Travel Team
By Mike Lupica
Book Summary
12-year-old, Danny Walker, son of the NBA star Richie Walker, may not be the shortest boy his age in Middletown, but when he is on the basketball court his opponents and teammates tower over him. Being a four foot five inch point guard, Danny faced hardships on the court and in his everyday life. When the travel season came around Danny tried out for the Middletown Vikings, a team that Danny had play on for two years. He was devastated to find that he did not make the team because of his size. At just about this time Richie Walker came back to visit Danny. Richie wanted to bond with Danny, so he started a second Middletown travel team, made up of rejects and misfits. Over a difficult season filled with heartbreak and triumph, the players improve and create long lasting friendships. After reading Mike Lupica's Novel Travel Team I would recommend this book to a fan of any sport. It is a heartwarming and powerful story.
"Then Will was there, and Bren, putting Danny on their shoulders... So this is what everything looks like from up here." - Danny Walker, page 279
Moral
The moral of Mike Lupica's novel is that if you work hard you can achieve your goals no matter what people say.
Danny was very small as a child in Middletown. He was often made fun of and tormented because of his height. Once Danny's team prevailed he realized it was never about how tall he was on the outside. It was about how tall he felt on the inside.