BALL DON’T LIE (Delacorte Press, 2005)
Written by Matt de la Peña
Grades 9-12

Sticky is a young teenager trying to find his way and make sense of a world where he feels alone. He suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, which embarrasses him, so he just can’t help doing certain things over and over until they “feel” right. He no longer answers to his given name, Travis Reichard, and his memories of his life before his mother died are distant, confusing, and not always happy.

He has been in four foster homes since his mother died, but his home-away-from-home is a gym called Lincoln Rec where he goes every weekend to play basketball. Sticky had to earn his way to play in the Saturday games, and he is a force to contend with on the court, where he experiences every move on the court in meaningful detail. His friendships at Lincoln Rec and his girlfriend Anh-thu help him along the way, even though his path is difficult.

BALL DON’T LIE is a moving story, rich in imagery and description. An excellent book to study with adolescents, BALL DON’T LIE offers up many topics for discussion including basketball as a passion, what it entails to become the best that one can be regardless of the obstacles, how to matter when it seems no one has your best interest at heart, working through ethical dilemmas when you have nothing, and how to proceed when finding oneself on a difficult path.

Cross-Curricular Connections: English Language Arts, Social Studies, Health

Ideas for Classroom Use:

What Makes a Person?

There are descriptions of different characters on pages 45, 76, 120, and 121, beginning with the phrase “he (or a character’s name) is:” that can be used to start a discussion of what makes up a person. Can a person change from moment to moment? How important are physical characteristics? Using these sections from the book, have students write a paragraph about who they are right now, in this moment, using the format de la Peña uses.

To continue this lesson further, have students transform their paragraphs into a picture blog using https://jux.com. This blogging platform offers a clear, screen-sized picture with no other “clutter” on the screen unless you decide to put words there yourself. Students can decide to put the words they have written in their initial paragraphs on each picture of their presentation, or they can let the pictures speak for themselves. Students can use pictures of themselves or pictures of everyday objects they used to describe themselves.

Figurative Language

BALL DON’T LIE is full of powerful imagery, metaphors, and similes. As a pre-reading activity, teach a lesson on figurative language and use synectic boxes to learn about similes. Place students in groups and use the following chart with basketball terms, everyday items, or items of interest to the students. After completing the chart, have students discuss how the existing examples could be changed to create metaphors, and have students create new metaphors to share with the class. Instruct students to identify and keep notes of similes and metaphors as they read the book.

Similes are as easy as pie!

Socioeconomic Status: A Race to the Wall

Dante has a conversation with Sticky on page 228 about the injustice in life. “The laws we operate under are set up by those who have everything, in order to protect themselves from the ones who have nothing.” He goes on to make a comparison of life in America to a race to a wall in which some people have much more of a head start than others. Begin by doing a close reading of that section of the book. After reading, begin a class conversation in which students consider how one’s background, experiences, and resources can affect success.

The Ethics of Stealing: A Moral Thief?

There are several references and a few conversations throughout the book about stealing. Sticky thinks that stealing from an individual is wrong; however, he justifies stealing from a store as acceptable. On page 123, Chuck tells Sticky “Stealin is stealin, Stick. Don’t matter if it’s from a store or some little old lady, it’s the exact same state of condition.” As a pre-reading activity, have students read the background and the ethical questions posed on this ethics blog.

Have students comment on their thoughts on the ethical dilemma on a private class blog (www.edublogs.com). As a post-reading activity, have the class re-visit the blog and discuss the ethics of stealing as it relates to Sticky’s situation. Is Sticky right, is Chuck correct, or is the answer more nuanced?

Additional Texts:

More books that deal with the themes of basketball and coming of age.

Alexie, Sherman (2009). THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Alphin, Elaine Marie (2011). THE PERFECT SHOT. Carolrhoda Books.
Deuker, Carl (2009). NIGHT HOOPS. HMH Books for Young Readers.
Deuker, Carl (2008). ON THE DEVIL’S COURT. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Fink, Mark (2011). STEPPING UP. Westside Books.
Lupica, Mike (2007). MIRACLE ON 49TH STREET.Puffin.
Lupica, Mike (2007). SUMMER BALL.Puffin.
Lupica, Mike (2012). TRUE LEGEND.Puffin.
Mackel, Kathy (2010). BOOST. Speak.
Myers, Walter Dean (2014). HOOPS. Ember.
Quick, Matthew (2012). BOY 21. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Additional Resources:

Random House Readers Guide
Random House has compiled a reader’s guide for four of de la Peña’s books. Page 6 offers many thought provoking questions about BALL DON’T LIE.