The Fifth Quarter is a middle-grade graphic novel series about a young basketball player named Lori Block, who has a lot of passion for the game, but not as much skill. She only mostly goes in during “the fifth quarter” in a game, which is an extra period at the beginning, where the not-so-good kids get a chance to play, but the points don’t count. She is determined to get better, bringing her into conflict with her teammates, friends, and parents in different ways.
The series is inspired by author Mike Dawson’s own child’s experience playing on the Mid-Monmouth league here in Monmouth county. The first book in the series came out this past May, and book two launches next Summer.
The Fifth Quarter is available everywhere books are sold. River Road Books in Fair Haven usually has some copies or find it on Amazon.
Follow this link to The Fifth Quarter series pages on the publisher’s website: https://us.macmillan.com/series/thefifthquarter
Mike Dawson is the award-winning author of The Fifth Quarter series and comics collections. His work has appeared at The Nib, Slate, and The New Yorker, and has been nominated for multiple Eisner and Ignatz Awards, as well as the Slate Cartoonists Studio Prize. He lives at the Jersey Shore with his wife and children.
