Category: Young Adult/Teen Publisher: ebooksonthe.net
ISBN-10: 1594315280
Type: Fiction
Sixteen-year-old Becky Walden has two big dreams: to become an all-state basketball player and to find a special boy to love. But small town politics threaten these dreams, forcing Becky to stand up for what she believes is right, no matter what the cost.
Court of Honor tells the story of two young people faced with a choice: their first love or the opposing standards they have set for themselves. Sixteen-year-old Becky Walden has two big dreams: to become an all-state basketball player and to find a special boy to love. When she moves from St. Louis to a small town in southwestern Missouri, she meets Matt McRae. He shares her love of basketball and he comes to love her, but he is unwilling to fight the system of small town politics that has reached into the high school and tainted their sport. Becky learns that love doesn't always mean happiness; sometimes it can really hurt.
Excerpt
Becky just couldn't believe this. "You mean, your dad just stood back and let Mr. Logan intimidate him?"
That hurt. Matt didn't like hearing his dad criticized, although he'd never really been comfortable with the story he'd just told Becky either. He always figured there must be more to it. "I'm sure Dad had his reasons," he said tightly. "Anyway, we can't change things now, and we can't do anything about the team either."
Hands on her hips and her eyes blazing, Becky faced Matt. "You mean you won't do anything. There's a big difference, Matt McRae! I thought I knew you. I thought we had a lot in common, but I guess I was wrong. I'm a fighter, Matt, but I guess you're not. I'm beginning to think there isn't anything you'd be willing to fight for!"
Professional Reviews
Author Scores with Children's Book
If the world were filled Becky Waldens, it would be a better place. She's compassionate, honest, forthright--a team player on and off the basketball court.
So when the "good old boy" political system threatens the spirit of fair play and shakes the foundation of her budding romance, Becky Walden knows she must wage a battle to stop the favoritism in the sports arena at summit High School.
Good characterization, snappy dialogue, lots of tension and conflict, and a satisfying ending--all elements in a successful fiction--should keep young readers turning page after page of COURT OF HONOR.
Readers will enjoy watching Becky carve out her niche at Summit High while battling her feelings of insecurity at being the new kid in school. Becky, her parents, six-year-old sister, Debbie, and fifteen-year-old brother Ken, a sophomore, just moved to Summit from St. Louis. Becky, a junior, must make new friends, like Natalie Wolf, a shy, Native American girl, keep her grades up for a shot at a college sports scholarship, and win a place on the girls' varsity basketball team. That's a lot to deal with for this six-foot teen who wears size ten-and-a-half Nikes.
And it's on the basketball court that Becky and Ken begin to make their marks and earn a personal niche in their new high school and community. Becky meets "Blue Eyes," or Matt McRae, the most popular boy at Summit High. She harbors a secret wish of falling in love. Matt seems like the perfect candidate for a first love.
Enter the villains, Steve and Jane Logan, who appear to rule Summit High. Their father, a local attorney, is chairman of the school board. He's a firm believer that if you've got the right name, the right connections, you get to play on the varsity teams.
In Summit, it's local politics--not the coaches--which determines the starting lineups for the basketball and football teams. The coaches do as they're told in fear of losing their jobs.
So, Becky and a group of supporters use the political system to bring honor back to the court and the community.
COURT OF HONOR earned Gorgas the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award. Gorgas captures the variety of emotions and moods adolescents exhibit during their high school years. Her characters and dialogue are believable, the action is paced to keep readers interested. The ending of COURT OF HONOR might have been a bit stronger but, overall, the reader's sense of justice is fully satisfied. Gorgas, an author from Oklahoma, has written romance and science fiction short stories. This is her first novel.
COURT OF HONOR also provides a subtle glimpse of parents living their dreams through their children and the heartache that can cause when the kids don't have the drive or the abilities to achieve those goals. Unfortuantely, that doesn't happen just in books. It happens in real life as well as in most educational and sports arenas when parents figure they have a second chance to make unmet dreams come true through their kids.
