summary of travel team

Travel Team

43 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-7

Chapters 8-14

Chapters 15-21

Chapters 22-28

Chapters 29-33

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Chapter 1 Summary

Danny is shorter than other kids and is often to be thought to be younger than his twelve years. However, he is very talented at basketball , knowing that “[o]ne good passer changes everything” (3). Danny believes this is why he almost always makes the team. His favorite place to practice is his driveway, which his mom has tried to widen. There, he imagines himself as famous shorter players like Muggsy Bogues or Richie Walker .

Danny stays out late in the October evening, practicing and wearing out his shoes. Danny’s parents are divorced, and he thinks about the “sneakers his mom called ‘old school,’” Danny knows that this is a euphemism for affordable. He finishes by doing five crossovers, dribbling the ball between his legs, just as he always does, though this night “was the worst night of whole life” (5). Danny has not made the basketball team this year.

Get access to this full Study Guide and much more!

• 7,250+ In-Depth Study Guides
• 4,950+ Quick-Read Plot Summaries
• Downloadable PDFs

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now

Ready to dive in?

Get unlimited access to SuperSummary for only $ 0.70 /week

Related Titles

By Mike Lupica

Mike Lupica

Million Dollar Throw

Summer Ball

Featured Collections

Books that feature the theme of....

View Collection

Coming-of-Age Journeys

Realistic fiction (high school), teams & gangs.

Authors & Events

Recommendations

• New & Noteworthy
• Bestsellers
• Popular Series
• The Must-Read Books of 2023
• Popular Books in Spanish
• Coming Soon
• Literary Fiction
• Mystery & Thriller
• Science Fiction
• Spanish Language Fiction
• Biographies & Memoirs
• Spanish Language Nonfiction
• Dark Star Trilogy
• Ramses the Damned
• Penguin Classics
• Award Winners
• The Parenting Book Guide
• Books to Read Before Bed
• Books for Middle Graders
• Trending Series
• Magic Tree House
• The Last Kids on Earth
• Planet Omar
• Beloved Characters
• The World of Eric Carle
• Llama Llama
• Junie B. Jones
• Peter Rabbit
• Board Books
• Picture Books
• Guided Reading Levels
• Middle Grade
• Activity Books
• Trending This Week
• Top Must-Read Romances
• Page-Turning Series To Start Now
• Books to Cope With Anxiety
• Short Reads
• Anti-Racist Resources
• Staff Picks
• Memoir & Fiction
• Features & Interviews
• Emma Brodie Interview
• James Ellroy Interview
• Nicola Yoon Interview
• Qian Julie Wang Interview
• Deepak Chopra Essay
• How Can I Get Published?
• For Book Clubs
• Reese's Book Club
• Oprah’s Book Club
• happy place " data-category="popular" data-location="header">Guide: Happy Place
• the last white man " data-category="popular" data-location="header">Guide: The Last White Man
• Authors & Events >
• Our Authors
• Michelle Obama
• Zadie Smith
• Emily Henry
• Amor Towles
• Colson Whitehead
• In Their Own Words
• Qian Julie Wang
• Patrick Radden Keefe
• Phoebe Robinson
• Emma Brodie
• Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Laura Hankin
• Recommendations >
• 21 Books To Help You Learn Something New
• The Books That Inspired "Saltburn"
• Insightful Therapy Books To Read This Year
• Historical Fiction With Female Protagonists
• Best Thrillers of All Time
• Manga and Graphic Novels
• happy place " data-category="recommendations" data-location="header">Start Reading Happy Place
• How to Make Reading a Habit with James Clear
• Why Reading Is Good for Your Health
• Vallery Lomas’ Blueberry Buckle Recipe
• New Releases
• Memoirs Read by the Author
• Our Most Soothing Narrators
• Press Play for Inspiration
• Audiobooks You Just Can't Pause
• Listen With the Whole Family

Look Inside

Travel Team

By mike lupica, by mike lupica read by oliver wyman, category: children's middle grade sports fiction, category: children's middle grade sports fiction | audiobooks.

