children's middlegrade fiction. Lamar is that annoying 13-y.o. kid who's always joking around--don't get me wrong, he's a good kid, but being around a kid like that all the time can be tiresome. That said, I could easily recommend this to a lot of middlegrade boys (and girls) who enjoy a funny story. ( )

(I got his book free from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for this review.)

This is a kind of feel-good story about a young boy who's an enthusiastic bowler and learns important lessons about life, carefully choosing the company he keeps, and staying true to his friends, his family and himself one summer. A lot of tween- and teen-directed books have a sports theme, but I'd never read one about bowling before, and it made for a nice change. Unable to participate in other sports because of severe asthma, Lamar is a very talented bowler, but his longing to be "cool" and desire for expensive bowling gear has him ditching his best friend and hustling with the town troublemaker for money. Meanwhile, he's navigating the tricky territory of his first romance, and fighting constantly with his older brother, who struggles with anger management issues. Lamar's thuggish new "friend" talks him into pulling a nasty "prank" to get back at his brother, he finds himself in big trouble and unsure if he'll be able to fix the mess he's made.

I think young 9-to-12s would enjoy this book, particularly those who enjoy bowling. ( )

Lamar Washington loves bowling. He's the king of Striker's Bowling Paradise and he hangs out there everyday during summer vacation with his best friend Sergio, bowling and checking out cute girls. He reveres bowling pro Bubba Sanders and looks forward to his July 4th visit to the lanes. But Lamar gets caught up in Billy Jenks' hustling scheme, and his head is turned around by the money they make hustling on the lanes. Additionally, friction is mounting with big brother Xavier, a star high school basketball player. Lamar puts up a big front with the girls and his hustling, but inside he's still an insecure kid, wondering if he said or did the right thing, and that adds to the humor of his story. The publisher lists this book as for ages 8-12, but given how much Lamar and Sergio eyeball the girls and discuss hooking up (not sexually in this case, just kissing), I'd say this is better suited for ages 11-14. ( )

This is a comical and and heart wrenching novel. Lamar is going through a tough time and finds his own way to get through it. It does have a lot of slang and street talk in it. I enjoyed reading Lamar's story come to life and ending was fitting! ( )

Lamar just jumps out at me and it's as if he's real. I can hear his voice telling me that his story is the maddest baddest story around. Crystal Allen came to visit my school today and what I have found is that she knows the one thing that makes a good character. Voice. ( )