Touchdown Trouble

by Fred Bowen

Overview

Sam loves football. There's nothing better than the rush he gets when his team, the Cowboys, are working together—moving closer and closer to the end zone.

But in a key game, the Cowboys beat their archrivals to remain undefeated, thanks to a major play by Sam.

However, the celebration ends when he and his teammates make an unwelcome discovery: The winning play was illegal. Is the Cowboys' perfect season in jeopardy? Did they really deserve to win?

Author Fred Bowen delivers exciting play-by-play action along with an important story of winning and losing, truth and consequences, and good sportsmanship. The afterword reveals the inspiration for this story: the controversial 1940 Cornell-Dartmouth game.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561454976
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	08/04/2009
Series:	Fred Bowen Sports Story Series , #11
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	660L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 12 Years

About the Author

Fred Bowen was a Little Leaguer who loved to read and is still a lifelong sports fanatic. He is the author of the action-packed Fred Bowen Sports Story series, currently totaling more than twenty titles. For thirteen years, Bowen coached kids' baseball and basketball teams. He has also written a weekly sports column for kids in the Washington Post since 2000. He was a lawyer for many years before retiring to become a full-time children's book author.Bowen lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife Peggy Jackson. They have two grown children.

Editorial Reviews

"An excellent opportunity for a group discussion and will be a fine addition to other popular play-by-play sports chapter books." —School Library Journal

"Plenty of walloping gridiron action. . . unexpectedly potent drama." —Booklist

From the Publisher

Gr 4–6—Twelve-year-old Sam's extracurricular life revolves around football. After watching a video replay of an important game, the team realizes that its winning score was made inadvertently on an illegal fifth down. Bowen uses historical events—a game between Cornell and Dartmouth played in 1940—to anchor the plot realistically. This device will resonate with readers as it imparts an actual dilemma and conclusion without moralistic advice. They will feel the players' emotions when the Cowboys have to make an important decision based on an honest mistake by an official. This book can be used as an excellent opportunity for a group discussion and will be a fine addition to other popular play-by-play sports chapter books.—Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

School Library Journal

Plenty of walloping gridiron action…Unexpectedly potent drama.”

Booklist