Zayd Saleem is living between two cultures. His family is Pakistani, but they are living in America. Zayd’s mother sees her son as becoming an outstanding violinist. Zayd sees himself as becoming a famous NBA Basketball Star. The extra orchestra practice time his family is paying for is held before school. This is the same time as the extra basketball practice time held in the school gym. Zayd begins skipping his before school orchestra to practice basketball. When Zayd’s mother finds out about him skipping orchestra, Zayd is banded from all basketball, in any form, for two weeks. This means he will miss the fourth grade team basketball tryouts for which he has been working so hard. Zayd is, also, required to make up practicing his violin for the practices he has missed.

Days before the tryouts, Zayd’s stomach hurts so badly his uncle mamoo is called to pick him up from school. During their time together mamoo tells Zayd he needs to tell his mother and father what he wants- basketball , not violin. And Zayd learns that mamoo is not being pushed into a marriage.

After their heart to heart talk, Zayd’s parents decide to let Zayd play basketball again in time for the tryouts. Zayd should, also, continue with his regular violin lessons during the school day, while discontinuing the before schools lessons.

The evening after the tryouts is grandfather’s birthday. The whole extended family goes out for a Chinese dinner. Zayd’s fortune cookie reads- “You must power forward to achieve your dreams”, which is quite fitting since he has made the basketball team.

Just enough basketball and family interaction to make this story believable.

Each of the 19 chapters begins with a different basketball action silhouette. There are seven illustrations and eight cameos sprinkled throughout the book.

Includes chapter 1 of the next book in the series – On Point.