This fast-paced chapter book deals with the complications of playground friendships with a light
touch and deft sense of humour. Ellray is half way through 3rd Grade (Year 4) but is still the shortest child in the class. This makes life difficult when his school is gripped by a craze for basketball and even his own friends seem reluctant to pass the ball to him. As one of the few African American children at the school, he also feels he is expected to be good at the sport, a stereotype his father is quick to dispute. An engaging character, Ellray tells his story of the tribulations of school life in his own words, sharing fears and worries about his size, his vulnerability to bullies, as well as savouring the small triumphs of standing tall in face of meanness and aggression.