• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 8
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Thirteen-year-old basketball star Jordan Ryker feels like his life is falling apart.

All Jordie wanted was for his parents to stop fighting. Soon, he gets his wish. His parents separate and then his dad announces he’s gay. Shocked, Jordie struggles with how to process all this. His dad taught him everything he knows about basketball, and there’s an important championship game coming up. He needs him more than ever. But Jordie feels like his dad has abandoned his family. He doesn’t want anything to do with him now and he definitely doesn't want to meet his dad’s new boyfriend. It takes a new girl with wicked basketball skills and a revelation from his best friend to help Jordie realize that while some things change, other things never do.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Glitterature writer Paul Coccia is the author of Cub, The Player, I Got You Babe, Leon Levels Up, and On the Line (co-authored with Eric Walters). Paul has a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. You can often find him baking in his Toronto kitchen with his three dogs, nephew, and a parrot who loves spaghetti and French fries. Follow him @pauljcoccia on Instagram and Twitter.

Paul Coccia's profile page

Eric Walters is the author of many acclaimed and bestselling novels for children and young adults. His novels have won numerous awards, including the Silver Birch, Blue Heron, Red Maple, Snow Willow, Ruth Schwartz, and Tiny Torgi, and have received honours from the Canadian Library Association Book Awards and UNESCO's international award for Literature in Service of Tolerance.

Eric lives in Mississauga with his wife, Anita, and three children, Christina, Nicholas, and Julia. When not writing or touring across the country speaking to school groups, Eric spends time playing or watching soccer and basketball, or playing the saxophone.

To find out more about Eric and his novels, or to arrange for him to speak at your school, visit his website at www.ericwalters.net.

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Eric Walters' profile page

• Short-listed, Rocky Mountain Book Award (RMBA)
• Nominated, Forest of Reading Red Maple Award
• Winner, Rocky Mountain Book Award (RMBA) - Richard Allen Chase Memorial Reward
• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens, starred selection
• Commended, Top Grade: CanLit for the Classroom

“Beautifully and realistically rendered…Shines a light on the restorative power of best friends and caring family…Both straight and LGBTQ+ readers will love a work created by two outstanding writers who, as it turns out, are greater than the sum of their storytelling parts. Highly Recommended.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“A story that challenges young readers to see beyond themselves and from different perspectives and with compassion for the struggles that others may be experiencing.”

CanLit for Little Canadians

“An emotional, thought-provoking journey exploring identity, with a basketball backdrop.”

Booklist

“On the Line navigates emotionally charged themes with compassion and honesty. The dynamic basketball setting will appeal to its middle-grade audience along with its cast of well-drawn and endearing characters. A touching and refreshing story of a young teen learning what it means to love unconditionally.”

Michelle Kadarusman, author of Music for Tigers

“A relationship-driven story.”

Kirkus Reviews

“Readers will embrace the language and style of the book…This is a coming-of-age story with a real-life scenario that teenagers, or those they know, could face.”

School Library Connection