Ribay, Randy.
AFTER THE SHOT DROPS
Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018
IL YA
ISBN 9781328702272

(7 booktalks)

Booktalk #1

Nasir can’t help feeling betrayed by his best friend, Bunny. Not only did Bunny transfer to play basketball for a mostly-white Catholic school outside Philadelphia, now Bunny is with the girl Nasir has loved for years. Meanwhile, Bunny is feeling alone in his new school, and resents Nasir for breaking ties. Feeling he’s lost his only friend, Nasir spends more time with his cousin Wallace. If it seems like everything is going right for Bunny lately, it’s been the opposite for Wallace. About to get evicted from the home he shares with his grandma, Wallace makes a series of decisions that will have long-lasting consequences for all three boys. Told in alternating chapters by Bunny and Nasir; filled with basketball action to go with the page-turning drama, After the Shot Drops is the story of three boys finding different ways to handle the opportunities, expectations, and challenges they are dealt. (Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award 2019-2020)

Booktalk #2

Bunny and Nasir were the best of friends until the pursuit of basketball dreams and a move to a new school placed them at odds with each other. Star basketball player Bunny leaves his neighborhood school Whitman High to attend the predominately white private school St. Sebastian’s for access to better resources and more visibility in their elite basketball program. His decision leaves his best friend Nasir, as well as his other peers, feeling betrayed. Told in alternating point of views, the book follows the unique challenges these young men face. Nasir is trying desperately to save his cousin Wallace from succumbing to the socioeconomic pressures many of the youth in their inner city community face. His former friend Bunny must balance two realities. Though celebrated because of his athletic abilities, Bunny struggles to fit in as one of the few black students in a student body that is overwhelmingly white and wealthy. In addition, his family’s growing financial problems and doubts about his relationship with Keyona threaten to throw the star athlete off his game. Can Nasir and Bunny rekindle their friendship and help each other overcome life’s obstacles before it's too late? (Georgia Peach Book Award, 2020)

Booktalk #3

Told from two perspectives, former friends and basketball teammates Benedict "Bunny" and Nasir have a falling out after Bunny suddenly transfers to an elite private school to play basketball with a better chance of being drafted. Bunny starts to second guess his decision as he tries to navigate his two worlds: his new, mostly white school, and his neighborhood and old community who feel abandoned. At the same time, Nasir is pressured to sabatoge Bunny's games to help his cousin. As Bunny tries to repair his friendship, Nasir must decide if family or friends are more important, or if the two can be the same thing.  (Florida Teen Read, 2020)

Booktalk #4

Bunny Thompson is a rising high school sophomore basketball star. His innate ability and dedication to the sport permitted Bunny to take advantage of an opportunity to move from his Philadelphia working class neighborhood high school to an exclusive private school. Taking a lead playing position on the all-white suburban St. Sebastian’s basketball team increases Bunny’s exposure. A winning season and entry to the statewide championship playoffs has college scouts actively recruiting him. Left behind is Nasir, Bunny’s former best friend. Feeling forgotten by Bunny, Nasir ends their longtime friendship. Hurt and angry, Nasir’s considers suggestions by his cousin Wallace to retaliate and punish Bunny by ruining his winning basketball season. Clouding Nasir’s decision to go through with their plans of retribution is an offer by Bunny that would change his life forever. Written in alternate voices, author Randy Ribay’s novel highlights the impact the personal decisions that one makes and their resulting actions have on the family and friendships. (Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Awards, 2020)

Booktalk #5

Once, Bunny and Nasir were best friends. After Bunny decides to transfer to a private school that scouted him for basketball, Nasir refuses to talk to him. After his best friend decides to move on with no warning, Nasir begins to hang out with his cousin, Wallace, who has his own baggage. This dual-perspective novel highlights both young men as they struggle to find their place and to do what’s right. (Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Awards, 2020)

Booktalk #6

Imagine being faced with the decision of living your dream or risk a friendship and possibly a life. Bunny is faced with this decision to win the state championship game for his team where he is on an academic scholarship or save his friendship with his best friend Nasir and save Wallace’s life. Wallace’s homeless plight has left him in a dangerous situation after betting against Bunny’s team to win money to pay for rent. Nasir is torn between asking his best friend to commit an unethical act to save his cousin’s life or allow Bunny’s team to win the championship. Decisions that are made are risky and life threatening. Who will come out on top after the shot drops?  ( Prepared by: Laura Ward, Scranton Elementary STEAM Academy, lward@fsd3.org)  (South Carolina Book Awards, 2020-2021)

Booktalk #7

Nasir and Bunny have been best friends forever until Bunny is recruited to St. Sebastian’s, a mostly white, rich, suburban school with an outstanding basketball program. This athletic scholarship could mean a better life for Bunny's family, but Nasir feels betrayed. Nasir grows distant and spends more time with his cousin, Wallace, who is being evicted with his elderly grandmother and making desperate and ill-thought out attempts to take care of an increasingly dangerous situation. Wallace goes so far as to even bet against Bunny’s team in the basketball state championship which forces Nasir to make an impossible decision. This heart-pounding story is told from alternating perspectives as readers learn about the difficulty of being the only black kid in a school and when to stay loyal to the people in your life. Mix in edge-of-your- seat sports action and you’ve got a winning combination! By the end, you’ll be hoping for compassion for everyone involved. (Book Talk by TuesD Chambers, Ballard High School Library ) (Washington Evergreen Book Award nominee 2021)