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Ball Don't Lie  By  cover art

Ball Don't Lie

By: Matt de la Peña
Narrated by: Dion Graham
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Publisher's summary

Newbery Award-winning author Matt de la Pena's Ball Don't Lie, about basketball, "is a must-read" (The Bulletin).

Sticky is a beat-around-the-head foster kid with nowhere to call home but the street and an outer shell so tough that no one will take him in. He started out life so far behind the pack that the finish line seems nearly unreachable. He's a white boy living and playing in a world where he doesn't seem to belong.

But Sticky can ball. And basketball might just be his ticket out, if he can only realize that he doesn't have to be the person everyone else expects him to be.

Matt de la Peña's breakout urban masterpiece, Ball Don't Lie takes place where the street and the court meet and where a boy can be anything if he puts his mind to it.

©2007 Matt de la Peña (P)2017 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"[An] inspiring story. Sticky is a true original, and de la Peña has skillfully brought him to life." ( School Library Journal)
"Riveting.... Teens will be strongly affected by the unforgettable, distinctly male voice; the thrilling, unusually detailed basketball action; and the questions about race, love, self-worth, and what it means to build a life without advantages." ( Booklist)
"Stunningly realistic, this book will hook older readers, especially urban teen males." ( VOYA)

What listeners say about Ball Don't Lie

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I liked the main characters and their depth. I dislike the shallowness of the side characters

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The book is read way to fast. I felt like I was listening to a poem being read

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