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.