Apr 02, 2024 | ISBN 9780593692844 | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 --> | Middle Grade (10 and up) | ISBN 9780593692844 -->

Aug 18, 2005 | ISBN 9780142404621 | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 --> | Middle Grade (10 and up) | ISBN 9780142404621 --> Buy

Aug 18, 2005 | ISBN 9781101200476 | Middle Grade (10 and up) | ISBN 9781101200476 --> Buy

Oct 11, 2005 | 426 Minutes | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780307281654 --> Buy

Preorder from:

Buy from Other Retailers:

Apr 02, 2024 | ISBN 9780593692844 | Middle Grade (10 and up)

Aug 18, 2005 | ISBN 9780142404621 | Middle Grade (10 and up)

Aug 18, 2005 | ISBN 9781101200476 | Middle Grade (10 and up)

Oct 11, 2005 | ISBN 9780307281654 | Middle Grade (8-12)

426 Minutes

Buy the Audiobook Download:

• audiobooks.com

About Travel Team

The #1 Bestseller! Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court — but don’t tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny’s father, still smarting from his own troubles, knows Danny isn’t the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured. For fans of The Bad News Bears, Hoosiers, the Mighty Ducks, and Mike Lupica’s other New York Times bestselling novels Heat , The Underdogs , and Million-Dollar Throw , here is a book that proves that when the game knocks you down, champions stand tall.

Twelve-year-old Danny Walker knows something the coaches don’t: You can’t measure heart. Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court, but don’t tell him that. Because no one plays with a bigger love of the game. Or a better sense of how to hit the open player with the perfect pass. Which is why his world shatters when he is cut from the local travel team for being too small. Not just any travel team, either–the very same one his father had led to the national championship on ESPN when he was a kid. Turns out Danny wasn’t the only kid cut for the wrong reasons. And Danny’s father is about to give them all a second chance–something he could use himself. After washing out of the NBA, Richie Walker washed out of life, too. But together, these castoffs prove something Danny knew all along: You can’t measure heart. In the tradition of The Bad News Bears and Hoosiers , author, nationally syndicated sportswriter, and ESPN personality Mike Lupica delivers a rousing tale of the underdog that will leave you cheering to the final word.

Also by Mike Lupica

About Mike Lupica

Mike Lupica is a prominent sports journalist and the New York Times-bestselling author of more than forty works of fiction and non-fiction. A longtime friend to Robert B. Parker, he was selected by the Parker estate to continue the Sunny Randall and… More about Mike Lupica

Product Details

Category: children’s middle grade sports fiction, category: children’s middle grade sports fiction | audiobooks, you may also like.

Goodbye, Mr. Terupt

Saving Mr. Terupt

Facing the Mountain (Adapted for Young Readers)

The Perfect Star

There’s a Bat in Bunk Five

Friendship According to Humphrey

Miracle on 49th Street

Counting to Perfect

Who Was Roberto Clemente?

Praise for Travel Team :   “In a story every bit as exciting and tear-jerking as any novel or movie in its genre – Hoosiers, Mighty Ducks, The Bad News Bears – Danny gets his chance at glory. Lupica . . . has the knowledge of the game and the lean prose to make this a taut, realistic story not just about the game but about heart, character, and family. A winner.” –Kirkus Reviews   “Lupica . . . sets the scene for on-court action, and delivers play-by-play descriptions . . . that will thrill basketball buffs. Genuinely affecting.” –Publishers Weekly

New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age WINNER

Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

Raise kids who love to read

Today's Top Books

Want to know what people are actually reading right now?

An online magazine for today’s home cook

Just for joining you’ll get personalized recommendations on your dashboard daily and features only for members.

Travel Team

Buy from other retailers, what's .css-1msjh1x{font-style:italic;} travel team about.

