Football Hero: A Football Genius Novel
Grade 5–8—After the death of his parents, 12-year-old Ty Lewis moves into a trailer park with his aunt's family. The boy is constantly reminded by his Uncle Gus that he should be grateful that they took him in and allow him to sleep on the floor in the laundry room and to use the port-a-potty set up outside. At school, Ty is teased about the pillowcase he uses for a backpack and for his second-hand clothing. Football is the one bright spot in his life. Ty is the fastest kid at school, and the football coach has noticed him. But Ty's dreams of playing on the team are derailed when his uncle demands that he work every evening after school. Things start to turn around for Ty when his older brother, Thane, signs with the NFL. Suddenly Ty is thrown into the spotlight of an illegal gambling ring run by the local mob. Uncle Gus, a compulsive gambler, forces Ty to reveal sensitive information about injured players on Thane's team. Ty and Thane come under the scrutiny of the FBI who wants to close down the gambling ring. Author Tim Green skillfully narrates his fast-moving sports thriller (HarperCollins, 2008) along with a full cast of excellent voice actors. As a former NFL star, Green knows exactly how to convey the game's excitement and suspense. Fans of sports stories and thrillers will enjoy this action-packed tale.—Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MNCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theAudio CDedition.