Game Changer

This book reads from the perspective of incoming freshman Tommy Youngblood as he lies in a coma in the hospital recovering from a traumatic head injury. Doctors advise his family to talk to him as much as possible to help with his recovery, but to keep the conversation light, which they struggle to do in their grief as they also grapple with inconsistencies in the story of how he got injured at football camp.

I was really intrigued with the unique storytelling framework, as well as the poetic nature of Tommy’s thoughts. It's a page-turner; the story is very well-paced so that the reader is constantly discovering new layers of the story as it unfolds. This book provides a meaningful lesson about the consequences of hazing while show more successfully avoiding a moralistic tone. The children in the story, Tommy’s friends and teammates, push the adults in the story to grow beyond a black and white way of thinking about the situation. Those who enjoyed will be happy to know that the author also has other books focusing on different characters set within the same school universe! show less

Teddy is in a coma from what appears to have been an accident during a preseason high school football practice. As an incoming freshman, Teddy along with his fellow freshman teammates participate in a game called the Rookie Rumble that is coached by the seniors on the football team. At the end of the game, Teddy passes out and is taken to the hospital. Teddy's entire family converges on the hospital, including his estranged mother, to speak to him and give him positive words of encouragement. In the meantime, online conversations and a therapist transcript with a player named Ethan hint at something more that may have happened during the Rookie Rumble.

Game Changer is told through online conversations, transcripts, and Teddy's thoughts. show more This format actually enhances the story because it precipitates opportunities for the reader to make inferences about what may have happened to Teddy. The characters are developed as their thoughts are outlined during these conversations. Real issues of violence in football as well as hazing are addressed in this book. My only complaint is that the ending seems a little to pat to be believable, but overall, Game Changer is a very well written book that deals with timely topics surrounding youth football. show less

The beginning hit me really hard, when everyone was tying to talk to Teddy and be normal but you could feel the fear and pain and confusion. Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn't have the same emotional resonance.

I'm a sucker for multi-media books, and it makes the story fly by. (Why was everyone texting in ALL CAPS, though?) For such a sparse text I got a good understanding of everybody's relationships and characters.

Where I was a little let down was the discussion of concussions and the risks. Makes sense that everyone would assume that it's just an unfortunate accident, but even if that's all it was that should still be cause to cancel the season and do an investigation! And then we find out about the Hit Parade and the hazing show more and the book just... ends. I want to hear about the consequences! I want to know whether or not Coach Buzetti (or w/e) knew or not! I want the varsity players to be punished and to learn that hazing is not OK! The ending felt abrupt and unfinished.

Overall and quick and entertaining read; definitely recommended for middle school. show less

Enjoyed this quick, easy to read, multi-media influenced YA sports. Sports are very hard to write about, or at least I've read very few fiction books that it address it well, but Greenwald does a nice job in this book. Usually the narrative of sports falls apart when the writer tries to detail play-to-play action. Greenwald, through the mediums he chose, is largely able to avoid that, and I think it pays off. What the book lacks in football-specific action, it makes up for with more than enough debate from both sides of the is-it-safe-to-play-football debate. It is hard to walk away from the book thinking that the book slants somewhat to the anti side, and the only argument presented on the other side are along the standard refrains of show more "it's a great game", "it helps bond communities together and helps turn boys into men". Not very convincing. In the end, a good book I would recommend to 9th grade students (maybe 10th graders with a high sense of innocence) . show less

Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald
Publication Date: September 11, 2018
Publisher: Amulet Books
Audience: Middle Grade
Rating: 3 out of 5

What Game Changer was about:
Through hospital records, social media messages, text messages and the like, we read the story of Teddy, a 13 year old football player. He is in a coma following a football injury. We get to read his inner thoughts as well as the thoughts of his family, friends and teammates. At first, all believe that this was a typical football injury but we soon learn that some issues had taken place before the accident that may or may not have had a role in the accident.

What I liked about Game Changer:
The book was quick and easy to read. It also shed light on football culture as well as show more hazing culture and the herd mentality that can sometimes lead to trouble. Things like this is becoming so common and prevalent in our society today, so Game Changer is definitely timely in that matter.

What I didn't like about Game Changer:
The characters weren't fully developed. We only saw a quick glance of each character, so it was a bit hard to fully grasp rather or not the actions fit the character. Take Ethan for instance. In the end, Ethan took responsibility for his part in the accident but we don't know if it's because he is generally responsible character or was this some one-off change in character. It also made it kind of hard to root for anyone in this story because they all had different reasons to keep some things hidden and others out in the open.

Bottom Line:
Overall, a good read with important lessons for students and parents alike. Would recommend for fans of sports and sport fiction, as well as for those reluctant middle grade readers. show less

This book takes place over the course of a week (August 26 - August 31) with pieces of the puzzle being revealed through Ethan's sessions with a therapist, the football team's group chat, newspaper articles, and dialogue between Teddy's family and his friends. I would offer this book to people who value a slow reveal, or feel comfortable thinking about the nuances of sports and what it means to form a community/at what costs. While not the most uplifting text, there are moments of joy and repentance, with multiple characters ultimately coming forward and owning their actions.

When the story begins, thirteen year old Teddy Youngblood is in a coma from a football injury or at least that's what you think initially. Then rumours start and you start to believe that maybe it was something besides a normal football practice that ended up getting him hurt. There are various characters who all weigh in with comments and thoughts and conversations; his parents, the coach, the coaches daughter, Teddy's best friend Ethan, the varsity captain Will, another varsity player, Alec, Nurse Ricky, Teddy's sister and the doctor.
It was interesting to have the story pieced together bit by bit from the messages and the articles etc. I wanted there to be more to the story though. I enjoyed it but I was left wanting a little bit show more more. I did like the ending very much because I like that we don't know WHAT he is going to say. He wakes up and says, "I remember" and the story stops right there. We don't know if he's going to keep quiet about the whole thing or tell all. Since the title of the book is Game Changer... I'm thinking that he's going to tell what happened to him. show less