Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up

by Jenn Bishop

"A beautifully crafted tale of friendship, family, and forgiveness, with characters so vivid and real you can’t help but root for them, on and off the court." —Matt Tavares, New York Times bestselling author-illustrator of Hoops  

Competitive basketball takes center court in this fast-paced novel about two girls finding the truth about themselves—and their families—against the backdrop of middle school and college hoops.

Cincinnati, Ohio, lives and dies by college basketball, with two elite Division I rivals separated by a mere three miles. Rory’s dad just secured a new coaching gig at the University of Cincinnati, so it means yet another school and move for her, only this time to her dad’s hometown. Rory’s life revolves around basketball; she’s never had a close friend outside of it. Could this be a chance for a fresh start?

Abby has always lived in Cincinnati, where her dad grew up playing ball and now coaches at Xavier University. But Abby has recently retreated from basketball after a frustrating season that left her confidence in shambles. This year, she finds herself on the outside looking in when it comes to her former teammates, and she could seriously use a new friend.    

The coaches' daughters connect over their shared love of the game when Abby chaperones Rory on her first day of school. But when Abby’s dad practically forbids their friendship because of something that happened between him and Rory’s dad when they were younger, Abby and Rory have no choice but to move their budding friendship underground.

Can the two of them get to the bottom of what went down between their dads in the 1990s before history repeats itself?

SPORTS BOOKS FOR This book stars two protagonists who love basketball in their own ways and features a spectrum of characters (including a basketball-playing nun!) who engage with the sport individually and distinctly. The breadth of athletes reflects the reality of sports for kids and young teens, making the story appealing to a wide range of readers.

AUTHENTIC & ACCESSIBLE Reluctant readers and book lovers alike will find a genuine story that conveys real emotions, family struggles, and insecurities driven by the tension of middle school sports.

FAST-PACED AND Unraveling like a mystery but moving like a he-said, she-said, and traveling through time and generations, this book has the right level of high stakes to keep readers hooked to the end.

ENDURING LEGACY OF As one of the world’s most popular sports, basketball is significant to people of all ages and carries a sense of nostalgia across generations. It’s played in schools across the globe, on official sports teams and in gym class, and brings members of communities together in parks and recreational centers. This sport’s positive influence on overlooked communities and students from economically impacted backgrounds also speaks to the importance of basketball at a social level.

Perfect

Genres: Middle Grade, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Basketball, Friendship, School, Audiobook

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2023

About the author

Jenn Bishop is also the author of four other novels for young readers, including the Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner Things You Can’t Say. Her books have been named Junior Library Guild selections and Bank Street College of Education best books and have been finalists for state book awards. She currently calls Cincinnati, Ohio, home. What team do you think she roots for? Visit her online at jennbishop.com.

Reviews

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A five star rating from a non-basketball playing reader for a “heavy on bball” book has to tell you something. Jenn Bishop’s winner is written from the perspectives of Rory, Abby, and both their dads so that readers get the full picture of one friendship destroyed by a big mistake and another between the girls that is forced to be a secret because of their fathers’ feud. The personalities of the two girls are extremely well-developed and very likeable. Conversely, the two dads are harder to like due to skillfully detailed mistakes. Books that shift in perspective are sometimes clunky and seem to literally “bounce” from one person to the other, but author Jenn Bishop changes time and person smoothly. Having multiple viewpoints allows readers to become fully immersed in the past and present anger as well as the warmth and joy of a friendship that will make many yearn for one just like it. Great book for libraries serving grades 5-8, especially since books with strong female MCs who play sports are so hard to find. Text is free of profanity, sexual content, and violence. A budding romance is part of the story, but is limited to one date to the zoo and a little hand-holding. Main characters are either Black or Caucasian and are from a variety of economic backgrounds.

Thanks for sending #BookAllies a print arc, Jenn Bishop!

