Football Champ: A Football Genius Novel (Football Genius Novels) [Paperback]

Tim Green (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 2010 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Football Genius Novels

Troy's got to think fast—if he doesn't want to get banned from the NFL for life.

Most people think that Troy White works for the NFL Atlanta Falcons as a ball boy, but the team knows the truth. Troy is a "football genius," with the extraordinary ability to predict an opposing team's next moves. With Troy calling the winning plays, the Falcons are on their way to the playoffs. And thanks to the coaching of Seth Halloway, the Falcon's star linebacker, and the talents of best friends Nathan and Tate, Troy's own team is on its way to the junior league football state championships!

But then reporter Brent Peele starts smearing the team. Suddenly, the media storm surrounding Troy threatens not only his own NFL career, but Seth's and his mother's, too.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 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
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Tim Green played Little League baseball for many years before specializing in football. After graduating as covaledictorian from Syracuse University, he was a first-round NFL draft pick and played as a star defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons for eight years. He earned his law degree with honors and has worked as an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and an NFL commentator for NPR.

When his sons began to play baseball, Tim drew on his early love of the game to coach their teams. His exciting books for young readers include the New York Times bestselling Baseball Great, Rivals, and Best of the Best. He has also written the novels Football Genius, Football Champ, and The Big Time, starring Troy White, and Football Hero, starring Ty Lewis. Troy and Ty meet in Tim's exciting new Football Genius novel, Deep Zone.

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

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Reprint edition (June 29, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061626910
• ISBN-13: 978-0061626913
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Sports > Football
  • #33 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Sports & Activities > Sports > General
  • #43 in Books > Children's Books > Sports & Games > Sports > Football

More About the Author

Tim is the NY TIMES BESTSELLING author of fourteen highly successful suspense novels, including soon-to-be-released FALSE CONVICTIONS and national bestseller ABOVE THE LAW, as well the non-fiction New York Times Bestseller, THE DARK SIDE OF THE GAME which was featured on CBS's 60 Minutes. His last five novels have all been national bestsellers hitting the charts between #22 and #30 on the NY Times Bestseller list. While his first five novels used professional football as their backdrop, his most recent works have drawn more on his experiences as a lawyer exploring the themes of ambition and revenge.

Tim is also the author of a memoir entitled A MAN AND HIS MOTHER: AN ADOPTED SON'S SEARCH which was featured in PEOPLE magazine, Entertainment Tonight, and ABC's Prime Time.
His writing career began at Syracuse University where he was a Rossman Scholar for Humanities, a Syracuse Scholar, an NCAA Top Six Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa, and co-valedictorian of his class. While studying English Literature, Tim became acquainted with the renowned minimalist Raymond Carver, and had the opportunity to study under the award-winning writer and professor Tobias Wolff.

During his studies, Tim also played football for the Syracuse Orangemen with a career that included a consensus All-American honors as well as his recent induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 1986, he was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons where he was a star defensive end for eight years. During his NFL career, Green began his thirteen year career as a commentator for National Public Radio, wrote columns for USA Today, and received his law degree with honors at Syracuse University. Because of his accomplishments both Sports Illustrated and the Los Angeles Times have called Tim Green the "Renaissance Man" of sports. After his playing career, Tim spent eleven years as an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and recently hosted FOX's nationally syndicated news magazine, A Current Affair. His other broadcast experiences have included ABC Good Morning America's legal commentator, Court TV's Pros and Cons, host of FOX Sports Net's Emmy nominated show NFL TOTAL ACCESS, and Comedy Central's Battlebots. Recently, Tim hosted the ABC Prime Time reality show, FIND MY FAMILY.
In 2007, Tim wrote FOOTBALL GENIUS, his first novel for young readers, and an instant NY Times Bestseller. The success and enjoyment of working with his own kids on the project resulted in FOOTBALL HERO, which was released in 2008. In both novels, Tim models the main characters after his own children, submerging them into a suspenseful world that blends adolescent life and sports with the visceral realm of the NFL. FOOTBALL HERO was selected as a Junior Library Guild choice and a GMA summer page turner for young adults. Most recently he released BASEBALL GREAT, another NY Times Bestseller, as well as FOOTBALL CHAMP. Tim's newest young reader novel, RIVALS, will be released in stores in March 2010.
Tim lives with his wife, Illyssa, and their five children in upstate New York. More information about Tim can be found at his Web site www.timgreenbooks.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Suspenseful, April 12, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Football Champ (Football Genius Novels) (Kindle Edition)

