I thought this was a great read, that fills a clear niche in YA. Publishing needs to pick up a lot more books by Indigenous authors, as well as books for and about teenage boys. This is both, and I think teens would really love this. I thought it was well written with a well fleshed out main character you'll be rooting for, who has a lot to deal with and has to go on a journey to work things out for himself.

I got an ARC of this book.

Was this book for me? Not at all. I am not a young cishet jock. I do not understand their motivations or the ways they interact with each other. I don't enjoy these books. I ended up DNFing it, because it was just so much not for me.

Am I excited this book exists? Hell yeah. More books like this need to exist. More Indigenous voices. More male voices. More authentic young voices. More rez voices. This book is one I would buy for teens. It isn't for me, but not every book has to be to be amazing. I will talk up this book to the people I know who work with straight male teens for sure.zing.

I like a lot of things about this book. First, Tre and his family were super easy to root for. I liked the closeness between them and could really feel the gaping hole that is their grief over Tre’s brother Jaxon’s death. Tre’s friends also make up a tight-knit community whose interactions seemed really natural and believable.

I was a little bit confused by the subplot about Tre’s love life, though. The opening of the book is very basketball-focused and then there’s a long interlude where he seems very focused on a girl, and then he’s back to focusing on basketball for the rest of the book. It felt a little bit uneven, and because of that part with the focus on the possible relationship, I think I expected there to be more of a romance subplot through the rest of the book.

On the whole, though, I enjoyed the way Tre’s experience on the team changed him and impacted his whole community. I wish there had been a deeper dive into his grief and the way that playing basketball made him feel closer to his brother and possibly helped his family to heal from that loss. It’s there, but I would have liked to see that get more time in the spotlight of the story.

I found the book to be an easy read and an inspiring one. I think readers who enjoy books about sports or are looking for inclusive stories about overcoming adversity will find lots to love here.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

Rez Ball by Byron Graves is more than a basketball story: it’s a love letter to community.

Tre Brun’s life is split into before and after when his brother unexpectedly dies in a car accident. Jaxon was the star of the basketball team, beloved by the community and his family. After Jaxon’s death, the whole Red Lake reservation community is mourning. Rez Ball opens at a regional championship game, a game where Jaxon’s loss is felt deeply.

Tre finds himself not only still grieving his brother, with whom he had a close relationship, but also struggling with still living in Jaxon’s shadow. Everywhere Tre goes, everyone sees him as Jaxon’s younger brother. Half the rez won’t even talk about Jaxon for fear of making Tre sad, the other half still compares the brothers. Tre feels stuck in the middle, lost, and wants to live up to Jaxon’s memory and honor it by making the varsity basketball team and helping their team, Jaxon’s team, win the state championship.

Rez Ball is both action-packed and full of emotional resonance. Basketball practice and games are shared in riveting detail through Tre’s eyes. The moment by moment, play by play games had me on the edge of my seat.

Basketball is a key element of the plot—it’s in the title—yet Tre’s journey through the year after his brother’s death is the real focus. Tre uses basketball as a way to feel closer to his deceased brother, to grieve that loss, and to heal. First-person narration offers insight into Tre’s thoughts in the game without veering into sports-announcer territory. 

Readers who are really into basketball will enthralled by this book. Readers who aren’t as into basketball will still be delighted, as this book is about more than basketball. And readers who don’t know hardly anything about basketball? (Ahem, me, as a reader, not knowing very much about basketball) They will still be hooked from page one, and might even learn a thing or two along the way.

Themes of grief, friendship, family, love, and community shine through Graves’s strong storytelling. A love interest, friend troubles, pressure to fit in, dealing with prejudice– all these topics are addressed, adding to the realistic plot with thoroughly relatable characters.

From the gossip network to how the community supports their team, the setting is distinct and well described. The Red Lake reservation and surrounding area are places that have their own distinct characteristics, and are explored in all their positive and negative aspects. Readers really get to see Tre’s world through Tre’s eyes.

Rez Ball takes readers through an intense year in one up and coming basketball player’s life, offering readers fresh insights into teen boy life. This cast really shows how varied teen boys are through incredible character development.

This is a book I can’t be impartial about. I’m going to be biased toward liking it, because as a Cherokee mom to two Cherokee boys, there isn’t a lot of Indigenous representation for boys out there. I’m grateful that Rez Ball is available for my kids to read when they’re teenagers, that complex Native boys with big feelings are represented on the page, on the shelf. Some of Tre’s problems are the consequences of his own choices. But he grows through them, just like real kids and teens. My closeness to this definitely affected my reading– there were certainly times I was reading Tre’s actions as a mom, being terrified for Tre’s parents. But moms aren’t the target audience of this book. Teens are. And teens are going to get so much from this book. I’m grateful this book is out there. Wado, Byron Graves. Aliheliga.

