• Age: 9 to 13
• Grade: 4 to 8
• Reading age: 7 to 10

Matthew Eagletail is the star player for the Warriors, his basketball team on the Tsuu T'ina First Nation near Calgary.
When his mother remarries, everything in Matthew's life is suddenly different and new: a new school, a new father, five pesky new sisters, a new dog named Precious. Worst of all, he has to quit the Warriors. When he's asked to join his new school's team, the Bandits, he claims he'll never play for the competition. His sister Jazz thinks otherwise, and sets out to prove it.
Free Throw is the story of how one young man come to terms with change and returns to the court--with a little help from his friends. [Fry Reading Level - 4.7

Award-winning author JACQUELINE GUEST is the author of numerous Lorimer novels, including the Arthur Ellis Award nominee Wild Ride and A Goal in Sight, which was shortlisted for a Golden Eagle Children's Choice Book Award. Many of her novels have also been Canadian Children's Centre Our Choice selections including the SideStreets novel At Risk, and the Sports Stories novels Hat Trick, Free Throw, and Soccer Star. Jacqueline Guest lives in Bragg Creek, Alberta.

www.jacquelineguest.com/index.htm

Jacqueline Guest's profile page

• Short-listed, Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature
• Winner, American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Middle School Book
• Commended, Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Selection

"The characters are well-drawn and I, for one, would like meet them again..."

The Guardian

"This well-written story has a very contemporary feel. Guest has a good understanding of teenage angst and the emotions that motivate a teenager in Matt's circumstances...
highly recommended."

Canadian Book Review Annual

"This book is very well written and is truly enjoyable. I found that I learned a great deal about the game of basketball as a result of reading this book. The main character is believable and one can easily relate to the problems he was encountering."

Resource Links

"Interesting reading... the book is interesting in that a native Canadian is the central character... highly recommended."

Canadian Materials