The Moves Make the Man: A Newbery Honor Award Winner

Jerome Foxworthy and Bix River become best friends when Jerome teaches Bix how to play basketball. However, the book is not only about basketball. Knowing how to play basketball is a metaphor on how to face life's challenges. For example, Bix had to deal with his father's death and his mother being in the mental hospital. I enjoyed how the relationship between these two teenagers grew not only because they were practicing how to play basketball correctly, but also more importantly how they tried to apply what they learned on the court to what problems they were facing off the court. For those who enjoy reading about sports and about the mysteries of life, they will truly find this book satisfying.

I HAVE READ THIS BOOK ABOUT THREE TIMES ALREADY AND STILL WANT TO READ IT AGAIN. JEROME AND BIX ARE TWO OF THE BEST CHARACTERS THAT ANY READER, NO MATTER YOUNG OR OLD WILL COME TO LOVE. ALTHOUGH I CANNOT TOTALLY RELATE TO EITHER OF THE CHARACTERS I STILL FELT LIKE I WAS THERE PLAYING BASKETBALL IN THE DARK, WHILE BIX REFUSED TO THROW A FAKE. I READ IT FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN I WAS ABOUT 11 BUT I STILL KEEP COMING BACK TO READ IT AGAIN. "THE MOVES MAKE THE MAN" DESERVES EACH AND EVERY AWARD IT HAS EARNED AND WILL EARN IN THE FUTURE.

In this book, I met Jerome Foxworthy-he's a seventh grade African American boy with a love for basketball, the French language, and his family. I also met Braxton Rivers the 3rd, a non-lying caucasian boy, and I adopted his nickname for myself-Bix. Now, me being a scruffy loud-mouthed basketball fan, I don't cry too much. But when I finished this book-for the 5th time, no less-I was blubbering like a baby. Bruce Brooks is a wonderful author who tells stories that are technically fiction, but that would not be unlikely to happen. I highly recommend this book.

I thought it was a really interesting book. One reason I like the book was because I love to play basketball like the kid in the book. I could never but the book down because it was so good. The book was always coming up with different problems or events in the story. I was really happy how the author made the characters different in a lot of ways, like black and white people. Not just white or black people. Also how he made some of the characters unfair and mean. Be aware the book might swear a couple of times but not that often. You might not like the book if you don't like basketball because it's mostly about basketball and the moves you do to make a player good. In the end it is really sad at the end.

I first read this book when I was about eleven years old. I read it about seven more times in the next year or so. I am nineteen now, but I ran across it the other day and read it again. To my surprise, it still offered everything it did when I was younger. Jerome and Bix are excellent characters, very realistic, and the story builds nicely to the unexpected ending. The real treat for me was that I hadn't read the book in so long, the ending was a surprise to me all over again. I definitely think this book is worthwhile for readers of all ages.