Deep Zone

By Tim Green

Sport: Football

Rating: 3 3/4 stars

This is billed as a Football Genius novel. Fans of Troy, the football genius, and of Ty, the wide receiver who was chased by the mafia, will be thrilled to see them united in this story.  Both boys are in Miami for the 7 on 7 tournament for kids played on the morning of the SuperBowl.  When Ty and Troy meet, they aren’t on the friendliest of terms as Ty is rather smitten by Troy’s friend Tate.  He is also worried about the mafia coming back to haunt him and his brother.  Troy, meanwhile, is preoccupied by his on-the-run father and whether or not he really keeps showing up wherever Troy happens to be.  So when both things the boys are concerned about combine—there may well be an explosion OFF the field!  There is plenty of football action and a twist at the end of the story that fans will be happy to see.

The Underdogs

By Mike Lupica
Sport: Football
Rating: 3 3/4 stars

In yet another heartwarming story, we meet Will Tyler, an extremely talented wide receiver.  Will is upset because his small town is dying a slow death, with few jobs, and the town is saying they don't have enough money to fund his football team.  Will gets the brainwave to write to New Balance to get his team sponsored, and they step up, but finding enough members for the team?  That's another problem.  Then finding a coach?  Yet another one.  But Will doesn't give up. And when he finally gets his team pulled together, he is going to make sure they don't give up either, not until they make the champsionship game.  If you've read any other Mike Lupica books, you pretty much know how this is going to end, but that doesn't make it less sweet.  A satisfying story with plenty of football action.

The Best of the Best

By Tim Green
Sport: Baseball
Rating: 3 3/4 stars

This is the 3rd book in the Baseball Great series, following Rivals.  Josh is fresh from winning the big tournament with his team, but then his father challenges him to play on his Little League team that has a chance to make it to the Little League World Series.  Josh agrees as long as his friend Benji gets on the team, too.  But Josh has more than that to worry about--his parents are splitting up and his dad is suddenly making gooey eyes at Diane, a real estate agent.  Josh can barely focus on the game while dealing with everything going on at home, and he's sure that Diane is up to no good and that there HAS to be a way to fix his broken family.  Meanwhile, Josh's coach is less than the best, so Josh begins to do a little coaching on the side to try and bring his team together.  So while he and his team battle to make it through to the many rounds to get to the Little League World Series, Josh and his friend Jaden investigate Diane to see if they can find a way to put Josh's family back together.  There's a lot of heart in this story, along with some great baseball action.  Fans of other books about Josh in the Baseball Great series will enjoy this one as well.

The Rivalry: Mystery at the Army-Navy Game

By John Feinstein
Sport: Football
Rating: 3 3/4 stars

Stevie and Susan Carol, our teen sportswriting duo, are back again.  This time they are researching the storied Army-Navy football match up.  But it wouldn't be a story if the pair didn't get into some kind of trouble.   The president of the United States is slated to attend the Army-Navy game, and Susan Carol and Stevie are assigned to check out how the Secret Service works around securing the president's safety.  Rumors abound about possible threats.  But when trouble actually comes, it arrives from a totally different source.  Sports fans will thoroughly enjoy the different football game scenes as well as the history about the Army-Navy rivalry, and the great characters will keep readers interested to see how everything ends up, although they might be a little disappointed at the very very end.  Let's hope Feinstein covers something like the Stanley Cup Finals next!

Hothead

By Cal Ripken, Jr. with Kevin Cowherd
Sport: Baseball
Rating: 3 1/2 stars

Connor Sullivan is a natural at baseball--a wonderful shortstop and a fantastic hitter and he is hoping to bring his team the Orioles to a championship game in their league.  But he's been hiding a secret.  His father has been laid off from work for months, and Connor doesn't tell anyone out of shame.  As money gets tighter, so do tempers in his household and Connor gets more and more worried about the future.  Then instead of easily making a routine play during one of their games, Connor makes an error and drops the ball and goes into a fit of temper right on the field which ends in him having to leave the game.  Everyone is confused by his show of rage, even Connor.  But worse, the team loses the game without him in the lineup.  Connor is determined to get his feelings under control, but the same thing happens in the very next game, resulting in a suspension and another lost game.  Can Connor get his temper under control before he ruins the Orioles' chances at the championship?   An interesting look at the role emotions can play in a young baseball player's life.  While this book breaks no new ground, sports fans will be happy with the amount of baseball action and root for Connor to overcome his problems.

The Super Sluggers: Slumpbuster

By Kevin Markey
Sport: Baseball
Rating: 3 3/4 stars

If you like your sports mixed with a little bit of silly, then you will love this baseball series.  Banjo Bishbash is better known on his team as "the Walloper" due to his great hitting.  But then comes the day when he strikes out every time out against their biggest competition for the pennant, the Haymakers, and suddenly Banjie is in a slump. And not only is he IN a slump, but everyone can see it--literally.  It hangs like a cloud over his head, growing larger by the day.  Can Banjie figure out how to beat his slump before the big rematch against the Haymakers?  There are lots of laughs in this tall-tale like chapter book, and it will be sure to garner many fans.  You can read more in the series, including Wall Ball and Wing Ding.  Good fun!

The Big Time

By Tim Green
Sport: Football
Rating: 3 1/2 stars

This is the third book in the Football Genius series and we pick up where we left off in Football Champ.  Troy's team has just won the championship and they are celebrating at his coach Seth's house when the doorbell rings and there stands his long lost, estranged father.  His father is a flashy lawyer and works with a famous rapper and he says he wants to spend time with Troy.  Troy's mom is leery of this out of the blue appearance, but Troy has been longing for a father forever, so nothing is going to stop him from seeing him.  And when his dad seems to fulfill all of his dreams, Troy is thrilled.  But little warning bells start to go off when Troy's dad seems to run roughshod over the careful, controlled existence Troy has known with his mom.  Is his father all he seems to be?  Or is there more to his sudden appearance than the desire to meet his son?  This story is heavier on the emotion and lighter on the football action than the previous books, and the ending is rather abrupt, but fans will be interested in seeing how it all turns out in the end.

The Million Dollar Throw

By Mike Lupica
Sport: Football
Rating: 4 stars

Lupica rolls out another likeable hero in Nate, a natural and gift quarterback who idolizes the Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and lives in a small town in Massachusetts.  Nate's name was chosen for a contest to throw a football 30 yards through a small target during half-time of a Patriots game, and if he can make it, he will win one million dollars.  Nate's life should be coming up roses, but instead, he feels like it is falling apart.  His father has lost his job, and now scrambles at two jobs to make ends meet.   His mother starts working, and their house is up for sale.  Even worse, his best friend Abby is in rough shape--she has a disease that is quickly making her go blind.  It seems like everyone could really use that million dollars, and a throw that should be the thrill of a lifetime is instead like a millstone around his neck.  As Nate worries about everything and everyone, his quarterback abilities start melting away, and he feels like he is letting down his football team, his parents, and Abby.  Is there anything that can make things right for Nate before the big throw?  Sports fans will love this story which is all about heart as much as it is about football.