To balance all the reads that seem to be of more interest to girls, I am going after the guys…and I picked A REALLY GOOD READ by Gordon Korman, POP. Gordon Korman, author of Son of the Mob, Born to Rock, Swindle, No More Dead Dogs, 39 Clues Mysteries, Jake Reinvented, and a bunch of others has written a book that brings topics that are timely, characters that are real and images about high school football that ring true.
Quick insights: Marcus has just moved to a new town with a very tight, good HS football team. While doing his own training routine at a local public park to get fit for the tryouts, he runs into (literally) another player with extraordinary football technique & knowledge. Only this guy is in his fifties and seems to like to keep his identity quiet. Something’s odd, but Marcus can’t finger it. The opening scenes lead you into the dilemmas of family secrets, competition on the field and off, and some truly intense questions of what does one do to ‘make things right.’ This is a good read. And although we start out with quarterback adoration, there is some fascinating instruction on blocking and tackling in the game of football. What I also like is the inclusion of the contemporary discussion of how sports injuries can affect players in later life…neurologically in this case. Give this one a shot. Well written and believable for guys. Girls (like me) may even enjoy the sport and tension of the story.
