metaphor for a way of being in the world. Here, newly tall eighth-grader Theo Rollins is trying to find his way between the brainiacs and the basketball players. Along the way, he meets Rain—aka Crazy Girl—a sort of “girl with the dragon tattoo” minus the heaviest baggage. Characters, both friend and foe, feel real; there is talk of abandonment as well as serious comments about the skewed vision Americans have of Islam. The deepest running narrative pivots around sports, but the story has much to give. Theo’s cousin’s taxonomy of basketball players is broadly applicable: There are the happy-go-lucky, the self-conscious and “those who never want the game to be over, because each minute is like living on some planet where you got no problems. . . . [They are], for that brief time, in a place where everything they thought or did mattered.” Fearless, caring sports fiction.

BOOKLIST; September 2013
Thanks to the six inches he grew recently, eighth-grader Theo has lost his invisibility. The basketball coach conscripts him, but Theo’s so uneasy in his new body that he’s uncoordinated and self-conscious on the court. He doesn’t want to quit, though, even when he’s nicknamed Sasquatch during his first game. The more he studies and practices the game, the more he loves it, but “to want to do something you weren’t good at was begging to be let down.” Meanwhile, he’s having trouble balancing other responsibilities, including the “Aca-lympic” academic team that’s been a huge part of his life. This smart, sensitive novel is full of simple truths that extend far beyond the court. Theo’s dedication makes him an admirable role model for kids on the slow-burning value of practice, while his struggles to adapt to lie changes and weather embarrassments make him relatable. Secondary characters, including his new Muslim friend Rain, realistically support and challenge Theo as needed. Pair with Candy Gourlay’s Tall Story (2011) and Matthew Quick’s Boy21 (2012) for a successful assist.—Krista Hutley

About the Author/作者介绍： 卡里姆•阿卜杜尔•贾巴尔，曾参加密尔沃基雄鹿队（1969-1975）和洛杉矶湖人队（1975-1989），并帮助其队伍六次获得NBA冠军。一直以来他都是NBA主力得分员，共获38387分，有15837个投篮记录，以及最长的57446分钟上场时间。阿卜杜尔•贾巴尔的“天勾”被认为是球场上最经典，精准并且最具攻击性的必杀特技。1995年贾巴尔入选NBA名人堂。退役后贾巴尔成为了一名演员，篮球教练以及作家，专注于历史学研究。他的作品主要有《巨人的脚步》《卡里姆》，《在巨人肩膀上---我的哈莱姆文艺复兴历程》和有关于发明家的非小说类儿童书籍《世界是什么颜色的》,该书荣获NAACP最佳儿童图书奖。2012年当选美国文化大使。

雷蒙德•奥布斯特菲尔德是一名小说家，编剧以及非小说类作品作者。他的第二部作品 Dead Heat获爱伦•坡奖提名；此外，他还著有另一部获奖青年小说作品Joker and the Thief。奥布斯特菲尔德曾与贾巴尔合著其星传回忆录《在巨人肩膀上---我的哈莱姆文艺复兴历程》以及非小说类图画书《世界是什么颜色的》。爱布斯特菲尔德目前是一名副教授，于橘郡海岸学院教授创造性写作课程。

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played basketball for the Milwaukee Bucks (1969-1975) and for the Los Angeles Lakers (1975-1989), helping his teams win six NBA Championships. He is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. He also holds the records for the most field goals (15,837) and the most minutes played (57,446). Abdul-Jabbar gave the game the skyhook, considered basketball’s most classic, and lethal, offensive move. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995. Since retiring, Abdul-Jabbar has been an actor, basketball coach, and an author, focusing on history. His previous titles include Giant Steps, Kareem, Black Profiles in Courage, A Season on the Reservation, Brothers in Arms, and On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey through the Harlem Renaissance, and the children’s non-fiction book about inventors, What Color Is My World?, won the NAACP award for Best Children’s Book. In 2012 he was selected as a U.S. Cultural Ambassador.

Raymond Obstfeld is a novelist, screenwriter, and nonfiction writer. His second novel, Dead Heat, was nominated for an Edgar Award; he also wrote an award-winning YA novel entitled Joker and the Thief. Obstfeld has previously collaborated with Abdul-Jabbar on the sports memoir On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey through the Harlem Renaissance, and the nonfiction picture book What Color Is My World?. Obstfeld currently teaches creative writing at Orange Coast College as an associate professor.

Format:电子手稿

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