Sasquatch In The Paint: Streetball Crew #1    by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Raymond Obstfeld Order:  USA  Can Hyperion, 2014 (2014) Hardcover     Reviewed by Jessica Maguire Between seventh and eighth grade Theo Rollins grew six inches. The once invisible science nerd is now on the basketball team. Unfortunately, Theo really sucks at basketball. His tall frame makes Theo awkward, thus his nickname - Sasquatch. Even worse, a cute girl is the one who came up with the negative tag. Life at home is not great either. Theo lives with his dad. The two are on their own since Theo's mother passed away. To top it off, Theo has a popular cousin who believes he will, one day, be a famous rapper. Theo's cousin is everything Theo feels he isn't - talented, athletic, and popular. Theo thinks his life cannot get any worse. But his best friend is a bit jealous of Theo, because he fears his buddy will become a jock and leave him behind. Then Theo is kicked off the team he really loves, the academic trivia club, and he will not be going to the Aca-lympics. Now there is even the threat of being dropped from the basketball team if he does not improve his game! Torn between training for basketball, a sport he has never really cared about, and the Aca-lympics, which he loves, Theo is not sure what to do or even who he is. How will everything work out for Theo? I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I really did enjoy this novel. Other than shooting hoops when I was a kid, I am not into basketball. Regardless, this book is well written and one can relate to the story even if one knows nothing about the game. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a good writer and the story is loosely based on his own life. Readers age nine and up will enjoy this book whether they are into sports or academics. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews