After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay

After the Shot Drops

Randy Ribay

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · January 21, 2020

A Sports pick for readers exploring After the Shot Drops.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
Basketball, shifting loyalties, and family responsibility give this story its pulse.
Themes
Friendship and betrayal, Family hardship and eviction, Talent and compassion
Pacing
Fast

About this book

A powerful novel about friendship, basketball, and one teen's mission to create a better life for his family in the tradition of Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers, from National Book Award Finalist Randy Ribay.

Continue reading

“Belongs on the shelf alongside contemporary heavy-hitters like Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds’s All-American Boys, and Nic Stone’s Dear Martin." —School Library Journal, starred review Bunny and Nasir have been best friends forever, but when Bunny accepts an athletic scholarship across town, Nasir feels betrayed. While Bunny tries to fit in with his new, privileged peers, Nasir spends more time with his cousin, Wallace, who is being evicted. Nasir can't help but wonder why the neighborhood is falling over itself to help Bunny when Wallace is in trouble. When Wallace makes a bet against Bunny, Nasir is faced with an impossible decision—maybe a dangerous one. Told from alternating perspectives, After the Shot Drops is a heart-pounding story about the responsibilities of great talent and the importance of compassion.

Friendship Under Pressure

Basketball, shifting loyalties, and family responsibility give this story its pulse.

Come here for

  • The pull of a friendship tested by a scholarship and a risky bet
  • Basketball alongside questions of privilege and compassion

Expect

  • Alternating perspectives between best friends
  • A tense story about talent and responsibility

Where it sits

Basketball99%
Homelessness & Poverty for Teens62%
Prejudice & Racism for Teens26%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • YA Art & Artists
  • YA Stories About Boys & Men
  • Diverse YA Fiction
  • YA Family Stories
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Novels in Verse for Teens
  • African American YA
  • Asian American YA
  • YA Poetry
Authors
Randy Ribay
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
January 21, 2020
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Friendship and betrayal · Family hardship and eviction · Talent and compassion
Reading lane
YA Art & Artists