This is a book full of themes. A teacher or coach will have plenty of options to start discussions. The audience is middle school, late elementary. I feel it was well presented and will appeal to many readers.

Perhaps having young teens read this story then lead their own discussion group. I’d love to be a fly on the wall for that gathering.

I’m awarding it four stars because I felt conflicted with one aspect of the story. Jordan’s parents go their separate ways and the dad immediately starts dating someone. I would have liked a legal separation or divorce to take place. Maybe I’m a rule follower, but he was still married. It muddied the message for me.

Orca Book Publishers gives schools and libraries great options for struggling, older readers or English as a second language. Now we came add social themes to the line up.

I received an ARC of this title and the opinions are my own

As a school, we were looking for more books to add to a LGBTQ themed novel set. On the Line is another excellent novel by Eric Walters. The basketball element to the story may help draw in the sports fans. As well, students who may not identify with an LGBTQ main character will certainly be able to identify with being upset with parents. One thing that readers/purchasers should be aware of is they there is a brief mention of self harm. It is a short conversation, but may be triggering for some. Overall, an excellent read, and we are looking forward to adding it to our collection.

Jordan is glad he has basketball because he’s tired of his parents arguing all the time. He and his best friend,Junior, are ready for tryouts when they meet newcomers Aaron and Tammy who both want to try out for the team.Tammy wants to be on the boys’ team to show she’s different but equal. Jordan thinks he might even like like her. When Jordan’s dad says he’s moving out and tells his son he’s gay, Jordan is shocked with this news and walks away. When things heat up on the basketball court with other players, a counselor tells him to play it smart so you can win things that really matter. When Jordan walks away from another situation, he is told to figure out who he can rely on and own what he did. Can he do that?

Well-written and fast-paced, this book accurately describes the varied emotions a middle school boy, Jordan, goes through when his parents separate and his father comes out. The small-town gossip mill begins buzzing, and Jordan's basketball teammates and friends have varying reactions to the news. A must-have for an inclusive classroom library - students can identify with many of the characters and their paths in the novel.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Special thanks to #netgalley and #orcabooks for this ARC. It is available to the masses on March 15. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Childhood (especially those middle grades) are an incredibly tough time to navigate through, at least they were for me, and the trials kids are going through these days are just increasing in number, stress, and complexity. Thank God for writers who want to reach these kids where they are at and try to give them some perspective and hope, two things that are awfully hard to see while in the middle of it all.

#OnTheLine by #PaulCoccia and #EricWalters is just such a book. Our main character, Jordan Ryker, is a thirteen year old basketball player at his school, experiencing great success on the court while dealing with his family falling apart at home. His parents are getting a divorce and his dad has come out as gay, leaving him feeling a whole lot of things but, above all, so very, very confused.

These two authors do such a great job of balancing teaching life lessons with a genuinely good read as well. I would have to give it a 3.75/5 star rating.

#middlegradefiction #middlegradebooks #canadareads #canadianauthor #canadianbookstagram