What is The Rebound about?
A 14 year old boy aiming to play for the NBL one day, loses his father in an accident. His dad was everything to him. Not only his coach, but all things basketball.
The tryouts he’d been training so hard with his dad for, come and go as he grieves. Instead of playing for the top school team he saw as the first step to his dream, he ends up in a training squad – deemed the worst in the school.
Plot summary of The Rebound (No Spoilers)
Harry and his dad love watching basketball together, training together and sharing everything about the sport. Their goal is to get Harry ready for his high school tryouts for the top team – the 1st step to his dream of playing for the NBA.
Being called to the school office one day is the first inkling that something is wrong, and Harry learns that his dad has died in a car accident.
Reeling from loss, the funeral and his world pulled out from under him, Harry pushes everything aside – even the tryouts. He’s not ready to face everyone. When he finally is, it’s too late.
His best mate Jamal has made the top team without him, and is soon caught up in a relentless training schedule with others from school. Harry feels the gap between him and Jamal growing wider, and himself feeling angrier.
He takes this anger with him into a new team – the bottom training team in the school, with a coach he doesn’t believe knows what he’s doing. He decides he’s in the team for one reason – to keep fit for next year’s tryouts. But with a councillor, a new friend who knows what he’s going through, his mum, aunt and even the new coach, Harry finds a different path.
Review
If you didn’t like Basketball before, I challenge you to not enjoy it – at least as long as you are reading this book!
The Rebound is so full of heart, from the first page to the last, in so many ways. The relationship between the main character Harry and his father with basketball begins the story, with dreams to soar for. When it seems that all is lost, my heart went out for Harry in his confusion and grief.
His plans (made with his dad), are suddenly awry and his behaviour is so authentic, albeit terrible. But he finds his way through and winning has a whole new aspect to it. The heart he finds within his team builds slowly but surely and will fill your own as they conquer one obstacle after another.
The basketball component is high, and although also about loss, this is ultimately a feel-good story.
A great read for any sports fan.
Book Style
274 Pages / Thirty Seven Chapters with dates from Sat 29/3/25 to Thurs 25/12/25
Three sections – Off Season / In Season / Off Season
FAQ’s
What age is it for?
10+
Where & When is it set?
A fictional Australian town / 2025
What is the Point of View / Tense of the novel?
First Person / Present Tense
Is there Violence?
No
What genre is The Rebound?
Middle Grade Contemporary Fiction
Themes
Family / Loss / Sport / Basketball / Friendship / Teamwork / Real Life
Is it part of a series?
No
Author
Fiona Harris
Publisher
Allen & Unwin
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