Just for Kicks

School Library Journal

Gr 7-9-- This is something different: the sports novel as farce. Brandon Lewis, the narrator (and the football team's manager), sends a lot of one-liners zinging through the pages--some are right on the mark, some wobble and hit the ground with a thud. The plot involves Brandon's extraordinary jock family, which includes the team's star quarterback and lineman (his brothers) and the star punter and field-goal kicker (his sister). The team is coached by a fanatic who believes in hard-hitting football until the middle of the book when he inexplicably becomes a devotee of trick plays. Most of the action centers around Brandon's description of the crunches, mashes, and head-tearing hits that the team engages in. Since he's a basketball player, he views it all with a certain disdain. By the novel's end, Brandon has become the unofficial assistant coach and has led the team to a state championship, his sister has become a star, and the coach of the opposing team is under constant psychiatric supervision. Those looking for a realistic sports book are not going to find it here, but the novel does provide a few laughs. --Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL