Playing Without the Ball

by Rich Wallace

Book Overview

Some might think Jay was cheated. By his mother, who walked out when he was 9. By his dad, who took a job a couple thousand miles away and let him stay above a bar in a one-room apartment. By the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679886729
• ISBN13: 9780679886723
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 213 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 14 to 16 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 11

Customer Reviews

Love and Basketball

This book was quite an interesting story about love and basketball, not necessarily in that order. Jay, the main character, is a 17 year-old that was abandoned by his parents. His mother left him, when he was 9 and his father left him in Sturbridge, Pennsylvania to move to California, during Jay's last year of high school. His father left him under the "eye" of a bar owner named Shorty. Jay lives above the bar and he is employed at the bar, as a cook. It is Jay's desire to play for the high school basketball team. He tries out for the team, and even makes it to the 3rd day, but he gets cut from the team. He is disappointed about this, but he gets up the next day to go play at the YMCA. He decides to try-out for the church league. He makes the team and they go all the way to the Championship. During his run with the church league, he meets a girl named Kylie. On the other hand, his friend, Sarita (Spit), is jealous. Nevertheless, Jay and Kylie fall in love.

Playing without the Ball

Have you ever wondered about what your friends mean when they say girls come into play in their life? Jay in the book " playing without the ball" is faced with the same type of problem as what your friends mean. This book has that same conflict but with girls and basketball. This was the greatest book I have ever read, not just because basketballs my favorite sport but because it dragged me right into the book and I could not put it down. I used to hate reading, since this book I found out how exciting it can be. This book had a lot of details in it. Jay had played basketball for a church team in league at the Y. His team then makes it to the championship game as they play the toughest team in the league. This book has a great deal of meaning, and I just loved it!

Playing Without the Ball

The boook "Playing Without the Ball" by Rich Wallace is one of the best books i have ever read before. I read many good books but this one has to be one of my favorites. This book is very discriptive and interesting. Jay loves plaing basketball. He plays it everywhere. H meets a girl, Spit, who he loves, but she says they're just buds. Spit plays at Short's bar were he works in the kitchen. When his parents divorce he's left alone. But when he's working he meets the girl of his dreams, who also loves him back until Spit makes her think she's with Jay. Jay gets very mad and they dont talk for a while. Jay gets involved in a Catholic Church group were he meets new friends and plays basketball every Sunday. If u like basketball with a bit of romance this is the book for you. I hate never read another book by Rich Wallace before, but after this book I'm sure I will read another book by Rich Wallace! This book is defiantly a five star book. The book is only 213pages, but its fast reading.

Playing Without the Ball

I read the book, Playing Without the Ball, by Rich Wallace. It is about a boy, who tries to find himself, and falls in love along the way. I liked this book because it is about a teenager who loves playing basketball and will do anything to play it.I love basketball to, so I could kind of relate to it. It wasn't a really challenging book for me, so I could read it fast. I enjoyed it because there wasn't really a conflict and nothing seriously bad happens to anybody.This book is about a boy named Jay, who was left to live on his own, in Sturbridge, Pennsylvania, after his parents had gotten a divorce. Now that he is on his own, he lives in a crummy apartment above Shorty's bar. He works as a cook in the bar, even though he is only seventeen years old. Since he has nobody to turn to, he has limited choices to a job.It is basketball try-outs for the inner city team. When Jay is rejected, he tries to find another way to play basketball. He tries out for the Church team and is qualified. He makes a lot of new friends while playing for the Church. One of Jay's teammates has a friend named Kylie that she introduces to him, and in the end, falls in love with her. But there is a problem. Jay's friend, Sarita, also known as Spit, really likes him. Sarita works in the bar with Jay once in a while. She has her own band and plays there a couple nights a week. Sarita is a druggie and alcoholic. She is always getting baked. Jay tries to help her sometimes.Whenever Jay is with the girl he likes, alone, Spit ruins it for him by pretending that Jay is with her.When Sarita does that, Kylie gets mad a t Jay and doesn't talk to him for a long period of time.Playing for the Church basketball team really pays off for Jay in the end when the Championship arrives.Rich Wallace used many literary elements within the novel. When he described the basketball games, he used so much imagery that it would feel like you were actuall yin the game and playing it. He left me in suspense a lot throughout the novel too. He would almost tease you with the words. Characterization was also used frequently when two people would be talking and you could just picture the characters facial expressions because described them so well.Rich Wallace is a very good author. I am sure I will read more of his books in the future. I gave this book five stars because of the authors wonderful imagery and literary talent.

Another Win in Sturbridge

Jay McLeod is growing up fast. When his father moves to California, Jay stays behind in Sturbridge, PA, to play his senior year of high school basketball. Jay's mother had moved out long before, so this leaves Jay on his own. He lives in an apartment over the cafe where he works as a cook. When he fails to make the basketball team, he joins a Methodist youth group so he can play on their team in the YMCA league.The author skillfully captures the action on the basketball court. Readers who enjoyed his "Wrestling Sturbridge" will enjoy this as well. This book, however, cannot be put in the hands of as broad an audience because of Jay's sexual activity. There is no graphic description and the author does include a couple of redeeming points: Jay practices safe sex, and his love-live hits a snag when a college-girl he has his eye on learns of his casual sexual relationship with another girl. I recommend this book for 10th grade and up.