Football Hero

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“[T]he moral choices faced by the hero are heart-wrenchingly realistic, while the detailed description of the world surrounding the life of a professional football player will appeal to the many fans of the sport.”

KLIATT

AGERANGE: Ages 12 to 15.

In this Cinderfella story of sorts, Ty, age 12, has lived with his nasty uncle and aunt (they make him use an outdoor Porta Potti!) ever since his parents died in an accident. His speed and skills on the football field are making him a star on his school team, despite the attempts of a jealous bully to bring him down, but Ty faces even bigger troubles. His uncle puts him to work scrubbing toilets, including one at a bar where his uncle places bets with a scary mobster nicknamed Lucy. When Lucy learns that Ty’s brother is the famous football player Thane, who’s about to be signed up by the NY Jets, he hatches a scheme to make money from inside knowledge about players’ injuries he wants Ty to obtain from Thane. When everything goes wrong, Ty must come up with a plan of his own to save his beloved brother. Green, a former star linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons, of course nails the exciting football action and behind-the-scenes information. This is even better than his previous YA novel, Football Genius, with lots of fast-moving action and suspense. It’s sure to be a hit with middle school and junior high sports fans, who will root for stoic but plucky Ty and rejoice in the happy ending. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick
March 2008 (Vol. 42, No.2)

Children's Literature - Naomi Williamson

Ty Lewis' life is football. His brother Thane, who is graduating from college is at the top of the NFL draft. Ty is miserable living with his guardians, his Uncle Gus and Aunt Virginia, but does not want Thane to know how bad his life has become. Uncle Gus gives Ty a New Jersey work permit for his twelfth birthday so that he can work in the family cleaning business. He carries an old pillowcase for a backpack, and they have placed an old Porta Potti in the back of the yard for him to use. All Ty wants to do is play football, but he knows that the possibility of that is quickly losing ground. Uncle Gus has a gambling problem and when he involves Ty, things go from bad to worse. In an effort to make things right, Ty learns about real family; that his cousin Charlotte is not what she appears to be, and that his brother really cares about him. Tim Green definitely understands teenagers and he knows boys and football. He has written an exciting and interesting story that will be enjoyed by both genders. Green's Football Genius and Football Hero fill a need for readers who enjoy a good sports story as well as a little intrigue. Reviewer: Naomi Williamson

VOYA - Kathy Starks

In this follow-up to his bestselling debut novel, Football Genius (HarperTeen, 2008/VOYA August 2007), former NFL player Green manages to squeeze such diverse elements as the Mafia, illegal gambling, middle school relationships, toilet-cleaning, and of course, football into one highly readable and fast-paced story. His singular insight into the world of professional football, especially the activities that take place behind the scenes, provides realistic detail that enhances the dramatic story line. Ty is the younger brother of college football star Thane "Tiger" Lewis. Forced by the death of his parents to live with his grudging Uncle Gus and Aunt Virginia, Ty must learn to cope with a life of drudgery and mind-numbing sameness. Working for Uncle Gus's cleaning business keeps Ty from developing his own newfound love of football. When Tiger is drafted by the New York Jets, Uncle Gus attempts to cash in on the brothers' relationship, first by proposing opening a sports bar, and then by introducing Ty to Lucy, one of his mafia-connected clients. Adding to the tension is Ty's antagonistic encounters with Calvin West, the handsome, wealthy bully whose cheap shots on and off the field jeopardize Ty's chances at playing football. The contrasts between Ty's life when he is with Tiger and when he is not are so extreme that they diminish the believability of the story. Furthermore many characters lack complexity-they are either unredeemably awful or heroically good. Ty's football ability seems to be almost miraculous, further straining the reader's credulity. Despite these few shortcomings, the moral choices faced by the hero are heart-wrenchingly realistic, while the detailed description ofthe world surrounding the life of a professional football player will appeal to the many fans of the sport. Reviewer: Kathy Starks

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8- In this novel by a former NFL star, middle schooler Ty Lewis is going through a tough time following the death of his parents. He has been taken in by his aunt and uncle, but they treat him badly, dressing him in hand-me-downs, making him sleep on a mattress on the floor of the laundry room, and forcing him to use a portable toilet in the backyard even though there is a bathroom in the house. Ty is having problems at school as well, where his appearance, social status, and bookishness lead to his being bullied. Through all his troubles, he is buoyed by his faith in his older brother, who is an All-American college football player soon to sign a lucrative pro contract. Ty has his own dreams of football glory after being recruited by the middle school coach, who has noticed that Ty is the fastest boy in the sixth grade. His plans are derailed, however, when his uncle makes him work after school in his cleaning business. After Thane signs his pro contract, Uncle Gus's organized-crime associates press Ty for inside information on injured players on Thane's team, which he innocently supplies. This gets both brothers in trouble with the FBI, but they cooperate with authorities and all ends well. While there are some implausible elements (including Ty's overpowering a crowbar-wielding mafia hitman), the novel is briskly paced and undemanding, and might be a good bet for sports-minded reluctant readers.-Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VT

Kirkus Reviews

Instantly gripping, this fast-paced middle-grade thriller set in the worlds of football and professional gambling, puts its 12-year-old protagonist, Ty Lewis, between a rock and a hard place and then proceeds to squeeze. Ty, whose older brother Thane plays college football, has recently lost his parents and now lives with his crass, angry Uncle Gus, who runs a cleaning service that uses Ty and his cousin as its labor force. Gus also has a gambling problem, and one of his accounts is a bar run by a Mafia operative named "Lucy." These worlds collide when Thane is drafted into the NFL, and Uncle Gus sees an opportunity to use Ty to get inside information for Lucy's gambling operation. This, coupled with Ty's own football challenges, keep the tension level high and the pages flipping furiously. Ty has one, maybe even two, too many obstacles to overcome, and Thane is such a paragon of goodness that it almost defies reality, but these are minor quibbles in a work that is sure to have a great many fans. (Fiction. 8-12)

Children's Literature - Heidi Quist

After a lifetime of adoring his near-perfect brother, Ty Lewis finds himself in middle school with some hope for having the same football talents as Thane "Tiger" Lewis. But while Thane is on the road to recruitment by the Jets, Ty faces the abuse of his legal guardian uncle whose mind is on everything but good parenting. Specifically, he thinks it a good birthday present to get Ty a work permit so he can help with the family business: cleaning a bunch of sleazy businesses at night and therefore not playing on the football team. Some turns in events thanks to Sal, a mob-member client of his uncle, Ty does get back to playing, but life does not necessarily get much better. Beyond dealing with his aunt and uncle's forcing him to use an outhouse as opposed to their indoor plumbing, their snootiness at his every uttered word, and their complete disregard for his feelings, Ty's difficulties come from a number of other sources as well. He deals with a school bully, with some undeserved school discipline, and finally with finding himself in the middle of an illegal gambling plan, which includes backstabbing his beloved Thane. The irony is that Thane is largely oblivious to everything his brother is enduring but still Ty finds wisdom in his every word, permitting him to remain highly esteemed in Ty's and the unwitting young reader's mind. Readers who enjoy melodrama, over-the-top stupidity in the villain, and a warped sense of family values will enjoy this audio book, particularly with the various voices that add just the right dose of inanity to the mix. Six CDs.

School Library Journal

Gr 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, MN