 | Wish I was a baller Author: Shah, Amar | |
| Price: $12.29 | ||
Summary:
A graphic novel memoir chronicling Amar's real-life experiences as a fourteen-year-old sports journalist covering the golden era of the NBA, when he befriended Shaq and hung out with Michael Jordan and the Bulls--all while surviving high school, dealing with crushes, and friendships being tainted by jealousy.
| Illustrator: | Doucet, Rashad |
| Novak, John |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 3.10 Points: 2.0 Quiz: 555861 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (07/15/25)
School Library Journal (+) (06/01/25)
Booklist (08/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 08/01/2025 Indian American Shah has big dreams: he's an aspiring basketball player, a budding journalist, and a hopeless romantic, and he's juggling it all while trying to keep his grades up in school. Living in 1995 Orlando, Florida, during the golden age of the Orlando Magic puts him in close proximity to basketball celebrities, so he leverages that opportunity by shouldering his way into the school paper and, later, a professional sports journalism career as a teen, writing pieces for SLAM Magazine and Sports Illustrated Kids. He experiences all the typical ups and downs of high school, from being pushed out of the school paper to dealing with racism and bullying, which end up magnified due to his high profile. Doucet's limber, cartoonish artwork nicely emphasizes basketball action and nostalgic ’90s touches, like pagers and programmable calculators. In his lightly fictionalized graphic memoir, Shah describes overcoming jealousy and betrayal and dealing with the consequences of his choices as he doggedly pursues his ambitious interest in journalism. An inspirational pick for young teens drawn to Gene Luen Yang's Dragon Hoops (2020). - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
