Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up

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!

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!

Jenn Bishop's latest novel focuses on the game of basketball. Rory's dad just accepted a job at the University of Cincinnati as the head basketball coach. Rory's life has always revolved around basketball, so she decides to move with him and start a new school during 8th grade. At school, she meets Abby. Her dad is the head basketball coach of Xavier University. After the two teams play one another, it is obvious that the two dads know and despise one another. That leads the girls on an investigation. The reader gets some flashbacks on the boys growing up and what caused the drift between them. The girls are wonderful characters that readers will cheer for. We get to see their friendship go through some ups and downs just like their dads' friendship. This is another fantastic read from Jenn Bishop.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

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!

I love this book almost as much as I love basketball! I wish this book had been around when I was younger. Seeing girls excel at the sport I love would have been awesome! I love that I am going to get to share this one with my students! It’s a slam dunk!

Jenn Bishop is one of my favorite authors writing such wonderful titles as Things You Can't Say and Where We Used to Roam. I am just as excited about her newest title, Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up. Three things I love about the book: I love that it is a sports story where the main characters are girls as we know that girls play sports too! I love the basketball playing nun! I love that the sport emphasized is basketball as it seems there are fewer middle grade books focused on basketball. I will definitely be buying this one for my school library!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Jenn Bishop's story. It presented a realistic view of life as the "new kid" in a community consumed by their local collegiate sports. Students will connect with the challenges faced by both main characters and revel in how they resolve their differences in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book. I've enjoyed a number of Jenn Bishop's previous novels, and this one didn't disappoint. It's a great one for friendship, basketball, and so much more. I loved the story and the message.

Told from multiple points of view, Rory is new to the Cincinnati area and becomes friends with Abby. Little do they know, their dads are enemies. The girls go on a quest to find out what happened. When Abby makes a decision to go to a different high school next year she doesn’t tell Rory who is hurt, and it takes a toll on their friendship. Do the girls talk and become friends again? Do they ever find out what happened with their dads? Can the dads forgive each other?