Point Guard

Home Team #3

by Mike Lupica

Gus and Cassie have always been on the same team off the field, but in this third novel in New York Times bestselling author Mike Lupica’s Home Team series can they stay friends when they’re on the same court?Everyone assumes that Gus, whose family is from the Dominican Republic, is a baseball guy. But this year Gus is even more excited about basketball than any other sport he’s ever played. He’s been practicing some new moves and lately he’s more surprised when he misses his shot than when he scores. Plus now that he’s convinced his friend Teddy to try out for the team and Jack’s shoulder is healed, it looks like Walton’s home team will be unstoppable. But this isn’t going to be the season Gus expected, because their team is getting a new player—and she just happens to be one of his best friends. Gus knows Cassie is more than good enough to compete on the boys’ team, and besides they really do need a point guard, so why isn’t he able to shake the feeling that she belongs on their bleachers rather than their bench? And to make matters worse, with their center Steve Kerrigan constantly making comments about his Dominican heritage, and Steve’s dad voicing his views on immigration as he runs for office, Gus is starting to wonder if he really belongs in Walton after all. Can Gus find a way to bring the home team together both on and off the court, or will all these prejudices block their shot at a winning season?

Genres: Sports, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2017

About the author

Michael Lupica is an author and American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily News and his appearances on ESPN.

Reviews

[Karson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book Gus, and his other friends are excited for the basketball season to start, but when Gus finds out his friend Cassie is trying out for the boys basketball team he gets kinda jealous. So there is a lot of drama between him and Cassie, but Gus's friends try to help him out. Eventually in the championship game Gus and Cassie start to work together very well. They end up winning the game by Cassie throwing a behind the back pass to Gus and he drains a three pointer to win it. After the game Gus takes Cassie to the top of the bleachers and apologizes. She accepts it and she apologizes too, after that they become friends again like they were before.

[Zayne B · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like sports you will like this book. It’s about basketball. The main characters are Gus and Cassie. They play basketball together with their team and they love basketball. Also, if you like the Golden State Warriors you will like this book. Gus and Cassie talk about the Warriors and they go to there basketball camp. When I first got the book I didn’t really wanted to read this book but when I started reading it got really interesting and I read it more and more.

[Josh Nobles · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is about a boy named gus and a girl named cassie. they are freinds off the court. but when gus finds out that cassie is going to be on his basketball team he gets upset because he thinks that cassie is trying to take his spot. at the end they relize that everyone has talents and we have to learn to not be jealous of one another i would recomend this book for people who like sports

[Kaylin · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is so good. if you like basketball I would read this

[Michael S]

Personal Response
I like how Mike Lupica kept a simple yet attention-grabbing storyline. He shows the differences people go through. In Point Guard, he writes about a girl who is trying to prove she can compete with the guys in basketball. I liked how Mike Lupica was able to put so much emotion into the storyline of this book. It made you want to keep reading and kept you entertained.

Plot
Gustavo Morales is a middle schooler who cannot wait for the basketball season to start. Gus and his friends, Teddy, Jack, and Cassie, are playing a pickup game at Walton Middle School. They are all excited about the upcoming basketball season. As tryouts get closer, Cassie tells everybody that instead of going out for the girl’s team she is going to try out for the guy’s team. Gus is having a hard time accepting the fact that she is playing for the guy’s team instead of the girls. Gus and Cassie start arguing and are having trouble coming together as a team. Eventually, throughout the season, Gus and Cassie come together as a team and start to dominate. The Warriors are on a hot streak of wins and make it to the championship. Everybody is playing the best game of their lives and are working together to end up winning the championship.

Characterization
Gus is a middle school boy who plays for the Waltons basketball team, the Warriors. He plays football, baseball, and basketball. He is most excited about basketball until he finds out Cassie is going out for the boys’ team. Gus struggles to comprehend that Cassie is on his team, but throughout the book, they start acting like friends again and come together.

Cassie is one of Gus’s closest friends and dominates in the girl’s games. Cassie wants to push herself to become better so she tries out for the Warriors. When she gets on the team, she is self-centered because she is trying to prove that she can keep up with the guys. She proves she can and earns everybody’s respect.

Setting
The setting of this book is in Walton, New York. In Walton, the characters spend most of their time playing basketball in a middle school gym for the team, the Warriors. This book takes place in the current time period we live in.

Thematic Connection
The theme of this book is friendship before anything. Gus doesn’t want Cassie to be on their team even though they are best friends. Gus would get into fights with her after games if she would mess up. Throughout the book, they choose to focus on winning instead of arguing. As soon as they get on track, they figure everything out and become closer as the season goes on.

