First published 2015
Alex Myers expected this basketball season to be different. Max Bellotti, the talented freshman, arrived with skills that could finally end the Lions' losing ways and deliver a conference championship. Alex welcomes the help, but veteran players bristle at losing their starting positions to the newcomer. Team chemistry suffers as resentment builds in the locker room. Then Max reveals he's gay. What starts as whispered comments and isolated treatment grows into public protests and a full battle with the school board. The controversy threatens to destroy everything the team worked toward. Alex and his teammates must choose between letting personal conflicts tear them apart or finding unity despite their differences. The Lions face their biggest test not on the court but in deciding what kind of team they want to be.
Genres: fiction, contemporary, sports, young-adult
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, sports
Setting: Lions
Period: Basketball Season
304 pages · Hardcover · Knopf Books for Young Readers
Content warnings: homophobia