What This Book Is About
Young Patty is already good at other sports, so when he takes up basketball he expects to be brilliant at it straight away, the way his uncle Danny is. He is not. The book is about what he does next: practice, playing with a team instead of around it, and working out how to handle a teammate who bullies him, while his school side chases a place in the finals. His Torres Strait Islander dance training turns out to be useful for his footwork.
This is a junior novel, not a memoir. Patty Mills, the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Australian NBA champion, wrote it with Jared Thomas, and the boy in it shares his name, but the story is fiction. Nahum Ziersch illustrated it.
Available at Popular bookstores, Kinokuniya, and the Singapore National Library.
Why We Recommend This Book
For A1-A2 readers (Grade 3), Game Day! is a standout recommendation for three reasons.
First, it is a basketball story written by a professional basketball player. For a sports-mad child who is not yet sold on reading, that is reason enough to open it. Worth saying to them, though: the story is invented, even though the boy in it has the author's name.
Second, the book celebrates Indigenous Australian culture with warmth and pride. UWC values intercultural understanding, and this story naturally introduces children to Torres Strait Islander heritage—a perspective rarely found in mainstream children's literature.
Third, the language is accessible and the chapters are short, making it perfect for building reading confidence. The basketball vocabulary adds a layer of practical English that kids can immediately use in their own sporting lives.
Reading Level Guide
Building reading foundations? Start with picture books and read-alouds first.
The sweet spot. Simple sentences and illustrations keep you moving through the story.
A quick, easy read. Great for a fun break between more challenging books.
Other UWC Recommended Books for This Grade
Not sure if this book is right for your child? Take our free English assessment to find their CEFR level, then choose books that match.