[Tyler Pollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wake up babe, it’s 2024 and Mike Lupica is still writing bangers!!!

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a group of friends named, Gus, Teddy, Jack and Cassie. They have known each other since they were little kids. All 4 of them play lots of sports for school and outside of school. All 4 of them are going into high school as a Freshman. So they all are trying out for the boys basketball team. But Jack does not like that because Cassie is a girl and doesn't want a girl playing on a boys high school basketball team. Cassie is a really good at basketball and she was the best girl on the girls basketball team. So she wanted a challenge so she tried out for the boys team as a point guard. 3 of them made the team, Cassie, Jack , and Gus made the team. In there first game when they only had 2 practices as a team. Through out the first 3 quarters it was a close game they were never down by more than 5. But then the 4th quarter started and there coach said to take it at them and win there first game of the season. So there was 1 minute left in the 4th quarter and Cassie had the ball bringing it up the court and see was looking around to see if anyone was open so she could pass it to. But she thought no one was open so she drove in for a layup but in the corner was Jack was wide open and she took the layup and missed it and they lost the game. Then Jack got mad at Cassie because if she passed it the probably would have won the game. Then after the game the coach had a huddle and the with the team and didn't say anything about Cassie not passing the ball which made Jack mad. So then when the coach was done Cassie and Jack were supposed to go take each other home but Jack didn't go with Cassie because he didn't want to talk to her after she didn't pass him the ball at the very end of the game. The next day Jack went over to Cassie's house to go and talk to her about not passing him the ball at the end of the game. Jack also didn't tell Cassie that he was coming over so that she would be shocked. Once he went over him and Cassie talked about how Cassie didn't pass the ball. They got into a even bigger fight then they started with. So that what happens in Point Guard.

[RobertH]

My book is called Point Guard by Mike Lupica and is a basketball book. Point Guard is about a kid named Gus and eberyone assumes that he is a baseball guy but this year he is more excited about basketball than any other sport he played. But this isn’t the season he expected because his friend Cassie is joining the team and she is pretty good. But Gus has a problem with it and he doesn’t know why. And to make things worse his center, Steve Kerrigan keeps on making fun of him for being Dominican and the same way Steve’s dad did when he was running for mayor. And Gus keeps on getting into arguments with Cassie and Steve and Gus’s other friends have to break it up.
My analysis of the book is I thought it was a great book for teenagers and how jealousy can impact alot of things and could affect ways you look at people and iit could affect with friends,family,and boy\girlfriends. The theme was how the friends thought of each other and at the start they were bestfriends and didn’t want to argue with each other but Gus’s and Cassie’s relationship was starting to dislike being around each other and Gus didn’t want that to happen but he couldn’t accept the fact that Cassie was on the team.
I really liked the book because it had teenage drama and sports included into and made intensity between other characters and you can see if you can relate to other characters and you know Gus’s feelings and how he feels about things. You can see in a different world and what perpespective your character is in and how you can see how different your life is to Gus’s. The book wasn’t too easy it was intermediate and it was a good book. I reccomend this to teens who like basketball and who likes thing that like intensity.

[Murphy F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Point Guard by Mike Lupica is about Gus, he was really excited for his basketball season. One of his best friends who is a girl named Cassie decides to join the boys team. The first 2 games of the season she tries to do too much and ends up losing the first 2 games for them. Then their friendship starts to fall apart. Also a bully named Steve Kerrigan is being a jerk to him making fun of his name and accent. But at the end they figure it out and and win the championship.
The author is very good with Cliffhanger and making you want to keep reading. He uses this by having a cliffhanger at the end of almost every chapter. One example it says “this game Cassie passed Gus the ball at the end” (p.116). Another cliffhanger it said “That talk everybody wanted him to have with Cassie, he was going to have it now (p.103). These made me want to keep reading. He also uses subtle foreshadowing. For example before Gus knew Cassie was joining the team it says “Gus just had no way of knowing it wasn't going to be the season he expected” (p.8). This made me want to keep reading.
I would recommend this book to people who play basketball or like it, because the main part of basketball. This book is for 5th through 8th graders. I would recommend it to them because the main part of it is basketball. I liked this book because it had a lot of basketball games in it. This book was not confusing at all, I think anyone could read this book. My favorite part was the ending when Gus made the game winning shot and he and Cassie became friends again and Steve started to be nice to him. This book is a part of a series called Home Team, I would recommend the other books in this series too.

