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On the Devil's Court | 
 enlarge | Author: Carl Deuker
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $4.04
You Save: $3.95 (49%)
New (37) Used (10) from $3.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 75894
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 031606727X
EAN: 9780316067270
ASIN: 031606727X
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 4 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Few left in stock - order soon. Code: H20081114205835T
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Product Description
What would you give to be your school's superstar? After reading Dr. Faustus, Joe considers the merits of selling his soul to the devil. Suddenly, he finds himself changing from a lousy basketball player and a C student to the star athlete he always dreamed he could be. Even though he isn't sure if he actually made a deal with the devil, he can't help but enjoy the benefits that come with his newfound abilities. But is achieving his dreams worth what he may have given up?
In this coming of age sports novel, Joe learns the power of belief and that the only goals worth attaining are the ones that you earn -- on your own.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 On the Devil's Court October 3, 2008
Joe Faust is the main character in On the Devil's Court. Joe's favorite thing to do is play basketball. He is a quiet and shy kid who likes to hang out in his room a lot. At the beginning of the book, Joe moves from his hometown in Boston to Seattle, right before his senior year of high school. In Boston, he had been going to a private school. His dad expects a lot out of him, because when he was a kid he made straight A's every year. However, Joe struggles to get straight B's. Also, he and his dad argue all the time. Because of this, Joe does not have much confidence in himself.
The setting of the story is in the rainy city of Seattle. In Seattle, Joe spends a lot of time at the basketball court at the school near his house. He finds an old deserted gym where he can practice. It was a cold, dark and quiet gym and he could hear the trees whistling in the wind while he practices. He lives in a nice neighborhood and has a decent size house. Joe's room is in the attic where it is cold and dark. However, he likes his room because there is a good view and he wants to be left alone.
After moving to Seattle, Joe spends most of the time at the local school's basketball court where he meets a kid named Ross. He hangs out with Ross all the time. Ross invites Joe to come play basketball with him and some other kids. At the end of the summer, Joe almost convinces his dad to let him go to public school with Ross. He wants to go to the public school because they have a good basketball team. However, he gets in trouble with the law by going to a party where there was underage drinking and his dad makes him go to a private school. At first, Joe didn't know anybody and sits alone during lunch. Then, one of his friends from the summer gets him to hang out with him and the rest of the basketball team. He wants to show the team how good he is, but he ends up playing terrible. Basketball tryouts are coming up and the coach sees him play and doesn't like what he sees. One day after gym, the coach pulls Joe over and tells him that if he tries out, he would be playing junior varsity. That upsets Joe very much.
At home, he is reading a book about a scientist who sells his soul to the devil. One day, he goes into a deserted gym to practice his basketball game. Before he leaves, he takes a few shots. His first shot swishes and the spin brings the ball right back to Joe. This happens eight times in a row. Then Joe notices a strange green mist and realizes that the devil is calling him. So he says," Give me a full season, twenty-four games, of this power, and my soul is yours."
After that happened, he started playing amazingly and got asked to join the varsity squad. He also started making good grades and he and his dad were getting along and not arguing. The season started and Joe didn't play much of the first game until the last quarter when they were already down by twenty points. In the fourth quarter, he sparked an amazing comeback and they ended up winning the game. Joe scored thirty points and the coach decided to start him the next game. The next few games were very similar with Joe scoring around thirty points and his team winning. His team finished the season undefeated, which allowed them to make the state tournament. Eight of the best teams in the state would meet to see who would become the state champion. Surprisingly, Joe's team won, which made them the first private school to win the state championship! Also, on his exams he got the best grades of his life!
The main conflict of the story is that Joe is doing terrible in school. He is playing some of the worst basketball of his life, and he does not get along with his dad. The resolution is that he gives his soul to the devil and his grades improve. He becomes the star of the basketball team, and he and his dad have a better relationship. He even gets offered a scholarship to Eastern Washington University.
