‘Crunch Time Cam’ by Jordan Lyons shares the story of Cameron, a young boy who wants to live up to the expectations he feels exist for him regarding his interest in playing basketball. He strives to go out of his way to fill the shoes that his brothers have worn before him in their basketball league.

Even though it was clear where Cam got his sense of determination and perseverance from as he aimed to be the best and win the season, his character, as well as others, could have been further fleshed out. The story seemed very much on the surface at times, and it would have been nice to delve more into the inner workings of some of the secondary characters, like Cam’s best friend Braxton, in order to more fully develop the relationships among the characters. One way to do this would be through more showing rather than telling. The story did a nice job explaining what was happening, but more action sequences coupled with added dialogue rather than quite as much description would help present readers with a more thoroughly enjoyable reading experience. It is nice to feel like you are in the book, and it seems that readers might often feel like they are on the outside of Cam’s life looking in rather than being right there with him.

All in all, Lyons showed through ‘Crunch Time Cam’ that valuable lessons can be learned, even when you least expect them. From learning how to be independent on the court to figuring out how to best work on a team, the importance of friendship, empathy, and maintaining focus are only three of the themes that this book captures in its short but sweet 111 pages.

You can find ‘Crunch Time Cam’ by Jordan Lyons here.

*Review originally posted at YABooksCentral.com*