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is told by a teenage boy who’s name is Gus. Gus, Jack and Teddy are going to try out for their traveling basketball team the Walton Warriors. Then there best friend Cassie who is tired of winning with the girls team says she’s gonna try out with them for the boys team. Gus is not happy with this decision because she is a point guard and so is Gus. They try out and Cassie does very well. So does Gus but Cassie was a bit of a ball hog so Gus couldn’t shoot much. The first game comes around and they lose because Cassie didn’t pass at the end. The next couple of games go like this. But they maracuslly still make it to the finals. Them and the moras mustangs. Things go very well from there.

I love this book a lot. It has the characters teaching you life lessons while you're enjoying a really good book. This book makes you think about your own life and how it’s going. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5. I would also recommend this book to anyone who loves mike lupica and sportsbooks that include lots more than just sports. .

[Herb]

I'm not going to give this stars, because I'm not the target audience. I just wanted to read a genre that I loved when I was in late grade school and middle school, and because I saw that Lupica is coming to our local bookstore to do a reading.

So let me say this. When I was in seventh grade, I would have LOVED this book!

And I'd have been wrong.

Not only because it's a little condescending, with the kids having to be perfect miniature adults. Not only because the dialogue and the inner narrative sounds like no middle school kid ever. But primarily because the big moral message is kind of a sham.

Gus and Cassie have been "best friends" for years, but Lupica paints Cassie as an enormously unlikable character. What does she do in this book, ever, to make life better for Gus? They play sports together, yeah, that's nice. But really, friends look out for one another, and she never looks out for him. So she makes the boys' 8th grade basketball team, and does a terrific job. But we're never quite sure exactly why Gus has a hard time with it (and none of their other friends have any qualms at all, not even a little bit, also kind of weird for 8th graders). He knows that it's his problem and he gets over it. But she doesn't ever give him a moment of kindness. I think Lupica wanted this to be a story about how we have to get over our biases of all sorts, but really, it comes out as a story about how girls are inscrutable and boys just have to figure out how to deal with it.

Which is a shame, because the premise is pretty good. But he hasn't been generous enough to Cassie to let us see her as worthy of Gus' loyalty.

[Kid Lit Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gus, Teddy, Jack, and Cassie are best of friends. They hang out and play various sports when they are not playing on their respective teams. It is now basketball season. Try-outs for the Walton Warriors boy’s basketball team will include a new player—Cassie. She believes she is good enough to play on the boy’s team. For Cassie, the girls’ sports teams, in particular the basketball team, are not competitive enough. Jack and Teddy are all for Cassie playing on the boy’s team. Gus says he is, but deep down . . . actually, closer to the surface than Gus will admit, he has misgivings about the idea. When Cassie earns a spot on the boys’ team at point guard, Gus needs to find a way to deal with his misgivings, which sometimes look like anger.

Point Guard is about more than basketball. Lupica does put in enough basketball that any fan or player of the game will be happy. The action is fast-paced and perfect for the level of play and the game. Lupica definitely understands youth sports. I love that Lupica chose to put a girl on the boys’ basketball team. I understand Cassie—I was Cassie. Playing on a boys’ team is hard, even when the game comes easily. But this is not Cassie’s story, it is Gus’s story and it is a good, thrilling story that will please both boys and girls. Point Guard is all net—a three-pointer. Swoosh!

Originally reviewed on Kid Lit Reviews. To read full review, go to: http://bit.ly/Lupica-PointGuard

[Dylan Molina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that "Point Guard" by Mike Lupica is a great book. It is a realistic fiction book about sports, and is in "The Home Team" series. The main characters are Cassie and Gus, and the conflict is man vs. man between the two of them. Gus is good at sports, his favorite being basketball, and he doesn't want Cassie on his basketball team, The Warriors. Cassie is a show off, who is good at sports, and is the only girl to try out for the Warriors. In the story the exposition leads off with Cassie, Gus, Jack, and Teddy playing a two on two basketball game, and after the game the rising action takes place with an argument between Gus and Cassie about why or why not Cassie should try out for the team. The climax is when Cassie makes the team and they start off losing two games, after this the Rising action occurred with Gus and Cassie getting into a major argument, and in the resolution all is solved after a special event that unites Gus and Cassie once again. The three most exciting parts of the story were when Cassie doesn't pass the ball to Gus when he is wide open for a game winning shot, when Cassie finally passes the ball to Gus for a game winning shot and he missed, and when Cassie passes the ball to Gus for the game winning shot and he made it. I think a large audience of people would like this book because it is really exciting, it is by a great author, and is not only a sports book, but it is an emotional book that lets you know how the characters feel.

