Pop- Korman

Marcus Jordan had just moved to a new town and already he has been to the police station three times. His mother is not very happy with him. Well, what's a guy to do? He really hadn't done anything wrong except became friends with Charlie. Charlie was the prankster and only the best football player that Marcus had ever seen. Marcus learned more about taking a hit and making a tackle from Charlie then he had from any of his coaches.
Marcus shows up for high school football try-outs ready to play. He has been working on his passing game and thanks to Charlie he is no longer afraid of taking hits on the field. The only problem is that this high school team went undefeated and they have no intention of letting an outsider mess up their chance for a repeat this season. There is certainly no way that their number 1 quarterback is going to accept that Marcus wants to take his position away from him. When his girlfriend shows interest in Marcus the intensity grows and when he learns that Marcus knows Charlie...the war is on!

When the Whistle Blows- Slayton

Jimmy Cannon grew up in a small railroad town. Railroading was all his family knew. His father worked as a foreman for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as did many of the men from the community. It was the main source of income for most of the families in town. Jimmy's father didn't want Jimmy anywhere near the railroad but that is all he could think about.

The book follows Jimmy through six years of his life. He spends most of those years trying to figure out his father. Mr. Cannon was a hard man to get to know. He was a hardworking, rule following kind of guy but he had a side to him that was a complete mystery to Jimmy. As we follow Jimmy we learn that he is a young man who isn't afraid to get into a little mischief every now and again. Jimmy is a prankster, a hunter, a football player, and most of all a young man who admires his father.

If I Grow Up- Strasser

DeShawn lives in the Frederick Douglass Project where “daily life is ruled by drugs and gang violence.” He is a smart kid and really wants to do the right thing especially because he knows how much it would mean to his grandmother who has raised him. DeShawn is a cool kid and his friends respect what he is trying to do. They know they can trust him even if he doesn’t agree with their lifestyle. It doesn’t seem fair though when his friends start showing up with new shoes and big-screen TVs. How long can DeShawn hold out when he gets tempted from so many directions?
This comes from the jacket cover, “Strasser opens a window into the life of a teenager struggling with right and wrong under the ever-present shadow of gangs.” He gives us characters who are believable and he certainly doesn’t sugar-coat anything. It is a pretty edgy story and I’m not sure I like how the story ends, but I think it is worth reading.

The Absoluely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian- Alexite

Junior lives on a Spokane Indian Tribe reservation. His parents are both drunks and his family is very poor. Junior takes an inventory of where his life is now and where it is likely to end if he stays on the reservation. He decides to make a change. There is an all-white school in the neighboring town that is one of the best small schools in the state. The students there excel in sports and academics. Junior makes up his mind that he wants to attend school there. This decision creates a few major problems. How will he get to the school that is exactly twenty-two miles away? How will the kids there react? How will his friends take the news that he is leaving them and the reservation each day to go to a fancy “white” school? Especially, when he makes the basketball team and ends up playing against them?
This book is hilarious! I love the fact that the author tells that story though words and comic illustrations. It is really written for the more mature reader, one who can handle bathroom humor and some language appropriately.

All the Broken Pieces- Burg

Matt Pin was air-lifted out of war-torn Vietnam. While he is grateful for the life he has in the United States, he carries a lot of guilt about the family he left behind. Matt’s new family encourages him to go out for one of the local baseball teams. They feel that it would help him get over his shyness and make a few friends along the way. Matt’s new team -mates don’t make it easy for him. Thank goodness he has a coach and other adults in his life who are patient and are willing to help him find his way.

This book is written in free verse which makes it a quick read. Anyone who has ever felt that they were out of place or didn’t “fit-in” would certainly benefit from this story. It is so rich and really makes you think about how people for other cultures need time to go through an adjustment period.

Million-Dollar Throw- Lupica

Nate Brodie is a kid who knows what is important in life. He has a great family, great talent, and good friends. He is the quarterback of his school's 8th grade team. He seems to have everything going for him. As a matter of fact, Nate's best friend Abby, has so much confidence in him that she enters him in a contest where the winner will get to try winning a million dollars simply by throwing a football through a target at one of the Patriot's games. No pressure, right? Well guess who's name gets drawn. Nate should be thrilled, but he's not. He's not ready for everything life is throwing his way right now. He tries to keep his chin up, he knows that is what is expected....but sometimes it just gets too hard.

I can't wait until some of you football fans get a chance to read this book, especially our football players. Mike Lupica does a great job of capturing the excitement of playing in the game. He breaks down plays, explains how the quarterback knows where the offense and defensive players are, and really gets you inside the coach's head as well. He also keeps it real by throwing in a dose of real life, situations that are sometimes out of anyone's control. He uses these events as teachable moments that if you take the time to listen, you will receive some valuable advice.