• Age: 10 to 13
• Grade: 3 to 8
• Reading age: 8 to 13

Jay Hirtle plays on the basketball team at Richmond Academy in a small rural Nova Scotian town. The team to beat is Centreville, where star player Mike Murphy is seen as Richmond's number one opponent. After the Hirtle house is destroyed by fire, Jay's family moves in with his grandfather and the kids must switch schools until the end of the school year. Jay has a choice: give up a basketball season, or play alongside his former enemy on the Centreville team.

Sylvia Gunnery is the author of nearly a dozen books for teens and younger readers. A retired teacher, she has been inspired by her students to create authentic and engaging stories. Out of Bounds was a Best Books for Kids and Teens Selection and was nominated for the Hackmatack Award. Her most recent novel is Emily For Real. Sylvia gives writing workshops in her home province of Nova Scotia and across Canada, encouraging young writers to find their own voices and tell their own stories.

Sylvia Gunnery's profile page

• Short-listed, Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award
• Winner, Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Selection

"Out of Bounds on-court action is appealing for sports enthusiasts. Students who have had to change schools will understand Jay's struggles. Also readers will easily relate to Jay's sense of betrayal concerning his friends. Younger middle-years readers and reluctant readers who enjoy sports books will enjoy this book. Recommended."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"It is refreshing for a book to deal with a realistic situation in an honest way without glossing things over in a make-believe perfect way."

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