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basketball and realistic fiction fans along with anyone with a love for Cincy (aka Cininnati) will enjoy this story about middle schoolers, Rory and Abby whose dads happen to be coaches of the two rival teams in town; University of Cincinnati and Xavier University.
When Rory moves to Cincinnati with her Dad, she meets Abby. The two instantly connect and discover that not only are their dads both college coaches, but that they also were classmates, teammates and friends in the 1990s up until about 8th grade. The two set out to find out what made the two turn towards each other and become bitter rivals.
Chapters alternate between Rory, Abby and flashbacks to the past of when Nick (aka Rory's dad and head coach for the Bearcats) and Jason (aka Abby's dad and head coach for the Musketeers) were growing up.

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up is a fast-paced and compelling book about true friendships, family secrets, forgiveness, and basketball. With a lovable cast of characters, an immersive Cincinnati setting, and impressively woven multiple-perspective narration, this one is sure to hook middle grade readers and young teens alike.

Full review & content warnings: https://readingmiddlegrade.com/free-t...

[Joy Kirr · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much was going on at the start of this book that I was confused at first. Throughout, I had to keep check of who was narrating and who had which dad and for what team?? But by half-way through I guess I got it. I’m not sure about the writing, but I enjoyed the storyline, the courage of the girls and the secrets, as well. Aside from all the coincidences, it was very believable and hopefully very relatable to current eighth graders. A sports book for everyone.

[Anna Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. First, the whole book literally counts down to March Madness. Say no more (but I will....). I couldn't help but think about how fun it would be to have a parent as a popular basketball coach.

More amazing things this book does:
1. Proves you best friends are chill about tummy troubles.
2. Shows that it's never too late to apologize (especially grown ups).
3. Nuns as amazing basketball coaches. Yes and Amen.

I think I will pulling for University of Cincinnati and Xavier a littttleeee harder this season because of this book alone.

[Laurie]

So, so good! Jenn Bishop's ode to basketball, friendship, and the city of Cincinnati charmed me from the first page and made me want to eat Skyline chili and get tickets to a March Madness game. Basketball fans will love the fast-paced on-court action and the inside look at a college sports rivalry, but it's the touching, thoughtful exploration of what it means to find—or lose—a best friend that makes this novel such a winner. I love Rory and Abby, and middle school readers will, too!

I’ve been lucky to read multiple early versions of this story plus the finished version, and it’s a total slam dunk for upper MG readers.

[Christie]

Basketball lovers, midwesterners and those who like to investigate what makes friendships both thrive and fall apart will all love this book! The way the characters are all interwoven (both the adults and the children) is interesting and realistic. I loved getting both the stories of what the two main characters were going through in the present, and what the fathers were going through in the 90s. As a 90s Bulls fan from Chicago, I also appreciated those 90s basketball references. This story will pull in middle school readers for sure!

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Rory's dad moves them to Cincinnati to coach college basketball, Rory meets Avery, and they hit it off right away. Avery's father also coaches a college basketball team, which just happens to be the biggest rival of Rory's dad's team. While college basketball rivalries can run hot, the girls discover their fathers knew each other back when they were the girls' ages and have an even deeper grudge. How can they maintain their new friendship when the divide between their families runs so deep?

[Kat Mais · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025-2026 Truman Nominee about friendship with some good old basketball thrown in. As I read this during March Madness, I understand the ups and downs discussed in the book. Great read about stresses in Middle School and that a few words can feel like they destroy the only thing holding a friendship together

[Cindy Christiansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this one by @buffalojenn & loved it! Super relatable characters & a lesson in the power of friendship. Perfect timing for a March Madness, too, with a great look at the mental & physical game of basketball!

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Forgiveness is a powerful thing. Not only for the person you're forgiving, but for yourself too."

My favorite sport is reading, but Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up caused me to actually read a book about basketball AND I LOVED IT! 🏀

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might be my favorite of her books so far!

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
This was a great middle grade reader. Read with my daughter (age 9.5) She enjoyed it but some parts I think her 12 year old sista would relate to more
Overall a good book about friendship, family, and basketball! (No you don't have to be a basketball fan to like the book... But it might help!)

[Ashley McNeese]

I loved this! Such a good friendship/sports story.

