Airball My Life in Briefs

Reach for this book when your middle-grade child feels like they do not fit the mold of what a successful student or athlete should look like. It is especially resonant for kids navigating the absence of a parent or trying to build confidence in a skill that does not come naturally to them. Kirby Nickel is an uncoordinated seventh grader in a basketball-obsessed Kansas town who joins the team not for the love of the game, but to get close to a legendary player he believes might be his father. The story uses humor and sports as a lens to examine deep-seated questions about identity and the courage required to be yourself. It is a lighthearted yet meaningful read for ages 8 to 12 that validates the struggle of feeling invisible and the triumph of finding your own team. Parents will appreciate how it balances laugh-out-loud comedy with the poignant reality of a single-parent household and the search for belonging.