Mike Lupica is a popular sports author for kids, and it seems like his books have been on awards lists since I started teaching eleven years ago. I’ve read a few of his books and have enjoyed them (even if sports books aren’t usually my go-to genre). However, this book just missed the mark.
Tommy is all about football: playing defense with his team, watching it on TV, or just talking about strategy with his father. But when his firefighter father is killed while on a call, Tommy’s world is twisted. He’s sad and angry and the only way he’s getting out his feelings is aggressively on the football field. With a little sister who won’t come out of her room and a mom who expects him to be the “man of the house,” the only freedom Tommy finds is through a new sport: skateboarding.
So, I get Tommy’s feelings, but they just seem slightly unbelievable. Maybe because he’s supposed to be twelve, but he’s acting like an eighteen year old. I work daily around twelve to fourteen year old boys, and they don't act this mature and think this rationally. Yes, that means that they could learn something from Tommy's behavior, but I feel like they just would become uninterested in the book instead.
Another problem is the book is supposed to be a football book, but the most exciting thing that happens is Tommy learning to skateboard. All the football games are quick, and they all come down to tied with four minutes to go in the game…which gets boring after you’ve read about it four times already.
I can see my middle school boys liking this book, but in my opinion, it’s not nearly as strong as his other books.
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