[Megan Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story about friendship!❤️

[Tracy Huebner · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fun to read a book about local events and locations!

[Tricia Beaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025-2026 Missouri Truman Award nominee. Fabulous story about friendship, forgiveness, being true to yourself, and, oh yeah, basketball, basketball, basketball.

[Kim Bahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for Ohio basketball fans; I learned a lot about the UC vs. Xavier rivalry. Love the basketball tension, the friendship dynamics, and the finish! Almost a 5!

[alisonwonderland (Alison) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful upper middle grade novel about basketball and friendship. Wonderful on audio.

I would gladly return to Cincinnati for the girls’ freshman year!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this multi narrator book with the most perfect title. When I think about how to describe it, the title’s words are what I come up with. Friendship, basketball, secrets, rivalry, and forgiveness. I’m not a sports fan by any means, but I still loved this book!

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of rivalries, jealousies, and friendship centered on 8th grade girls but fleshed out by a backstory involving their dads when they were in 7th grade. Can’t wait to recommend to middle school girl basketball players although non-sports kids will still appreciate the friendship challenges.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 4 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Rory March is used to moving around, since her father has taken several positions as a college basketball coach. This time, he's landed at the University of Cincinnati, where her grandfather used to coach. Since Rory's parents have just separated, she's given the chance to stay on the East Coast with her mother, but has decided to move to Cincinnati. When she starts school, she meets Abby Allenbach, who seems really nice. Abby doesn't play basketball, but she and Rory quickly become friends even though Abby's father is the coach at Xavier University, which is UC's rival. After Abby's father Jason refuses to shake Rory's father Nick's hand after a game, the girls think this is a very odd show of unsportsmanlike behavior, and decide to investigate. There are chapters from both girls' perspectives, and we also see the fathers' lives in the early 1990s. Nick's father is a coach, and Jason's father is often out of work and drinks a bit too much. Nick's father seems to be more supportive of Jason than his own son, which leads to some tension. The girls uncover some of this information through relatives, but go a step further. They travel to their father's high school on the West Side of Cincinnati (near Corryville; the details of Cincinnati are sometimes real and sometimes made up, which was quite fun!). There, they find that the coach who worked with their fathers has retired, but they track down 78-year-old Sister Louisa who coached them in middle school. She's still playing basketball, and Abby, who actually did play basketball but didn't feel she was any good so didn't tell Rory about it, decides to work with the nun to improve her skills. Abby is fearful that once Rory starts playing on the middle school basketball team, she'll lose her friend to Kellan and the other girls on the team. Rory has her own struggles, including missing her mom, not seeing her dad very often, and having to decide if she really belongs in Cincinnati. As the girls work through the mystery, they become closer, but also have some issues that they need to resolve. Will they be able to help their fathers resolve the issues that they faced?
Strengths: Sister Louisa was fantastically portrayed; I have friends her age who could play a little basketball but would probably need some rest, ice, and pain reliever afterwards. Her snippets of information about half court basketball and the state of sports for girls before Title IX were just superb, especially her discussion with Abby about the debunked thought that playing sports would make girls' uteruses fall out! The second best thing about the book was the relationship between Abby and Rory. They are clearly drawn to each other, but it's not always smooth. It's possible to meet the person who is going to be your BFF and not be able to trust that person completely right away, but they work through their difficulties in a predominately productive way. Rory's problems with her parents are something I would like to see more of in middle grade literature. I loved seeing the girls want to solve the mystery of what happened with their fathers, and it actually made a lot of sense that they didn't just talk to them about the past. The rivalry between the schools was amusing, even though I really didn't know about it despite living in Cincinnati for ten years and having friends who taught at both universities. There's plenty of basketball details for those who understand them. The cover will definitely encourage middle grade readers to pick up this intriguing story.
Weaknesses: This could have been a little shorter, especially since there are several different perspectives. My readers who like sports books sometimes struggle with stories where the plots and format are complicated.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing, since this has strong Ohio roots! It's fascinating to read books where the city setting is almost another character, although for people unfamiliar with the city there should have been a little travelog at the back with a map and descriptions of local businesses! A must purchase for school libraries where there's a strong love of basketball!

