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Books like The Moves Make the Man
A sensitive, grounded exploration of a fragile bond forged on the basketball court amidst the heavy weight of emotional turmoil. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with The Moves Make the Man.
- poignant
- uneasy
- reflective
- grounded
- 01
Slam!
Walter Dean Myers
A rhythmic, grounded coming-of-age story that hits with the fast-paced energy of a streetball game and the heavy reality of growing up.
- 02
Night hoops
Carl Deuker
A gritty, sweat-soaked exploration of how the rhythmic thump of a basketball in the dark can forge a lifeline between two troubled kids.
- 03
The Contender
Robert Lipsyte · 1967
A gritty, sweat-soaked coming-of-age classic about finding the strength to stand up when the world tries to keep you down.
- 04
Miracle's Boys
Jacqueline Woodson
A tender, aching exploration of brotherhood and grief that finds hope in the spaces between fractured relationships.
- 05
The Crossover
Kwame Alexander
A kinetic, rhythmic exploration of brotherhood, basketball, and the sudden, sharp pains of growing up.
- 06
The lions of Little Rock
Kristin Levine
A gentle but unflinching exploration of how a quiet voice can become the loudest in the room when friendship and justice are on the line.
- 07
Harbor me
Jacqueline Woodson
A quiet, deeply moving sanctuary of a story about the healing power of simply listening to one another.
- 08
Bang!
Flake, Sharon
A raw, urgent exploration of a teenager navigating the shattering aftermath of gun violence and a fractured family.
- 09
Secrets in the Shadows
Anne E. Schraff · 2001
A fast-paced, high-stakes spiral into guilt and paranoia where one bad decision threatens to unravel a teenager's entire life.
- 10
Jason & Kyra
Dana Davidson
A tender, opposites-attract high school romance that peels back the layers of teenage popularity to reveal the vulnerable hearts underneath.
- 11
Forged by fire
Sharon M. Draper · 1997
A raw, emotionally gripping exploration of survival and the fierce, protective love between siblings facing unimaginable hardship.
- 12
If I Grow Up
Todd Strasser
A gritty, unflinching look at the impossible choices forced upon a boy trying to survive systemic poverty and neighborhood violence.