I'm in fifth grade, and I just finished this book. I thought that Troy was a great main character, and I think the thing he can do by calling plays is really cool. I think that other kids will like this book, even if they don't like football.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Story and Terrific Suspense, July 22, 2009

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Football Champ: A Football Genius Novel (Hardcover)

Readers were first introduced to young football player and fan Troy White in the 2007 bestseller FOOTBALL GENIUS. In the sequel, FOOTBALL CHAMP, author and former NFL player Tim Green complicates Troy's life with everything professional sports is famous for: concussions, steroids, lies and trick plays. Like the revival of the wildcat play last season in the NFL, Green's new book about the perils of being a young football genius provides readers with a great story and terrific suspense because it's never apparent when the trick play is going to happen. The anticipation keeps fans glued to every play and readers furious to turn pages in hopes that the next play or the next chapter will be the sparkling episode that wins the game or finalizes an exciting tale.

Green was a star player in his years with the Atlanta Falcons, and that brilliance carries over into his chapter books for young readers. Older readers will appreciate his writing about the world of professional sports because of his insider knowledge, good and bad, of events and circumstances that add sting and flavor to his stories.

Troy is living the dream life of a 12-year-old little league football quarterback with his favorite Atlanta Falcons player, Seth Halloway, as the coach, his mom Tessa working in public relations for the Falcons, and Troy himself on the sidelines every Sunday sharing his particular talent with the Atlanta coaches. Troy's special abilities have to be kept a secret, and his youth makes that a challenge for him. He's been taught that the truth is always the best choice, but when he makes that choice and tells shifty sportswriter Brent Peele about how he sends plays to the coaching staff, it takes a while to straighten things out. As some reporters with a vendetta to settle will do, Troy's words get twisted. The front page "scandal" gets everyone involved --- from Troy's best friends Tate and Nathan right up to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Green's writing continues to represent strong ideas with excellent linguistic and vocabulary choices that will challenge readers ages 8-12, yet the structure of the writing has matured and represents new heights as far as story arcs go. Characters grow and change, good triumphs over bad, and friends stick together in the end. As a sign of a subtle change in his style, however, Green expands on a personal mystery that has affected Troy's entire life. In the first book, Troy's father is a distant looming dark cloud on the horizon of everything he does. With the sequel, Troy begins to question the ideal of a father and how having one would make any difference to his life. He doesn't discuss the subject with his mother, but he will definitely have to after the last page of FOOTBALL CHAMP.

It wouldn't be surprising to hear about readers camping out on Green's front yard begging for the next installment of the football books. He sure can leave 'em hanging and wanting more!

--- Reviewed by Joy Held

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Football Champ, March 8, 2011

By 

tsuttor14 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Football Champ: A Football Genius Novel (Hardcover)

Troy has a perfect life. He is the star quarterback for his little league team which is heading into the playoffs, he and his mom are working for the Atlanta Falcons, and his mom is dating the all star linebacker, Seth Halloway. Troy has a special gift. His gift is he can figure out the plays of the offense by their formations and players on the field. But, people start to get suspicious. Brent Peele who is Seth Halloway's old teammate from college tries to ruin Troy's life by saying he is cheating by taking other coaches plays.

Many exciting events happened in the book, but the most compelling was when Peele initiated the rumor of Seth taking steriods and Seth's job became in jeporady. What I liked about the book was it was very interesting and always kept pulling me back in, such as when Seth would yell and use actions against Peele. i couldn't even put the book down, my teachers yelled at me because i wasn't paying attention in class because i was reading. What i thought was really cool was that when they were talking about the Falcons games they used players' real names that play for the NFL today. Tim Green is a great writer and knows alot about sports. This is an advantage for him because he can put more detail into his stories and add dramatic clarity. Most kids would love this book, even if they don't like football.