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

FREE THROWS, FRIENDSHIP AND OTHER THINGS WE FOULED UP is about basketball, will be loved by sports lovers, and non-players will learn a whole new vocabulary, but this is primarily a story about friendships—how they are built, how they can just as easily be destroyed, and how they can be restored.

Rory’s father has just secured the position as head coach of the University of Cincinnati. When she moves with him to the town where he grew up with his father the coach of the Bearcats when he was an adolescent, Rory is sure that this is her last basketball move and that she can finally make a friend who is not just a teammate. One problem is that her school is on the East Side, home of Xavier University, the arch-rivals.

On her first day of school, she meets Abby, and, as different as they are, they become instant friends. Rory hasn’t lived anywhere long enough to make a best friend, and last year Abby found out that her former basketball teammate was not a true friend. “’Bestie.’ When she says it out loud, it hits me. Half an hour ago when I said it to that woman? That was the first time I said it out loud.” (160)

However not only is Abby’s father coach of Xavier’s basketball team, he has some freud with the Marches—father and son—and will not allow her to have anything to do with Rory. “You know what, Ab? If you’re smart, you’ll stay as far away from any offspring of Nick March as you can. That family is bad news.” (35) When the girls investigate, they find out their fathers were best friends through 7th grade but then something happened, something that has kept them as enemies even now.

Rory and Abby are determined to find out what happened and through it meet their fathers’ middle school coach, Sister Louisa who, unbeknownst to Rory, helps Abby regain her faith that she can play basketball and helps her decide to apply to the Catholic high school on the West Side, leading to keeping secrets from Rory. As Rory starts basketball season and Abby seems to push her to the basketball girls, they grow apart.

However, when, thanks to Abby’s new boyfriend basketball-player Dontrell and Sister Louisa, they save their friendship, they can now help their fathers to regain theirs.

This is an important novel, filled with diverse, engaging characters from Abby and Rory to Abby’s mother, an MFA student at Yale, and Grandfather Coach March’s girlfriend Judy that will help adolescents navigate peer relationship and changing, family relationships and will entice those who play or watch sports

[Ireoluwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐
What can I say. This effectively exceeded my expectations. To be fair I never go in with high expectations when reading middle grade. I often feel like middle grade can be deep and have meaning but is often just boring for me. But this was different. The first 100 pages were a little boring but when you get to the meat of the story, your life will be changed(not actually but it's good to dream 🙂). This story just has a way of keeping you captivated. Me personally I could not care less about the whole basketball thing but the friendships that were created 🤩. In all seriousness though I was shocked to see the level of depth in the friendships of this book. Jason x Nick and Abby x Rory (let's not forget about Sister Louisa too). Omg it was just chef's kiss. The multiple timeline structure too. Ok I don't want to talk too much about the book, but this is impressive. If I read another middle grade book, I want it to be exactly like this. Good job to the author? 👏
Would I recommend this to anyone?
- I don't know anybody who would really be interested but I would give it to some of the little kids at church if they wanted to get interested at church.
Will I remember this in 6 months?
- I know i've been talking about how amazing this book is but to be honest I don't think I would. And that's ok. This is more of a once every 5 years thing.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a gem. The relationships feel so real, I had to remind myself it was fiction. When Abby and Rory meet, they become instant friends. But when it turns out their fathers--coaches at rival universities--have long-standing feud over a secret past, their friendship is in jeopardy. The only thing to do is solve the mystery and bring them back together. But that's no so easy, especially when Rory and Abby are both dealing with their own struggles. Learning to trust isn't easy, and sharing our deepest secrets and emotions is even less easy.

Jenn Bishop navigates the readers smoothly through these two girls lives (and their family) and through the intricacies of college and high school basketball. I found myself laughing, smiling, and feeling all the warm fuzzies as they find solutions. Believable solutions.

This book is great for navigating and modeling healthy conflict/resolutions, and would be a great read-aloud for a class. You don't have to be a basketball lover to love this book, but fans of basketball will be cheering for Cincinnati and Xavier whether they are your teams or not.

