AIRBALL

The Armstrong Coaching Method has caught on at Kirby Nickle’s school. Coach Mike Armstrong’s method strips basketball down to the basics—literally: The seventh-grade Prairie Dogs play in their underwear. Having practiced like this in the pre-season, players are used to looking stupid and being embarrassed; all they have left is basketball. So they play. And win. They certainly get the attention of the fans, and eventually ESPN, Sports Illustrated and David Letterman cover them (even if uniforms don’t), especially after this no-talent team that expects to win zero games ends up 14-0. Though the premise is ridiculous and silly, the story has charm and may just appeal to young readers looking for something offbeat, including a cover with a boy wearing nothing but socks and skivvies, basketball at his side. (Fiction. 8-12)