The Ojibwe language inclusion made my heart happy. I love seeing Indigenous language on the page, showing our young readers that their language belongs, that they belong. It holds space for them.


Rez Ball is available now. Thank you to the author, Heartdrum, and NetGalley for an e-ARC such that I could share my honest opinions.

Have you been looking for an indigenous own voices story about basketball players? Well don't look any further.

I was hooked as quickly as I started reading this. However, I will say there were some very heavy basketball moments and if you're not a fan of sports ball or not familiar with details of it, you could skim and be able to get away the general info.

HOWEVER, the basketball isn't the most important piece of this story. Graves executed the difficulty of being brown or any minority in a prejudice area perfectly. My heart rate rose when things were getting tense, or I felt like someone was going to mess something up. More importantly, I was in awe how Graves handled the stereotypes that most people have regarding indigenous persons. Those issues are beautifully woven throughout and as a reader it makes you question the things that we are still doing as a society and how change can come in the future.

I also loved that while I thought there was going to be romance there wasn't. Yeah I was mad at first I wanted our guy to get the girl. That wasn't the story that needed told. It was about him finding himself and moving through the journey, and because of that I was glad the romance wasn't as strong as I initially thought.

I absolutely encourage anyone who likes sports, the underdog, or own voices novels to give this one a shot.

Following one season of basketball at a reservation high school in Minnesota, Graves shows us the heart, humor, and grit of "Rez Ball." The basketball scenes jump off the page with action while the narrator's friendships add emotional weight to the story.

After the death of his older brother and basketball superstar Jaxon, Tre Brun is set on making the varsity basketball team and helping the high school win their first state championship. Not only would this honor Jaxon’s memory, but it would be an amazing way to represent his Ojibwe community and be the first step in reaching for his goal of joining the NBA. But stepping into the spotlight means that he can’t mess up - in any aspect of his life.

This book…this book had so many things that honestly just spoke to my soul. There is some weird misconception that readers can’t also be sports fans, but I’m living proof that is not the case. I absolutely love basketball (and baseball!) and so reading the game scenes in this book was absolutely thrilling. I was on the edge of my seat, rooting hard for the Warriors just the same way that I do in real life (also, coincidentally enough, for the Warriors).

In addition to all the action-packed basketball scenes, there were references to superheroes, comic books, and superhero and comic book movies. Those were fun in and of themselves, but the way in which Graves was also able to relate comic storylines to the plot of this novel was brilliant. The parallels between the story in the comics and what was happening in Tre's life were beautifully crafted.

Graves also tackles grief head-on. Not only is Tre mourning the loss of his brother, but we also see his parents, his friends, his teammates, and his entire community mourning him. Just as in life, the pain comes in waves and the healing sometimes has to have a reset. I’ve not lost a sibling, but I have lost someone deeply close to me and Graves’ portrayal of the Bruns’ grieving and healing hit really close to home and honestly made me feel seen in a way that was cathartic. No one was ever made to feel like their grief was "too much" or that they were holding on to it too long and I really appreciated that.

It is clear that this story was infused with a lot of heart, but the author’s note at the end really brought into focus how close to the heart the author holds this story. Graves wrote from a place of experience, having played for the real life Red Lake Warriors during high school. When I finished the story, I was completely enamored, but reading the author’s note and understanding how and why this story came about really rooted it even deeper in my heart.

Quick content warning: grief and grieving the loss of a loved one, teenage consumption of alcohol and drugs, mild profanity, racism and discrimination, and a tense traffic stop between white officers and Native teens.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.

Not as engaging as some other indigenous writer/main character books. The current audio book addition is an AI rendered reading. The story was ok but I just couldn't get into it.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Bryron Graves and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Tre dreams of going to the NBA and making his Ojibwe community proud. After the death of his brother, Tre also needs to be a hero for his family. Tre is the most happy when he is playing basketball for his Red Lake Reservation high school basketball team. When his brother's teammates offer to take him under the wings and bring him up to the varsity level, Tre finally sees his dreams of winning a state championship, getting a D1 offer and getting to that dream of playing in the NBA. Can Tre keep his brother's memory alive while also making a name for himself?

I LOVED this story! I think I requested it due to it being a sport's story, but I got so much more from it. I love that we have a YA story that represents the Indigenous youth and they will be able to see themselves in books. Tre's character is also very loveable and I was cheering for him the whole time.
I HIGHLY recommend this book!

