Never Give Up

Author's Note: I am writing this piece to reflect on what I have read. I am focusing on going beyond the summary, making connections, and using sophisticated vocabulary.

"He knew he was small. He just didn’t think he was small. Big difference." (1) Just because your short doesn’t mean you can't play sports. Danny Walker dedicates his life to basketball yet he is one of the shortest kids in his grade standing at four feet four inches. This happened in the book Travel Team by Mike Lupica. Danny is so short that some coaches ask him if he is in the correct age group when he tries out for a team. This novel is a good way to teach young kids to never give up in whatever case there is.

Making connections is a superior way to respond to literature. It shows about your life and how it connects to the book. Danny and I can connect in several different ways that relate to physical appearance and sports. We are both short and can have problems because of this characteristic. Being short isn't always bad, most short kids are faster than the average when it comes to track and cross country. I also connected to Danny's life when it comes to the basketball life. I made the "B" team the first year but I never gave up and worked hard in the summer. The next year I made the "A" team. That relates to Danny's life because he didn't make the team but he made another team and beat the team he tried out for first. Connections are a strong way to tell people how your life relates to the book.

While connections are a great way to tell people how your life is like the book, opinions can tell people what you think about the book. As you are reading this book, you probably want Danny to make the team so then the book will probably be a good read. He should have made the team because he is a superior passer and you need great passers to set up the shooters so they can knock down the three. Another reason why he should have made the team is because the coaches shouldn't determine if you make it or not based on your size. Danny made a great choice on not to give up and stop playing basketball because he didn’t make it for many reasons. One reason is that his dad played in the NBA and that could mean he has hopes of making it there too if he works as hard as his dad did. His dad also made it to the championship when he played for the same club as his dad. Opinions can tell readers what you think about the book.

You should never give up in anything no mater what that thing is. A lot of kids don’t make the team for a bunch of different sports. They never gave up and they are probably on the team now. Connecting to a book and giving your opinions is a high quality way to tell people what you think about the book. Never give up is the main theme of this story.