Clutch Time (Shot Clock #2)

Butler, Caron and Reynolds, Justin A. Clutch Time (Shot Clock #2)

September 10, 2024 by Katherine Tegen Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this return to Oasis Springs, we meet new characters. Kofi Douglass is the number one ranked basketball player in the state, playing on the Scorpions team under Coach James. His nemesis is Ripp Ransom, whose father is a professional player, which allows Ransom to travel widely and have a large Instagram following for his travels. Kofi's father has been in jail for half his life. He used to visit with his mother, but when his father was moved from a nearby Wisconsin prison to one in Ohio, it because impossible to continue. When he was seven, he was out with his father with the Ransoms, playing basketball, but his father was arrested and sent to jail, and the situation was never fully explained. Kofi wants to play in a local tournament honoring Dante Jones, who was killed at 17 in the neighborhood, but his mother doesn't really want him to. Kofi's best friend is Mecca, who is interested in filmmaking, but their relationship is somewhat one sided, with Mecca supporting Kofi, but Kofi failing to show up for important moments in her life. When Kofi's father, Gem, is let out of prison several years early, and it is a difficult adjustment to have his father around again. He eventually hears the story of what happened to his father, and the Scorpions do well in the tournament. 

Strengths: Any book with a basketball player on the cover is going to do well, and Butler is still working as a basketball coach, so students might still know who he is. The inner city setting is well described, and I was glad to see Coach James back. There are not a lot of books where children have parents in prison, and I can only imagine how difficult it is to have a parent return after having been gone for seven years. This is a nice length, and since Shot Clock has been very popular in my library, I am sure there will be a demand for the sequel.  
Weaknesses: While this is a sequel, I feel like I missed something with Kofi and Ripp's story. The style also seemed different; there was more texting on the page, and more slang. Maybe it has yet to have a final round of edits. 

What I really think: Buy this one for fans of Shot Clock, or Maldonado's Secret Saturdays.