The #1 Bestseller! Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court – but don’t tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny’s father, still smarting from his own troubles, knows Danny isn’t the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured. For fans of The Bad News Bears, Hoosiers, the Mighty Ducks, and Mike Lupica’s other New York Times bestselling novels Heat, The Underdogs, and Million-Dollar Throw, here is a book that proves that when the game knocks you down, champions stand tall.

What Kind of Book is Travel Team

Book lists that include travel team.

The Creative Behind the Book

Mike Lupica is the author of multiple bestselling books for young readers, including the Home Team series, QB 1, Heat, Travel Team, Million-Dollar Throw, and The Underdogs. He has carved out a niche as the sporting world’s finest storyteller. Mike lives in Connecticut with his wife and their four children. When not writing novels, he writes for Daily News (New York) and is an award-winning sports commentator. You can visit Mike Lupica at MikeLupicaBooks.com.

What Has Mike Lupica Said About This Book

Nothing yet! Let Mike Lupica know that you want to hear from them about their book.

More Books by Mike Lupica

Other Books You Might Enjoy If You Liked Travel Team

Book Details

Contribute to this page.

So, SO close to perfection!

Just the barebones.

• Help Center
• Gift a Book Club
• Beautiful Collections
• Schedule Demo

Book Platform

• Find a Book
• Motivate Reading
• Community Editors

Authors & Illustrators

• Get Your Book Reviewed
• Submit Original Work

TRAVEL TEAM

by Mike Lupica ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2004

For a small man, Richie Walker casts a large shadow over his son’s life. Danny Walker would like nothing more than to follow in his father’s footsteps. When 12, Richie, a 5’10” point guard phenom, led his ragtag Middletown Vikings from Eastern Long Island to the national finals of the Little League Basketball World Series and became the darling of sportswriters around the country. Problem is Danny didn’t make his travel team. Too small. But, in a story every bit as exciting and tear-jerking as any novel or movie in its genre— Hoosiers , Mighty Ducks , The Bad News Bears —Danny gets his chance at glory. Lupica, a sportswriter at the New York Daily News, has the knowledge of the game and the lean prose to make this a taut, realistic story not just about the game but about heart, character, and family. A winner. (Fiction. 10+)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2004

ISBN: 0-399-24150-7

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2004

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

Share your opinion of this book

More by Mike Lupica

BOOK REVIEW

by Mike Lupica

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2020

New York Times Bestseller

IndieBound Bestseller

THIS BOOK IS ANTI-RACIST

20 lessons on how to wake up, take action, and do the work.

by Tiffany Jewell ; illustrated by Aurélia Durand ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2020

A guidebook for taking action against racism.

The clear title and bold, colorful illustrations will immediately draw attention to this book, designed to guide each reader on a personal journey to work to dismantle racism. In the author’s note, Jewell begins with explanations about word choice, including the use of the terms “folx,” because it is gender neutral, and “global majority,” noting that marginalized communities of color are actually the majority in the world. She also chooses to capitalize Black, Brown, and Indigenous as a way of centering these communities’ voices; "white" is not capitalized. Organized in four sections—identity, history, taking action, and working in solidarity—each chapter builds on the lessons of the previous section. Underlined words are defined in the glossary, but Jewell unpacks concepts around race in an accessible way, bringing attention to common misunderstandings. Activities are included at the end of each chapter; they are effective, prompting both self-reflection and action steps from readers. The activities are designed to not be written inside the actual book; instead Jewell invites readers to find a special notebook and favorite pen and use that throughout. Combining the disruption of common fallacies, spotlights on change makers, the author’s personal reflections, and a call to action, this powerful book has something for all young people no matter what stage they are at in terms of awareness or activism.

Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-7112-4521-1

Page Count: 160

Publisher: Frances Lincoln

Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2019

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SCIENCES

More by Tiffany Jewell

by Tiffany Jewell

by Tiffany Jewell ; illustrated by Nicole Miles

More About This Book

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

From the school for good and evil series , vol. 1.

