Recently, I finished reading Football Genius, a 244 page book by an author named Tim Green. He has loved sports ever since he was a kid. He started writing about 10 years ago, after he finished his NFL football career. Football Genius was published in 2007 and has sold millions of copies throughout the world. There is many more books in it’s series that I have not read yet and I am dying to read them

       I chose this amazing book because I love almost every single sports book there is and I also love to read realistic fiction books. I also read this book because it was recommended to me by a bunch of my friends, and it seemed like a very action-packed book so I read it and It was very action packed. Finally, I read this amazing book because it seemed like a very good sports book that I read recently by Mike Lupica, the books is called Game Changers. Both books were very similar which is what I predicted would happen.

     In the book Football Genius a young boy named Troy is living in Atlanta Georgia in a small house right of a small highway behind small trees, almost everything in Troy’s life is small, but recently he discovered he has the chance to do something big, which would change his life forever. Whenever Troy watches football he realizes that he can always predict the offensive team’s plays, all of Troy’s friends call it a gift or he is just lucky, but Troy knows that it is more than luck he knows that it is skill. Troy want people to notice he has an amazing talent. Troy’s mom might get a job for the Atlanta Falcons that could be his chance to show off his talent. And there is a mean kid at school named Jamie Renfro and he doesn’t believe Troy about his mom getting a job for the Falcons, so Troy said he would get him an official ball from the Falcons facility, but Troy doesn’t know if his mom got the job yet. He got an idea to go to a famous neighborhood right behind where he lives. The neighborhood contains of very rich people from the Atlanta Falcons, and Troy knew he has the chance to steal a football and rub it in Jamie Renfro’s face, if he just waited to see if his mom got the job he could just ask. So Troy just decided to risk it all. Will anybody discover Troy’s amazing talent, will he get the football? Read the book to find out.

I was surprised by the fact that Troy stole the football from a star linebacker on the Atlanta Falcons yard. Troy was so well taught from his mother not to steal, but he did. Troy knew he would have to risk almost everything he liked because if his mom found out he would never hear the end of it. Why? Why would the author just make a perfectly taught child steal very valuable items from famous people? I think the author is trying to say that you might think people are perfect, but in reality nobody is perfect.

I noticed how the author always made signs of what was going to happen but really never told the reader, and then huge things happened, like when Troy figured out he has a gift and right then and there his mom got a job for the Falcons so it hinted that Troy’s gift could be heard. That also happened when Troy made a bet with a mean kid at his school, the author then hinted Troy was in for trouble. I really like how the author did that.

Finally I’d compare Tim Green to Mike Lupica because they are both so similar, they both write sports books, also born of all of their books have the same plot. A boy who is a backup quarterback wants to win the starting job for his football team and show people that they have talents. They also have sold many copies of their books. They also have lot’s of action in their book which is what I love about both of their books. Actions can make authors very similar in less than a minute and I love that.

Finally, I was interested in this passage where Troy’s football team is scrimmaging with another football team and the starting quarterback on Troy’s team Jamie, got hurt and Jamie’s dad is,the coach and he would do anything but put Troy in at starting quarterback, but now he was forced to put Troy in. Here is the quote,

The Knights coach looked from Troy to Coach Renfro and said “Come on, Coach. My guys need the work.”

Jamie’s dad turned his attention back to Jamie and waved his hand in disgust. “Go, then.”

Troy’s couldn’t even feel his feet underneath him. The only other times he’d gotten to run the offense, even in practice, was with the other seconded-string players, kids who didn’t know the plays, or couldn’t run or catch, or who stood up straight up on the snap of the ball and got knocked over by the defense. Now he’d be with the best athletes their team had. It made a huge difference.

         This was his chance.

This quote appeared on page (74-75) In the quoted passage I loved how Tim Green made Coach Renfro want to do anything, but put Troy in as the starting quarterback. It made me really want to see what was going to happen, and see what action would occur and I really liked that. Finally, I liked how Tim Green made it seem like Jamie Renfro the team’s starting quarterback, would never get hurt, or Troy would never get his chance, but Tim Green twisted things up and I really liked that.

I would rate this great book a 9/10 because overall it was great, but some things did not make too much sense.

Sincerely,

Nicholas DiStefano