If you know a kid who loves sports, especially basketball, this is a book that will indulge all their fantasies. 

Young Maxwell lives and dreams his favorite game. He’s transported to Basketball Town, where everything reflects the ball … even the froth in the waterfall.

The upbeat text and the bold, bright, energetic illustrations add to the excitement of Maxwell playing in a championship game against “the greatest team ever assembled.” He practices with basketball-playing giraffes. How is this possible, you ask? Practice. Teamwork. Determination. And it’s a dream.

But it’s a dream many hoopsters would like to live in. I love the scoreboard / teletron floating in the sky over Basketball Town. 

Illustrator Darnell Johnson takes every opportunity to be creative with the town, the players, and the game. My eyes were eagerly searching through the cartoon-style details. A big thanks for including both girl and boy team members.

Scott Rothman’s language is clever and fun: Alley-Oop Academy and Phi Slamma Jamma are just two examples. It’s irresistible. There’s plenty of basketball slang for young players to absorb into their own vocabulary.

This trip to Basketball Town is fun, light-hearted, and filled with encouragement to practice, practice, practice. It’s a slam dunk for my shelves.