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2013

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.

Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.

Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and  her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).

Pub Date: May 14, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2

Page Count: 496

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

More In The Series

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

More by Soman Chainani

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by RaidesArt

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Julia Iredale

BOOK TO SCREEN

• Discover Books Fiction Thriller & Suspense Mystery & Detective Romance Science Fiction & Fantasy Nonfiction Biography & Memoir Teens & Young Adult Children's
• News & Features Bestsellers Book Lists Profiles Perspectives Awards Seen & Heard Book to Screen Kirkus TV videos In the News
• Kirkus Prize Winners & Finalists About the Kirkus Prize Kirkus Prize Judges
• Magazine Current Issue All Issues Manage My Subscription Subscribe
• Writers’ Center Hire a Professional Book Editor Get Your Book Reviewed Advertise Your Book Launch a Pro Connect Author Page Learn About The Book Industry
• More Kirkus Diversity Collections Kirkus Pro Connect My Account/Login
• About Kirkus History Our Team Contest FAQ Press Center Info For Publishers
• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Reprints, Permission & Excerpting Policy

© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Popular in this Genre

Hey there, book lover.

We’re glad you found a book that interests you!

Please select an existing bookshelf

Create a new bookshelf.

We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!

Please sign up to continue.

It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!

Already have an account? Log in.

Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.

Almost there!

• Industry Professional

Welcome Back!

Sign in using your Kirkus account

Contact us: 1-800-316-9361 or email [email protected].

Don’t fret. We’ll find you.

Magazine Subscribers ( How to Find Your Reader Number )

If You’ve Purchased Author Services

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

• 168,891 literary resources
• 172 content providers
• 53,470 books

Travel Team Summary and Analysis

FreeBookNotes found 4 sites with book summaries or analysis of Travel Team . If there is a Travel Team SparkNotes, Shmoop guide, or Cliff Notes, you can find a link to each study guide below.

Among the summaries and analysis available for Travel Team , there are 1 Full Study Guide, 2 Short Summaries and 1 Book Review.

Depending on the study guide provider (SparkNotes, Shmoop, etc.), the resources below will generally offer Travel Team chapter summaries, quotes, and analysis of themes, characters, and symbols.

Travel Team

By mike lupica, full book notes and study guides.

Sites like SparkNotes with a Travel Team study guide or cliff notes. Also includes sites with a short overview, synopsis, book report, or summary of Mike Lupica’s Travel Team.

eNotes - Travel Team

Short book summaries.

Sites with a short overview, synopsis, book report, or summary of Travel Team by Mike Lupica.

SuperSummary (Plot Summaries) - Travel Team

Wikipedia - Travel Team

Book reviews.

Sites with a book review or quick commentary on Travel Team by Mike Lupica.

GoodReads - Travel Team

More Books by Mike Lupica

FreeBookNotes has 9 more books by Mike Lupica, with a total of 40 study guides.

• Book Reviews
• Bookshop.org Shop
• Amazon Shop
• Toggle the search field

Book Review: Travel Team by Mike Lupica

Danny Walker’s dreams of basketball glory are dashed when he doesn’t make the seventh-grade travel team in his small New York town, simply because he doesn’t have the all-important height advantage this year’s basketball dads are looking for. It doesn’t matter that he is one of the best basketball players in town. It doesn’t matter that he played on the fifth- and sixth-grade travel teams. It doesn’t even matter that his father is  the  Richie Walker, who led his own seventh-grade travel team to a national championship, only to have his pro career cut short by a disabling car accident. Or maybe that last one does matter, because this year’s seventh-grade team is coached by a bitter rival of Richie Walker.

To Danny Walker, basketball is life. So when he starts talking about giving it up, his Mom and his friends get very concerned. Concerned enough to bring Danny’s deadbeat Dad back into his life. Concerned enough to risk money, friendship, public embarrassment, and total failure by starting a new travel team, just so Danny can play.

