How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy
By Crystal Allen
(Balzer + Bray, Hardcover, 9780061992728, 288pp.)
Publication Date: March 2011
Other Editions of This Title: Google eBook
Categories: Social Issues - Dating & Sex, Social Issues - Friendship, Sports & Recreation - General
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Thirteen-year-old Lamar Washington is the maddest, baddest, most spectacular bowler at Striker's Bowling Paradise. But while Lamar's a whiz at rolling strikes, he always strikes out with girls. And his brother, Xavier the Basketball Savior, is no help. Xavier earns trophy after trophy on the basketball court and soaks up Dad's attention, leaving no room for Lamar's problems.
Until bad boy Billy Jenks convinces Lamar that hustling at the alley will help him win his dream girl, plus earn him enough money to buy an expensive pro ball and impress celebrity bowler Bubba Sanders. But when Billy's scheme goes awry, Lamar ends up ruining his brother's shot at college and every relationship in his life. Can Lamar figure out how to mend his broken ties, no matter what the cost?
From debut author Crystal Allen comes an unforgettable story of one boy's struggle to win his family's respect and get the girl of his dreams while playing the sport he loves.
During her childhood, Crystal Allen's parents and older brother worked in bowling alleys, so lucky Crystal spent many hours on the lanes, bowling for free. When she was seven, she won her first trophy: a bowling-pin bank filled with pennies! Since then, she's joined several bowling leagues and loves to bowl with family and friends. Crystal lives in Sugar Land, Texas, with her husband, Reggie, and two sons, Phillip and Joshua. How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy is her first novel.
“The powerful mix of sibling rivalry, revenge, and hard-won redemption strengthens the perennial appeal of the naïve-underdog-makes-good plot; readers will come for the laughs and stay for the laughs.”
-Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“This stands out for its unusual setting and smooth integration of friendship and family concerns. ”
-Kirkus Reviews
Under all the braggadocio is a boy with a big heart, and from the first sentence Lamar will have readers hooked.
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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