Football champ

Tim Green, 1963-

Book - 2009

Twelve-year-old Troy's uncanny gift for predicting football plays proves a powerful secret weapon for the Atlanta Falcons, but a seedy reporter with a vendetta suspects something is going on and sets out to shred the reputations of Troy and star linebacker Seth Halloway.

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Subjects
Published
New York : HarperCollins 2009.
Language
English
Main Author
Tim Green, 1963- (-)
Edition
1st ed
Physical Description
280 p.
ISBN
9780061626890
9780061626906
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Green sends the 12-year-old savant introduced in Football Genius (2007) into the national spotlight in this second sequel. Proud of his unfailing ability to predict football plays, Troy naively grants a solo interview to an unscrupulous reporter and finds himself along with his NFL linebacker friend, Seth publicly accused of cheating. Not only are the play-off hopes of their pro team (the Atlanta Falcons) and Troy's own Duluth Tigers threatened but so are the careers of Seth and Troy's mother, who works in the Falcons' PR department. Readers will enthusiastically cheer Troy on as he heroically rises to every occasion, both on and off the field.--Peters, John Copyright 2009 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-8-In this sequel to Football Genius (HarperCollins, 2007), Troy White, 12, continues to put to good use his uncanny ability to predict an opposing team's next move. He is employed by his beloved Atlanta Falcons to send in plays during games, thus helping the team to build a winning streak and prolonging the career of his idol, the aging and injury-riddled linebacker, Seth Halloway. Seth is dating Troy's mom (also a Falcons employee) and coaching Troy's youth league football team. While Troy is technically doing nothing against the rules, the Falcons want to keep his contribution to the team's success a secret. When he is outed by a sportswriter who has a grudge against Seth, the Falcons' season, Troy's upcoming youth league championship game, and his mom's job are all placed in jeopardy. Troy is able to demonstrate to the NFL Commissioner that he can predict plays without cheating and tricks a corrupt doctor into admitting, on tape, that he lied about Seth's steroid use. The Falcons' season is saved, Seth coaches Troy's team to the championship, and Troy is approached by an agent who promises millions for his play-predicting abilities. The unexpected appearance of Troy's biological father in the final chapter sets up the next book in the series. While the novel's premise is somewhat outlandish, the characters are engaging and the game action is exciting. Short cliff-hanger chapters make this a good bet for reluctant readers.-Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Twelve-year-old Troy White has an uncanny ability to see football patterns, a talent that enables him to correctly predict what plays will be run next. When this sports thriller opens, Troy is working for the Atlanta Falcons. Troy's gift has been a particular boon for Seth Halloway, the team's aging and aching star linebacker, who, despite his fame, is a centered guy who coaches Troy's middle-school football team. The story kicks off when an unscrupulous reporterGreen's characters tend to be either paragons or poisonousgets wind of Troy's talent and then later, because of an old grudge, accuses Seth of steroid abuse. As the stakes rise for Troy, Seth and their respective teams, the action becomes both more suspenseful and less credible. Still, there's no denying that the former defensive end writes an engaging page-turner that's full of play-by-play action, and this sequel to Football Genius (2008) ends with a whopper of a surprise, most likely signaling another book to come. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Football Champ A Football Genius Novel Chapter One Troy knew better than to push the NFL coach aside and signal the play himself for everyone to see. Troy was a secret. The Falcons were winning, 17â€"13, but the Bears had the ball on the Falcons' five-yard line, and there was time for one last play. If the Falcons' defense held, the game would be over and the team's run at the playoffs would be real. "You're sure?" the coach asked, pain in his eyes as the smoke from his breath drifted skyward in the cold Chicago air. The Bears' offense broke the huddle and started for the line. Seth Halloway, the Falcons' star linebacker, waved his hands to Troy and the coach, frantic for a defensive play. "Yes," Troy said impatiently. "They're going to run the slant." He knew adults doubted twelve-year-olds, anyway. His calls had been good enough in the last three games for the Falcons to end a losing streak and beat the Raiders, Tampa Bay, and New Orleans. Troy stared hard into the defensive coordinator's eyes until the older man blinked, turned, and signaled in Troy's play. Seth nodded at the signal and shouted the play to his defensive teammates, cupping his hands over his mouth. The center snapped the ball. The defense blitzed. The quarterback dropped and threw the slant. Seth Halloway leaped in front of the receiver and snatched the ball, securing the Falcons' fourth win in a row. Troy jumped almost as high as Seth. So did every other player and coach on the Falcons' sideline. The defensive coach hugged Troy. Players smacked his back and hooted with joy. Some of them called out his name, and Troy's face burned with pride. They knew him and they knew what he did. Even though officially he was a ball boy, the players knew. Troy saw Seth in the mayhem and grinned, but Seth didn't grin back. "Come quick," Seth said, leading Troy by the arm and pushing through the crowd of NFL players and into the dark tunnel. "Why?" Troy asked, searching Seth's face. "Let's celebrate!" "That reporter, Peele, he saw you. We've got to get you out of here before he ruins everything." Football Champ A Football Genius Novel . Copyright © by Tim Green . Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Football Champ by Tim Green All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.