The theme of this book is that people will do anything for success and happiness. Joe wanted to be a great basketball player. He was willing to sell his soul to the devil for one good season. It worked in the short term because he was the star of the state champions. There was a disappointing ending though, because it didn't tell what happened after the season.
 Unresolved February 7, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Joe is new in town. His father is a very important scientist who used to work at Harvard. The summer before Joe's senior year in high school, his father has accepted a job in Washington State. Joe is hoping that with the move he will have his first chance to attend public school instead of another snobby private one. He is especially looking forward to school after he starts playing basketball every day with a group of guys from his neighborhood. The biggest passion in Joe's life is basketball and he wants to be on a team that will be good.
Then Joe goes to a party thrown by one of the basketball players, drinks, and loses his parents' trust. He ends up being enrolled in private school. Much to his surprise, the basketball team is good, so good that he might not make it. Joe seems to have lost his touch for basketball. One evening in frustration Joe, not sure if he is being serious or not, makes a deal with the devil to give up his soul for a perfect basketball season.
All of a sudden things are going perfectly right for Joe. He makes the varsity basketball team after all, and some nights he feels like he couldn't miss a basket even if he tried. He begins to get very uneasy. Did he really make a bargain with the devil?
I liked the concept of this story, and I liked the way Joe and his parents related to each other. I didn't like the ending, though. I was expecting a great resolution, perhaps an interesting twist, but was left feeling disappointed.
 Good sports book January 11, 2007
For my book review I read On the Devil's Court. On the Devil's Court is written by Carl Deuker. The book is realistic fiction.
Joe Faust is a senior in high school. He loves to play basketball. He is very good at basketball until one day when he just can't hit any shots he takes. Then he comes across this secret gym. While he is in the gym he makes a bargain with the devil: "One perfect season and I will give you my soul".
This book is very good. I liked it because I like sports. This book is good for any middle school or above basketball fans.
Great Sports Story! May 11, 2006
Joe Faust is a high school student. Joe and his family move to Seattle. Joe's absolute passion is basketball. It's basketball anywhere and everyday practically. Joe has to start at a new school in the fall and the most important thing to him right now is basketball. Joe's parents want him to go to a high quality school that has very good teaching, but all Joe wants to do is play basketball and one of the best high school teams is at the school a couple of blocks down. The school Joe wants to go to his parents don't approve of. It's not the best school for Joe. He ends up going to the high school that his parents thought was best for him. It turns out that they have a pretty good basketball team. Joe starts making some new friends and now he is the most popular kid at school. One day Joe finds this abandoned gym not too far away from where he lives. Joe climbs through the window and starts to shoot some baskets. He makes his first three shots in a row. Joe is thinking how in the world this is happening. He keeps shooting and makes every single basket. Later on Joe believes that he has now sold his soul to the devil. In school, Joe's class is reading a novel about Dr. Faustus. In the novel, Dr.Faustus is a scientist, like Joe's dad and Dr.Faustus' name has a resemblance to Joe's last name and they both think they sold their souls. Will Joe be the next big basketball star? Did he really sell his soul to the devil or is he just dreaming?
I enjoyed this book a lot. Carl Deuker is one of my new favorite authors. All his books take place in Seattle and they are all about sports. Once in a while I like to read all about sports because I think sometimes those stories are the best. This book was very entertaining and the characters were great. I could picture everything in my mind perfectly. The description and the book itself were really great too. I recommend this book to anybody who loves fiction novels and sports.
toms review April 4, 2006
The book was excellent. There was only one thing wrong with it. The beginning was a little slow. But after i got through it it wasn't bad. Actually it was one of the better books ive ever read.
Joe had to move to Seattle. His dad is a scientist. His dad said he will be able to go to a public school in Seattle but once he sees the school he says no. Joe makes the varsity basketball team because of an injury to one of there players. In practice Joe keeps doing horrible so to solve his problems he starts practicing in a little abandoned gym. When he sells something of his for something in return to the devil.
The type of reader that would like this book would have to be a reader that like ports and id in 7th grade or higher. Because there is some bad language and it is a YA book.
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