1. By Lucas E. Novel by Walter Dean Myers

2. Theme - a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation, or composition; topic: Theme = Friendship – In the novel Slam and Ice are very close friends; Mtisha shows a friendship for Ice and Slam because she is worried Ice is dealing drugs and asks Slam to find out if Ice is dealing.

3. Motif - a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work. Basketball = Motif – In the novel Basketball is a main motif because Slam loves basketball and is on the schools Bball team. Many people show up to Latimer’s Bball games to show support for Slam’s team.

4.  The motif helps develop the theme of Slam! Because Ice and Slam love Bball, they also love to talk about being in the NBA.  2 types of figurative language in chapters 7 – 13 is: “Mtisha said no, that she wasn’t thinking about cutting me loose,…” is an idiom. : and “He looked old, a ghost with eyes that shone from the shadows of his face” is also an idiom.

5.  1 conflict Greg is facing is his grandmother in the hospital. Greg and his family are worried about losing her to a terrible disease. Greg is dealing with this conflict because he is very upset about what happened