Carl Deuker

This was a fun, young adult novel. I love football so this was right up my alley. The author is very knowledgeable about sports and it really shows with the exciting play-by-play sprinkled throughout the story. You can tell when someone tries to fake it, but this is spot on.

The main character, Mitch, navigates through life challenges that all teenagers must face at one point or another. He comes to terms with who he is and the changes that he wants to make. He experiences his first love and show more the agony of defeat when another student is appointed editor of the school newspaper. There is plenty of suspense and action to offset the coming of age story. An investigation of a football player's background leads to exciting and dangerous places.

My only complaint about the book was the ending. I realize this gets said quite a bit, everyone likes to think they could write a better ending. To me, it seemed like the author just gave up and did not bother with the ending. That may sound like a death sentence for a book, but, actually, it still worked out and there was enough closure for me.

This was well worth the read. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I think a few more books just went on to my growing To-Be-Read list. show less

Shane is a standout baseball pitcher at his private high school. He and his family live comfortably in a high-end housing development. When Shane's father is arrested for money laundering and consequently commits suicide, the family's fortunes turn downward. The family moves to city housing and Shane attends public high school where he joins a scrappy baseball team. In a game against his old high school, his pitch hits a player in the head and sends him to the hospital. The event has shaken show more the confidence and game of both boys. It's a struggle for Shane to get back to where he was but with the aid of a no-nonsense coach, the boy he hit, and the lure of the sport itself, he's stronger and wiser for the process. show less

You know if a book can get me interested (and even EXCITED) about football, it must be really well-written. This book made me lose myself inside the competitive world of high school football. It was exciting, compelling, and interesting to read.

I didn't like the fact that the main character seemed to be the only boy to take vitamins and supplements and then was the only one to get messed up in steroids--I don't want it to come off as protein supplements are a gateway drug of sorts. Other show more than that, the book was great, although the suicide attempt at the end seemed a little sudden and out of left field. Good read though. show less

This novel is a hard one, but it's such a great choice for boys in middle school.

Nate chooses basketball, but this choice presents many battles. He's from a soccer family; it's expected of him. His parents have signed him up for years, and his sister is one of the best players. In fact, she's waiting on full scholarships to go to college. No matter how hard Nate tries, he cannot play soccer as well as she does, nor does he want to. Everything revolves around Amelia and her game of soccer. show more It's her senior year. Nate knows that no extra money exists for him to play basketball in a league. He and his sister have a good relationship; his parents have a strong presence. These family relationships are important to the book and present a realistic portrayal of family life.

Lucas moves in next door and plays basketball on a crooked, old basketball goal. His family possesses very little; they are poor. His parents are mostly absent, but he takes very good care of his special needs sister, Megan, who is non-verbal. He teaches her to shoot and watches out for her at school until she attends a separate school. Nate and Lucas begin to play one-on-one more when Nate gets his own basketball goal set up in his front yard. They only talk basketball although Nate notices Lucas' family doesn't have much.

No matter what happens, Nate always ends up back with Lucas playing ball. Neither have the funds to be trained in leagues to play better. They only have each other, which is great for Nate. Lucas never backs down. He forces Nate to play a gritty, tough, in your face game. He becomes a better player. As a duo, they are a force of nature on the court. They end up playing on the JV team. Lucas begins without him and finds that he doesn't have the "no holds barred" approach to play without Lucas. He always finds a way to include Lucas on any team Nate finds.

Money presents as an issue throughout the novel for both Nate and Lucas. Everything in Nate's family is for Amelia, but even she has to have a scholarship. Nate's parents will only pay for Nate to be on a recreational team (and will pay for Lucas), but Nate hasn't played long enough nor has the skills to pay for an expensive league. Lucas never has anything.

I'm stopping there. I don't want to give away the end of the novel. This novel is about Nate and Nate's friendship with Lucas. Nate grows as a person and a player because of this one guy. Suprises occur, which I won't even hint at. I really, really liked this novel. It's a great novel to hand to middle school and even high school boys. There's zero romance. There's a lot of basketball play. I know nothing about basketball, so I wasn't always sure what was going on on the court. It's a book of many layers and needs to be checked out constantly. It shouldn't sit on the shelf. show less