[Grady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it's a sports book and I really like basketball just like the kids in the books. Not only do I play sports but I also see the drama that is involved with sports, like in this book when the girl in their friend group decides to join the guys basketball team creates major drama within the friend group and the whole team. Will the team be able to win? Or will the have a horrible losing season? Read this book and find out.

[Steven Reyes-Chavez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone thinks that Gus is a baseball guy.He’s been practicing some new moves and lately he’s more surprised when he misses his shot than when he scores. Gus now that he’s convinced his friend Teddy to try out for the team and Jack’s shoulder is healed it looks like there team could go undefeated. But this year he is more excited about basketball than any other sport he's every played. Walton's home team is going to have an unstoppable at least that's what it looks like. This season is different though everyone thought same team as last year but no. There is a new player to the team and she just happens to be one his best friends. Nobody has a problem with her playing point guard. Anyway they are in need of a point guard. Gus just can't figure out why he has a problem with it. And to worse things up their center Steve Kerrigan keeps making fun of Gus’s Dominican heritage in the same way Steve’s dad took shots at immigrants when he ran for mayor. The book is good overall but it just takes part in one place I think the book could’ve done better then to just talk about the basketball games they had and them at the gym.

[Trudy Zufelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gus can't wait for the basketball season to get underway. Being from the Dominican Republic, those around him expect him to be a baseball guy but his skills on the basketball court back up his confidence. With his friends Jack and Teddy trying out for the team, Gus looks forward to an awesome season.

Tryouts don't go as planned when his friend Cassie shows up to try out for the boys team. Cassie excels in many sports the 8th grade boys basketball team proves no exception. As Gus grapples with mixed feelings of having to answer to a girl and trying to maintain his friendship with Cassie, he is forced to question his place on the team.

Those who love sports will have no problem relating to the dynamics between the players. Even though the story touches on some side social themes, it does lack depth at times. Otherwise, a solid story.

My review as it originally appears on my blog, Boys To Books. I received the book at no charge from the publisher.

[Joshua Savino · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Point Guard” by Mike Lupica had a very interesting story and characters. Gus Morales was blindsided by his friends decision to play boys basketball instead of girls basketball. When she told Gus and two of his other friends he seemed to be the only one to have a problem with her on the team. This problem caused their relationship to become shaky. As the story progresses Gus starts to realize his problem and through the help of his friends he figures out what he was missing throughout the story especially after a speech he makes toward his grade to promote his candidate for 9th grades class president. After this speech he realizes that his town of Walden is for everyone and anyone can do anything that they can such as Cassie playing boys basketball instead of girls basketball. Therefore the book “Point Guard” by Mike Lupica was a very good book and had a good theme which I thought was anyone can do anything with people who support them.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Point Guard by Mike Lupica was a pretty good realistic fiction book by Mike Lupica. The main character, Gus a kid who's parents are from the Dominican Republic, is looking forward to his next middle school basketball season when one of his best friends, Cassie decides she wants to challenge herself and tryout for the school team. Gus, doesn't like the idea of her trying out for the school team even though he know she is good enough to make the team. And to make things worse one of his teammates Steve Kerrigan is constantly making remarks about his Dominican heritage. Will Gus find a way to make this season go smoothly on and off the court or will things fall to pieces between him and his teammates? Read this book to find out.

If you like books about basketball you might like is book.

[Int'l librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassie, the most important girl in this story, is a self-centered loudmouth. And just about everybody other than Gus is on her side. And that's what I like most about this story.

It's great to see a YA girl who isn't especially likable, but still has issues worth rooting for. It's entirely reasonable for girls to be pushy when competing with boys - they don't all have to be all-around angels. And Gus has to deal with it. He's a good guy, but that doesn't make him right.

Lupica provides an impressively nuanced take on what otherwise could have been a standard "teens overcoming obstacles" sports drama.

The sports scenes are good too, with a detailed sense of what can happen on the basketball court. Of course there's still plenty of of last-second drama. But there's plenty happening off the court to reach a wider audience.

[Panther Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassie, the most important girl in this story, is a self-centered loudmouth. And just about everybody other than Gus is on her side. And that's what I like most about this story.

It's great to see a YA girl who isn't especially likable, but still has issues worth rooting for. It's entirely reasonable for girls to be pushy when competing with boys - they don't all have to be all-around angels. And Gus has to deal with it. He's a good guy, but that doesn't make him right.

