Airball: My Life in Briefs by L.D. Harkader

I would never have chosen this teen book, but picked it up after my son read it. I like to get a feel for what my children are reading and my son, at this stage, is reading a lot of sports books. This is a basketball story, but also a story about belonging, to a team and to a family.

Kirby Nickel lives with his grandma in Stuckey, KS, a small town of about 344. Stuckey's claim to fame is basketball star Brett "McNet" McGrew, whose number is being retired by KU. The seventh-grade basketball team has been invited to the ceremony, but don't want to go without a decent record. So Coach comes up with an innovative plan...Stealth Uniforms! When each player is handed his new uniform, a box of air, they begin to practice basketball in their underwear. To keep from standing around looking and feeling stupid, each member of the team begins to work harder, eventually coming together as a team. A fun read, with enough basketball to keep my son happy and enough story to keep me satisfied!