In short, I highly recommend this book, and though I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, I'm also sad I finished. A feeling only the best books can give.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up. Fairly standard MG friendship story that gets a twist through its multi-generational aspect and focus on the world of basketball. The Cincinnati setting is well-done, and I appreciated how the reader needn't understand all the basketball rules/terminology to follow the plot. However, I wished for slightly tighter pacing, a little more differentiation between characters' voices (in narration and dialogue), and better reasons for the various friendship breakups (Jason's and Nick's felt a bit predictable, especially for a conflict that the whole book revolves around, and Abby's and Rory's felt a bit overdramatic/unnecessary).

But I also am not a basketball enthusiast, and personally I have some specific objections to the kind of high-profile college-sports environment that the story centers. So for me, this was not my favorite Bishop novel, but I can imagine that for younger readers who are basketball fans, this could be a good pick.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Jenn Bishop’s FREE THROWS, FRIENDSHIP, & OTHER THINGS WE FOULED UP, readers meet coach’s kid, Rory March, who’s used to being the new kid since she’s moved around a lot due to her dad’s job coaching basketball. With her parents separating and her dad landing a new job in his native Cincinnati, Rory chooses to leave Connecticut behind and join her dad. She forms a friendship with another student at her school, who happens to be the daughter of the coach at her dad's cross-town rival. The girls soon learn there’s a history between their dads. The girls investigate their father’s friendship and what went wrong. Told in chapters alternating perspectives of the two girls along with flashbacks that give insight into the long-ago conflict between their dads, this inter-generational story of friendship, families, and forgiveness is a winner—and not just for basketball fans!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC to read and review.

[Elise°❀⋆.ೃ࿔**.ೃ࿔⋆❀° · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rory moved to Cincinnati and is now attending a new school. On her first day, she is supposed to meet up with another girl on the basketball team, Kellan, and they get along fine. Kellan tells her to text her when lunch is going on and eat with the basketball group. Rory and Kellan then separate. In the first hour of class, the teacher asks the class to raise their hand if they can be a guide for Rory. One girl reluctantly raises her hand, her name is Abby. Quickly Rory and Abby become friends although their parents-the coaches of opposing teams in Cincy-wouldn't want them to be. Abby invites Rory to go to a restaurant with cheese on all the food, not knowing Rory is lactose intolerant, and Rory has to have a quick pit stop at the toilet... The girls' fathers warn them not to hang out but they don't listen and start to wonder what happened to them, as they find out the dads were friends in 7th grade but not 8th. But what happened? Will history repeat itself?

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl, 2025-2026: This is my 10th and final book for the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl! Woohoo!

Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up is a story of basketball, friendship, betrayal, and grudges for middle schoolers that makes deliberate connections with Romeo and Juliet.

Rory's parents are separating, so she moves to Cincinnati to live with her dad, a famous basketball coach. She meets Abby, whose dad is also a famous basketball coach for a rival school. While Rory and Abby become fast friends, they learn that their dads hold an "ancient grudge" that "break[s] to new mutiny." Their grudge becomes the central mystery of the book. The girls try to unravel it as they deal with their own drama.

It's part love letter to basketball and part love letter to Cincinnati with plenty of teenage drama. Not for me, but I'm guessing a middle school girl who likes basketball would be into it.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compelling book about middle school girls basketball, but it's also so much more. It’s a story about friendship, competitiveness, believing in yourself, family dynamics and forgiveness. It’s an intergenerational story, written in multiple voices in two time periods, but mainly focuses on Abby and Rory, daughters of feuding division one basketball coaches. They develop a deep friendship, but it’s a secret friendship, because their dads would never approve. It leads to lies, deceptions and misunderstandings.

Middle grade readers will love this book. Not only because it’s a sports book, but also because it’s one about the drama of friendships in middle school. And it’s about forgiveness, my favorite part of the book. “Forgiveness is a powerful thing. Not only for the person you're forgiving, but for yourself too."