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Josh Cameron is MVP of the championship Boston Celtics and a media darling with a spotless reputation. He has it all . . . including a daughter he never knew. When twelve-year-old Molly Parker arrives in his life, claiming to be his daughter, she catches him off guard. Molly says her mom, Jen, revealed his identity before losing her battle with cancer. Josh isn’t so sure about this girl—she must be trying to scam him for his money. Still, there’s something about Molly that reminds him so much of Jen. But as Molly gets to know the real Josh, the one the camera never sees, she starts to understand why her mother never wanted her to know her dad. Josh has room in his heart for only two things: basketball and himself. Does Molly really want this man for a father? Together, these two strangers learn that sometimes, for things to end up the way you want them to, you have to fire up a prayer at the buzzer and hope it goes in.
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At the age of 23, Mike Lupica began his newspaper career covering the New York Knicks for the New York Post. In 1977, he became the youngest columnist ever at a New York newspaper when he started working for the New York Daily News. He has also written for numerous magazines during his career including Golf Digest, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, ESPN: The Magazine, Men's Journal and Parade. In 2003, he received the Jim Murray Award from the National Football Foundation. He has been a television anchor for ESPN's The Sports Reporters and hosted his own program The Mike Lupica Show on ESPN2. <p> He has written both fiction and non-fiction books. His novels include Dead Air; Limited Partner; Jump; Full Court Press; Red Zone; Too Far; Wild Pitch; and Bump and Run. He also writes the Mike Lupica's Comeback Kids series. He co-wrote autobiographies with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells and collaborated with William Goldman on Wait Till Next Year. His other non-fiction works include The Summer of '98; Mad as Hell: How Sports Got Away from the Fans and How We Get It Back; and Shooting from the Lip. <p> (Bowker Author Biography)
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Gr 6-9-Molly Parker,12, lives in Boston with her recently deceased mother's best friend and family. She is on a mission to meet the Celtics' star player, Josh Cameron, to tell him that she is his daughter. With the help of her friend Sam, she sneaks into the athlete's car so that they will have the opportunity to talk. Self-centered Josh is skeptical of her claim, yet spends time with her. However, his sinister agent, Bobby, worries that knowledge of Molly's existence will destroy his client's clean-cut image, and he tells her to get lost. She almost despairs of ever convincing Josh of their relationship before she moves to California with her new family. But after finding an encouraging note her mother had left, she travels to New York, where Josh has a game, and the two reconcile at the Rockefeller Center skating rink. Lupica creates intriguing, complex characters in Molly, Sam, and Josh, and he paces his story well, with enough twists and cliff-hangers to keep the pages turning. Molly's relationships with others in Josh's life, such as a teammate and his housekeeper, contrast nicely with her up-and-down relationship with her father. In spite of a few implausible events, some sentimentality, and a bit of predictability, this is an entertaining work. The strong female character and the basketball tie-in will expand its appeal.-Jeffrey A. French, Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, Willowick, OH Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
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When 12-year-old Molly introduces herself to Boston Celtics star Josh Cameron as his daughter, tension immediately builds between Cameron's unwillingness to believe her claim and Molly's desire for a parent. PW called Lupica "an extraordinarily smooth writer with a great ear for witty repartee." Ages 10-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
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When 12-year-old Molly Parker returns to America from England following her mother's death from cancer, she harbors a secret: her father is the star point guard of the Boston Celtics, Josh Cameron. Molly confronts Josh, who reacts with ambivalence to the sudden news that he is a father, but as their relationship grows, he seems to want to make Molly part of his life. Still, he also seems worried about his good-guy, bachelor image. Adding further pressure to the situation are his warmhearted housekeeper and greedy, image-conscious agent. Despite a sentimental ending, Lupica delivers a winning novel, creating a realistic character in Molly by authentically capturing both her fragility and pluck. Young readers will also enjoy the look inside Josh's pampered sports-superstar world. Ostensibly sports fiction, this could attract a wide range of readers. --Todd Morning Copyright 2006 Booklist
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