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

In need of money to pay her basketball fees, fourteen-year old Malia King registers for a refereeing course at her middle school. Refereeing gives her a whole new perspective on the game, and helps to improve her own play. But things get complicated when Malia is assigned to referee her younger sister Flo's games, especially when she makes a call that leads to a big loss for her school. As people around Malia start pressuring her to favour the team from her own school she has to choose between calling a fair game or becoming a social outcast.

KELSEY BLAIR played varsity basketballfor the University of British Columbia, leading her team to two Canadian Interuniversity Sport National Championships, and has played semi-professionally in Sweden. She is the author of the Sports Stories Pick and Roll, which was selected as a Best Book for Kids and Teens by the Canadian Children's Book Centre, as well as Ugly Kicks and Making the Team. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Kelsey Blair's profile page

• Winner, Resource Links The Year's Best - Fiction Grades 7-12