I will admit, never in my life have I been interested in basketball, whether at a live game or on TV. However, the way this author wrote the basketball scenes made it engaging and action-packed to the point where I found myself reading faster and faster to keep up with the game. The author’s talent was also apparent with how well the setting was crafted and how flawlessly the characters’ culture and beliefs were intertwined throughout the entire story.

There are some books where things seem to be going so well that you just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop and start dreading things going sideways for the characters. I started feeling that way with this read, and I won’t tell you whether or not the drama happened, but I do think it’s amazing when an author can make you that invested in the characters of a story. Tre and the secondary characters were excellently written and portrayed. I loved how realistically the friendships were portrayed in this work, and, believe it or not, I loved how the author chose to incorporate some romance into this one.

While this is a YA read, the writing style was completely engaging and enjoyable, making it feel more mature than many of its other contemporary YA reads. If you’re interested in character-driven reads that touch on themes of grief, loss, perseverance, and hope, then this is for you – you don’t have to like sports to love this read!

Rez ball

This book was bursting with potential, but needed more editing to successfully meet if. Indigenous rep? Grief? Basketball? It sounded like a recipe for awesome. Instead, it read like a draft at times. I know it was an ARC, but it read like it was in the earlier stages of content editing.

There were some dull and unnecessary scenes that should have been cut and some storylines that needed more development. The plot focuses heavily on Tre’s basketball journey and less so on his character development or his journey through the grief of losing his big brother. And Tre’s indigenous identity was often mentioned, but hardly explored. Emotional scenes end abruptly; basketball games are described play by play. The best scene in the whole book was the conversation between Tre and his father before the playoffs. It was healing and would have been extremely powerful with more buildup.

The maxim “show don’t tell” was often ignored. For example, at one point the coach stiffly states what team they’re playing, but in his next dialogue block it’s implied. It’s repetitive and and makes for stilted and unnatural writing (especially dialogue) at times.

The author’s note may have been the best part of the book. The writing felt authentic, while some of the story felt forced. Maybe a memoir would have been a more compelling approach or a good followup book to this one.

To be fair, I’m not the target audience of this book, and I think it will appeal to some of my students who are male, high school athletes. Because of that and because of the book’s important and rare indigenous representation, I will be purchasing it for our school library this fall.

Somewhere between eighth grade and the end of his freshman year, Tre Brun morphed from a short, dumpy, nerdy, Ojibwe gamer to a 6’4” basketball player. After working hard all summer to hone his fitness level and perfect his shooting skills, Tre hopes to make the Red Lake Warriors’ varsity team.

His best friend Wes thinks Tre has the potential to make the team and get a Division 1 college scholarship and make it to the NBA one day. Wes loves filmmaking and convinces Tre to let him start a documentary of Tre’s basketball dreams. But first, Tre must make the team.

Despite his hard work and ball-handling skills, Tre doesn’t make varsity—he’ll have to spend another year playing with his friend Nate on JV. Having a new friend (a girl who loves gaming) makes the loss easier to bear. Friends and family members make life on the Reservation bearable.

You can’t compare life on the Rez to living any place else. Tre knows from personal experience how death stalks every family on the Rez. Nobody offers counseling to kids at Red Lake High School when one of their own meets an untimely death. And no one trains the cops in the nearby towns on how to treat tribe members with respect instead of racial profiling them.

And when Tre gets called up to Varsity at the last minute, he has no idea the pressures he will face as he tries to fill his brother’s shoes, nurture his friendship, navigate peer pressure, and keep his grades high.

Maybe it’s more than anyone should expect from a Warrior.

What I Loved About This Book

Graves, an Ojibwe debut author, captures the dichotomy my students face. Ninety-nine percent of them live on a Rez, and I hear and read their stories about racial profiling, family loss, poverty, and forgotten dreams. Fifty percent of my students don’t have running water at home, yet they love social media, gaming, and basketball.

Rez Ball joins the growing body of literature for and by Native American youth: Books such as The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Warrior Girl Unearthed, Firekeeper’s Daughter, and the middle-grade Mighty Muskrat series.

As an educator, I applaud publishers and marginalized writers for bringing more honest, gritty literature to life. The dialogue sounds authentic, although heavily laden with expletives. Trust me, I hang out with my students enough to appreciate the accuracy of teenage Rez slang.

Teachers, parents, librarians, teens, and privileged white folks will want to grab a copy of this book. Everyone but the teens will probably get knots in their knickers from the language and the underage partying. But if you want to understand a slice of Rez life, you need to read Rez Ball.

You’ll find yourself cheering for Tre and the rest of the Warriors as they fight for hope against the demons of Rez life, white prejudice, and bad ref calls on their way to the championship game.

