Books for young adults by Carl Deuker
Coming Fall of 2024
Selection from Shadowed
"If Colin is open," Varner says to me, "get him the ball. If not, you take the final shot. Bryce, Arthur—you two hit the boards. Everybody got it."
We nod. The horn sounds.
Colin inbounds to me. Charles posts, and I feed him the ball. Colin's man drops down to double-team, and Charles passes the ball back out to me. Colin breaks hard toward the hoop, then stops on a dime and spots up in the corner. He's wide-open, clapping his hands, calling for the ball. The crowd has been counting down the seconds . . . "Six . . . Five . . . Four . . ." He's a good shooter, he's got a clean look, and I've got time.
I know the right play, but I don't make it.
Instead, I take a hard dribble toward the hoop and pull up for a fifteen-footer. A defender is on me, his hand in my face. Somehow I get the shot off, but the ball barely draws iron; Rainier Beach snags the rebound; the horn sounds.
Game over.
Available Now!
Audio version also available.
Laz has a major league arm, but how can he get a major league team to look at him?
Booklist--Starred Review of Golden Arm
Deuker's realistic novel pits poverty, friendship, teamwork, self-reliance, and supportive adults against wealth, privilege, overambition, and overbearing helicopter parents. Even readers who don't like baseball will be riveted to this human-interest, underdog story. J.B. Perry
GOLDEN ARM
Nominations and commendations
Bluegrass Award (Kentucky)
Sequoyah Book Award (Oklahoma)
Black-Eyed Susan Award (Maryland)
Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award
Amazon Best Book April 2020
Junior Library Guild Selection
Three minute video.
Short video (6:20)
*****
"Deuker antes up the complexity of a formulaic plot by painting his characters in shades of gray. Richie Fang is stubbornly annoying, and he seems to beg for the role of victim; Hunter is becoming aware that he can't be a star QB without an equally talented receiver; Mr. Gates is discovering that there are aspects of his son's future he can't secure or control. Fans who count on Deuker to put a provocative spin on an already satisfying story won't be disappointed." Elizabeth Bush, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.
Short video (3:00).
Many thanks. This is a much better "book talk" than I could ever have done.
Short (4:00) video
Carl Deuker describes in three minutes where the ideas for Gym Candy came from.
YouTube book trailer