On the Devils Court by Carl Deuker - On the Devil's Court

What would you give to be your schools 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 isnt sure if he actually made a deal with the devil, he cant 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.

On the Devil's Court
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.

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