Travel Team (What aspects or sections of the book affect your enthusiasm for reading it?)

One of the books that I've recently completed for my Battle of the Books team, was the book Travel Team.  This book is about a boy named Danny Walker who struggles to pursue his dreams and goals relating to basketball, and the follow in the footsteps of his dad Richie Walker despite his size disadvantage.  This novel gives great messages and provides readers with an amazing story of basketball, friendship, family relationships, and perseverance.

One of my very favorite pastimes and things to do, is play basketball.  I believe that the fact that this book practically revolved around this sport, really encouraged me and drove me to be more interested in reading it.  The fact that I could relate to many actions the characters were taking, and some of the feelings or emotions that they had truly drew me into the story.  For example, some of the interactions between Danny and his mother were similar to some between myself and my mom.  Throughout the story, Danny's mom would ask or comment on Danny's basketball playing, and mess up or alter the correct terminology for what she was referring to, whether it be intentional or not.  Many times I could see myself carrying out the same conversation with my mom, and connections like that are what made me enjoy this novel.

In addition to these connections that I made between the characters and I, the author did a really good job of developing powerful and/or emotional moments throughout the plot.  He did this through various methods including dialogue, and character interactions with one another.  Several times, I found myself agreeing with one character over another if they were in an argument, or I would feel emotions such as sympathy, anger, or inspiration, towards one of them.  I would wish that I could go into the book to talk to a character, to warn, congratulate, discuss with, or yell at them.  In order to not spoil the plot, I won't give away too much information, but there was one instance where a main character's parent was reprimanding or yelling at them for something I COMPLETLY didn't agree with, and I felt so much anger and feeling towards the parent.  If an author can really pull readers into the story and get them to start feeling for the developing plot and occurring events like this, readers will become more interested in their work.