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Football Champ (Football Genius Series #3)

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Football Champ (Football Genius Series #3)

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Overview

Football genius Troy White is back in a new adventure that mixes NFL thrills with high-stakes junior high games made just as exciting by the storytelling power of bestselling author Tim Green.

When Troy White proved his remarkable “football genius” to the Atlanta Falcons, they brought him on board as a team consultant. Now, thanks to Troy’s ability to predict winning plays, the Falcons are pulling in victories. Troy loves his starring role behind the scenes and the thrill of having NFL star linebacker Seth Halloway (who’s dating Troy’s mom) to coach his own Duluth Tigers team on their way to a state championship.

Then Troy’s perfect world comes crashing down. Reporter Brent Peele is out to smear as much mud on the Falcons as he can, and that means going after Troy. The vicious media storm that descends on the football genius threatens not only his job with the Falcons and the Tigers’ run at a championship but his mother’s career—and Seth’s—as well.

Together with his best friends, loyal Nathan and feisty Tate, Troy sets out to unmask the dishonest Peele—and save Seth’s reputation—no matter what the risk.

With his signature blend of thrilling action and insider knowledge, Tim Green shows Troy, hero of the New York Times bestselling Football Genius, in a new and riveting adventure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061918872
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	06/30/2009
Series:	Football Genius Series , #3
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	871,201
Lexile:	880L (what's this?)
File size:	589 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tim Green, for many years a star defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons, is a man of many talents. He's the author of such gripping books for adults as the New York Times bestselling The Dark Side of the Game and American Outrage. Tim graduated covaledictorian from Syracuse University and was a first-round draft pick. He later earned his law degree with honors, and he has also worked as an NFL commentator for FOX Sports and NPR.

His first book for young readers, Football Genius, inspired in part by his players and his own kids, became a New York Times bestseller and was followed by Football Hero, Football Champ, The Big Time, and Deep Zone. He drew on his experiences playing and coaching Little League for Rivals and Pinch Hit and two more New York Times bestsellers: Baseball Great and Best of the Best.

Bestselling author Jon Scieszka called Tim Green's Unstoppable, a book about a boy's struggle with cancer that debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, "Absolutely heroic. And something every guy should read."

Tim Green lives with his wife, Illyssa, and their five children in upstate New York.

Read an Excerpt

Football Champ
A Football Genius Novel

Chapter One

Troy knew better than to push the NFL coach aside and signal the play himself for everyone to see. Troy was a secret. The Falcons were winning, 17...13, but the Bears had the ball on the Falcons' five-yard line, and there was time for one last play. If the Falcons' defense held, the game would be over and the team's run at the playoffs would be real.

"You're sure?" the coach asked, pain in his eyes as the smoke from his breath drifted skyward in the cold Chicago air.

The Bears' offense broke the huddle and started for the line. Seth Halloway, the Falcons' star linebacker, waved his hands to Troy and the coach, frantic for a defensive play.

"Yes," Troy said impatiently. "They're going to run the slant."

He knew adults doubted twelve-year-olds, anyway. His calls had been good enough in the last three games for the Falcons to end a losing streak and beat the Raiders, Tampa Bay, and New Orleans. Troy stared hard into the defensive coordinator's eyes until the older man blinked, turned, and signaled in Troy's play.

Seth nodded at the signal and shouted the play to his defensive teammates, cupping his hands over his mouth. The center snapped the ball. The defense blitzed. The quarterback dropped and threw the slant.

Seth Halloway leaped in front of the receiver and snatched the ball, securing the Falcons' fourth win in a row.

Troy jumped almost as high as Seth. So did every other player and coach on the Falcons' sideline. The defensive coach hugged Troy. Players smacked his back and hooted with joy. Some of them called out his name, and Troy's face burned withpride.

They knew him and they knew what he did.

Even though officially he was a ball boy, the players knew.

Troy saw Seth in the mayhem and grinned, but Seth didn't grin back.

"Come quick," Seth said, leading Troy by the arm and pushing through the crowd of NFL players and into the dark tunnel.

"Why?" Troy asked, searching Seth's face. "Let's celebrate!"

"That reporter, Peele, he saw you. We've got to get you out of here before he ruins everything."

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

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

School Library Journal

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 reporter-Green's characters tend to be either paragons or poisonous-gets 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)

Kirkus Reviews