This was a great YA sports novel, the kind that I am always hoping to find for my students who like to read about sports. It had plenty of basketball action, team comraderie, and major games, which kids look for in a sports book, but it also had greater depth. The main character, Tre, is Ojibwe and lives on a reservation. I really appreciated the modern look at Native life and the clear love and respect that Tre felt as a part of his Ojibwe community. I also thought that the inspiration and connection that Tre drew from his brother, Jaxon, who passed away before the start of the story, was written beautifully and offered a very realistic portrayal of grief. I will definitely be purchasing this book for my library.

Tre has some lofty basketball goals: to go to State, play at a division 1 school, and eventually play with the NBA. All this, in the shadow of his star athlete brother, who died in a car accident just before his senior year. Best friend, Wes, is making a documentary about Tre’s journey toward his basketball dreams and his desire to be an example of hard work and hope to other Native Americans.

The language and underaged drinking might make this more suitable for high school readers.

Rez Ball takes place on a Minnesota reservation as a high school basketball team made up of Native American players takes a journey, hopefully, to the state championship. Rez Ball starts slowly building the back story of Tre Brun whose superstar basketball player brother was killed in a car accident and the grief of his family- as well as Tre’s dream of playing on behalf of his brother. The Red Lake High School basketball team has the potential to have its best season ever. Byron Graves, a debut author, based much of the story on his own experiences of reservation basketball, bias, discrimination, and racism. This book rings true, deeply true. I look forward to adding this to the collection of sports books that the students at my high school devour. One copy will not be enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a wonderful book! A great story about love, loss, family, friends, and BASKETBALL. Perfect for fans of Randy Ribay, Matt de la Pena, Jason Reynolds, and Nic Stone.

**weill be published on 8/11/23

My Thoughts:

Tre and his family just lost his big brother Jaxon. Jaxon was the basketball star. Jaxon and his teammates were going to get to the state championship. Jaxon was the pride of the Ojibwe people. Tre was the comic book geek little brother. But after Jaxon dies, Tre is determined to use his sophomore year summer to train for basketball season and make the varsity team.

Tre's friend Wes starts making a documentary on his basketball journey and he meets a cute gamer friend, Khiana, but the major story is about basketball, getting on the varsity team and leading the team to states.

I enjoy the action, but I enjoyed the male friendship angle more. This story was picked up for production by Netflix so read this now.

From the Publisher:
These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team—even though he can’t help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident.

When Jaxon's former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him.

But stepping into his brother’s shoes as a star player means that Tre can’t mess up. Not on the court, not at school, and not with his new friend, gamer Khiana, who he is definitely not falling in love with.

After decades of rez teams almost making it, Tre needs to take his team to state. Because if he can live up to Jaxon's dreams, their story isn’t over yet.

This book is published by Heartdrum, an imprint that publishes high-quality, contemporary stories about Indigenous young people in the United States and Canada.



Publication Information:
Author: Byron Graves

Publisher: Heartdrum (September 12, 2023)

Rez Ball was so much more than a book about basketball. In many instances this book brought tears to my eyes as you followed Tre while he navigated his sophomore year battling grief, racism, and the many disadvantages of life on a reservation. But, despite all that, this book screamed of hope and determination and brought you to your feet cheering, right next to the basketball fans in this book. This book was a great read and I most definitely recommend to people who love to read about sports from a different perspective - I guarantee you’ve never read a book that makes you love basketball (for the not-so-sporty people, like me) and teaches you so much respect for Indigenous culture. Absolutely beautiful.

I didn't know I could care so much about basketball until I read Rez Ball, the debut YA by @Makwa_giniw - Byron Graves - an Ojibwe author.

Sucked into Tre's story from the very first page, not only was I rooting for his team of Red Lake Warriors to make it all the way, but also for his larger-than-life heart as he tries to pick up the pieces of his life after his older brother's passing.

A story about indigenous joy, resilience, and community, this book is a powerful testament to the need for stories that sit outside of so many of our lived experiences. And also for the blatant and continued need for further Indigenous voices. So that Indigenous children can see themselves as the main characters that they know they are - and so that we on the outside of the communities can be reminded of it too.

It's a story about basketball, sure, but it is also so much more than that. A perfect addition to our lit circles, book clubs, and text studies, I can see this pulling many reluctant and not-so-reluctant readers into its pages.

It is a book that deserves a spotlight, and to be read widely. Tre's story is staying with me long past the last page. Pre-order now for its September 12th release.

The sports action stood out to me in this one, and I don't even like sports lol. On top of that there is the added layers of the look at life on the reservation, a family processing their grief in a healthy way, and a teen boy who stands up for what he believes in. A truly incredible story.