Slowly, painfully, a group of misfits, rejects, and average players who didn’t even try out for the “real team” shape up to become a real team themselves. Aided by his “supernatural basketball powers” (as Danny’s mom calls them), he makes the kind of basketball magic that can turn even a little guy like him into a giant. Gradually Danny emerges as a leader, kids used to losing learn how to win, and the Middletown Warriors prove that the game is at its best when it’s about kids having fun.

New York-based sportswriter and kids’ basketball coach Mike Lupica seems ideally qualified to write this book, which will appeal to all athletics-minded kids; though his hip, grammatically loose, IM-savvy writing style may cause some Moms and teachers to frown. Because it is such a book of this moment in American culture, and loaded with basketball lingo to boot, I will not predict that it will become a classic. Rather, I will predict that, for right now, it holds a lot of appeal: enough to keep up a kid’s habit of reading even when he tires of magical fantasies, teen melodramas, and serious literature.

Related Posts

Book review: “the vampire prince” by darren shan.

Book Review: The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds

Book Review: “The Dark Dictionary” by Andrew Kendall

Book Review: “All About Mia” by Lisa Williamson

Travel Team Literary Elements

By mike lupika.

These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

Written by Shirley Marina

Children's Fiction

Setting and Context

Present Day within the setting of a high school basketball team

Narrator and Point of View

Third person narrator who tells the story from Danny Walker's point of view

Tone and Mood

Alternately uplifting and inspiring, and downcast and negative.

Protagonist and Antagonist

Danny Walker is the protagonist. His old coach is the antagonist as well as his height being antagonistic factor in his life

Major Conflict

The major conflict in Danny's home life is between his mother and his father whom he desperately wants to see get back together; however his mother is opposed to this because she has suffered much trauma in the marriage due to Richie's alcoholism and impulse control issues

Danny's team scores in the nick of time - a "buzzer beater" - and wins the championship

Foreshadowing

Danny's former coach announces that he is looking to "go bigger" this year. This foreshadows Danny's dropping from the team since he is markedly shorter than the other boys on the team, and under consideration to play, and cannot be a part of any drive to "go bigger"

Understatement

Danny feels his height is holding him back which is an understatement as it is the key factor in his being dropped from the team which is the catalyst for the forming of a new team which indirectly brings him closer with his father too

There are many allusions made to the NBA and its teams and players, particularly those of Richie Walker's generation such as Larry Bird

The imagery is based around basketball and so the author describes the games in great detail, painting an image not only visually for the reader but also including sounds, smells and feelings as well

When Danny gets home from winning the game he finds he has grown significantly when he measures himself against the marks on the wall. This is paradoxical primarily because now that he has grown in stature as a person and in his own eyes, his physical height does not seem so important anyway

Parallelism

There is a parallel between how mean Travis' father is to him and how much he wants to play against his father and on Richie's team

Metonymy and Synecdoche

The gymnasium is used as a phrase to encompass all of the individuals sitting in it to watch the game

Personification

No specific examples in this novel

Update this section!

You can help us out by revising, improving and updating this section.

After you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. An editor will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback.

Travel Team Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Travel Team is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Did the Warriors win the championship in the end and if they did who did they beat

The boys realize that if Mr Ross extending an olive branch to Richie is possible, then anything is possible, and in true underdog fashion they win the game. The Warriors beat Middletown.

What had Jeff Ross done after the tryouts?

Jeff Ross called Danny personally to tell him that he'd made the team. Danny's parents were old friends of his.

Who is a static character?

I might consider Ali Walker. She is still strong at the end of the book.

Study Guide for Travel Team

Travel Team study guide contains a biography of Mike Lupica, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Travel Team
• Travel Team Summary
• Character List

Wikipedia Entries for Travel Team

• Introduction