THROWING STONES

Pete, Andy’s eldest brother, died just as WWI ended, and the family hasn’t recovered. It’s 1923 and 14-year-old Andy is sure that if he can lead the basketball team to the championship, everything will return to normal. He’s beginning to realize that his mischievous friend Ham’s sister, Anna Lise, is more than just a little girl, but he has a rival for her affections and his spot on the basketball team in Bennie, a kid from the carnival. Over the course of the basketball season, Andy discovers bootleggers, a dark family secret and a talent for journalism. He also finds that, though gone, Pete will always be present. The many threads here knit together nicely, though several points are only subtly made. There’s no great action but plenty of drama. Literary sports fans will be right at home. (Fiction. 10-14)