Lupica provides an impressively nuanced take on what otherwise could have been a standard "teens overcoming obstacles" sports drama.

The sports scenes are good too, with a detailed sense of what can happen on the basketball court. Of course there's still plenty of last-second drama. But there's plenty happening off the court to reach a wider audience.

[Christopher Brockman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mike Lupica the arthur of Point Guard is a fiction book for anyone who really likes basketball. This book is about two kids a boy named Gus, and a girl named Cassie. They play basketball together with their team. Also you love the Golden State Warriors you will love this book because they talk about the Warriors. They start to play a 2 on 2 basketball game, then after the game Gus and Cassie get into an argument. One major theme Lupica shows in his book is admiring Cassie’s bravery because she is the only girl on the team, and didn't care what everyone else said, about a girl playing basketball with boys. A strong symbol in the story is her heart to keep pushing for the spot on the team. Will Cassie make the team? What will have if she doesn’t?

[Suyash Westbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing book! With lots of tiny problems here and then and amazing use of prognosticating, this book was a thriller. As a rising 8th grader who is super into basketball, I found this book very relatable and I like how the author used modern basketball terms and related it to modern basketball. The prognoisticating (when Gus was thinking ahead of what would happen but it actually never went the way he wanted it to) was a very good strategy and the side tackling of current social and political issues was very powerful. All in all, I loved this book and look forward to reading more books by Mike Lupica from now on.

[Michael O · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is Point Guard the author is Mike Lupica and the type of book is realistic fiction
This book is about a son Hispanic imagrants and his daily struggle with racism in his school and in his town. He is confronted with issues of race throughout the book when all he wants todo is just play basketball.
The characters in this book were very well developed and the main character is easy to relate with because his dad is also a Hispanic immigrant and is dealing with racism on a daily basis. I thought this was a very good boook because it captures what most Hispanic imagrants go through. It was a very good book and I would recommend this book to others.

[Bridget Neace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, I'm just soooooooo not a sports person. And while I know that bias is certainly playing a part in to my feelings for and review of the book, it's not the only factor.

I felt like there was a lot of text that didn't really say anything--particularly in sections of conversation between characters...lots of (repetitive) words that didn't really communicate anything.

While I'm sure kids who are fans of sports, particularly basketball, might enjoy this book, I just feel like there has GOT to be a better-written sports book for kids out there that would even draw ME in...

[Christina Hagmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four friends longtime friends decide to tryout for the 8th grade boys basketball team. The only problem is that one of them is a girl. Cassie is an amazing athlete and excels at multiple sports, like her friends Jack, Teddy, and Gus. In order to challenge herself, Cassie decides to try out for the boys team but is suprised to find that one of her best friends, Gus, is not very supportive of her, and Gus isn't sure why he can't back Cassie on this. A great story that is about more than just basketball.

[Mason Scharff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would recommend this book, of its current time-zone and many other reasons. It was well-paced and didn't have many down parts. When the main character Gus wan't playing basketball, he was being pro-active by campaigning for his sister, who was running for student council president. I like this genre. It is one of my personal favorites, being that it is realistic fiction and sports fiction. I will definitely read more of this genre in the future.

[Liam Szymonski]

I think that the book Point Guard is great for readers that love sports. In the book it brings up some of the things currently going on in the US today. The main character Gus is not treated well because he is from the Dominican Republic. Just like he would be treated today by some people. Mike Lupica also seems to bring up everything about how middle schoolers act and think. I would recomend this book for any middle schooler who realy likes basketball.

[Allen Beasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the depress fests that were The Only Game and The Extra Yard Point Guard is a huge relief. This book centers on Gus whose family is from the Dominican Republic. His friends think that he should be more interested in baseball but he's taken a real liking to basketball. The problem? His good friend Cassie, who is a good player on the girls' team, thinks the boys' team would offer her more of a challenge. Gus is okay with this.

[Leondre Huerta-Moore]

Everyone assumes that Gus, whose family is from the Dominican Republic, is a baseball guy. But gus is really more excited about basketball than any other sport he’s ever played. He’s been practicing some new moves and lately gus is more surprised when he misses his shot than when he scores. I recommend this book to anyone that likes funny books or basketball.

[Luke P · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you think of most sports books they are all the same. This one though was different then most of the sports books I have read. There is really four main characters and the part that was do different is that two of the main characters got in a fight. This book talks about racial and gender equality focusing not on the backgrounds but on basketball.