Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson*

 Zachariah Junior has always been his dad's "little man".  His pro-football father is his hero.  Then his dad begins to have untreatable headaches, begins to forget, begins to have bursts of anger, begins to have moods.  Doctors do not have answers.  Will his dad ever remember again and create songs with him?

Ms. Woodson reveals the agony families endure when a loved one suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).  Her character development is superb.  I love and admire Zachariah and his mother.  His friends exemplify how friends should be during a traumatic time.  

*Highly recommend.

-Borrowed from the library.

Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson

I read this book aloud to my twelve year old.  My nine year old thought it was too creepy.
The residents of Taper, Florida are surrounded by sugar cane, water and muck.  Football is a way of life.  When  Coach Wilson, the beloved high school football coach dies, Mack returns with his wife, stepson Charlie and daughter Molly for funeral.  Charlie is intrigued by the unusual town and smoking sugarcane fields.  His cousin Cotton is odd, but endearing.  When Mack is offered a temporary job as the football coach, Charlie knows he would rather live in this small town than in the fast pace northeast suburbia.  Cotton entices him into the cane fields where they find true evil lurking that threats to possess the town.  Can two teen boys prevent this evil from invading everyone's hearts?
Quite unique and exciting.  Sometimes I was not sure if I was "getting all that there was to get", but it may be because we read this book over a long period of time, with weeks in between readings (We had to return it and then request it again.).
This book reveals the power of envy and storing up angry.  But love and forgiveness prevail.
-Borrowed via inter-library loan (My local county system does not own it).
Warning: Charlie's first father was abusive, one swear word, evil, violence, violent riots, death

Don't Throw It to Mo! by David A. Adler illustrated by Sam Ricks

**Winner of the 2016 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award**
Penguin Young Readers Level 2 (Progressing Reader)
Guided Reading Level: I (1st grade)
My Kindergartner read this aloud to me and enjoyed it!
Mo is the youngest player on the football team called the Robins and hardly gets any playing time.  When they play against the Jays, Coach Steve has a plan to win that utilizes Mo.
It is fun to predict Coach Steve's strategy.
Strategy: predicting, "skippy the frog" word attack strategy
Points to discuss: I did not like how the players on the Jays team treated Mo.  Some name calling and taunting occurred.

Charlie Plays Ball by Ree Drummond illustrated by Diane deGroat*

In this book, Charlie describes all the different sports the children play on the ranch.  After all that exercise, Charlie really looks forward to the snacks and spaghetti and meatball dinner!
A recipe for spaghetti and meatballs is included in the back.
*Highly recommend.

Mystery at the Army-Navy Game-Rivalry by John Feinstein

Football loving boys will probably enjoy this book.  I did not! In fact, I am not finishing it.   I do not have much schema for football so my interest waned quickly.
The two main characters, Stevie and Susan Carol, are fourteen year old sports journalists.  They attend professional games and write articles about them.  They usually stumble upon something suspicious and report it, causing them to "get into trouble".
This book requires a lot of "check for understanding" as the book begins at the day of the game and then flashes back to  about a week before the game.  The chapters also switch from Stevie and Susan's points of view continuously.  Lots of characters are introduced too so the reader has to keep track of all of them.
Points to discuss/warning: A romance is developing between Stevie and Susan Carol; an adult swears on pg. 12 (h).

Unstoppable by Tim Green*

What a captivating story!
Harrison, an eighth grader, has been in and out of foster homes all of his life.  The story begins with him living at a farm where he works hard and is treated with contempt and disrespect.
His anger gets the best of him one day and he finds himself on a path of despair.  One kind social worker sees through his anger and circumstances and provides a second chance. . .with her own daughter and son-in-law.  The son-in-law, "Coach", happens to be a junior high football coach and helps Harrison redirect his anger to the aggression needed to play football well.
Then Harrison finds a new challenge-cancer and an amputated leg.
A story of perseverance and unrelenting love.
The Coach and his wife pray before meals and regularly attend church but God is not mentioned in their daily lives and decisions.  Those added pieces (prayer and church) were refreshing in a secular, fiction book, though!

Points to discuss/warnings: physical/ental/emotional abuse; Harrison contributes to the farmer foster parent's death; some boys in the story are really mean to Harrison; cancer; death

I Survived The Attacks of September 11, 2001 by Lauren Tarshis*

 Lucas finds solace and identity in football.  But when a well-known doctor tells Lucas he may never play football again because of one too many concussions, angry Lucas skips school to talk to "Uncle" Benny, a good family friend who works with his father in NYC.  Lucas' anger about football is quickly forgotten when he witnesses planes crash into the Twin Towers.
Well developed story and told with sensitivity.
*Highly recommend.

Tim Tebow Football Superstar by Matt Doeden

from "Superstar Athletes" series-Sports Illustrated Kids
In a friendly layout, Tebow's football career is shared.
Text features: table of contents, headings, quotes, bold face words, definitions on page, insert boxes, timeline, glossary, read more, index

Turkey Bowl by Phil Bildner illustrated by C. F. Payne

Each year at Thanksgiving Ethan watches his family members play football.  This year he is old enough to play!  Imagine his disappointment when he wakes up Thanksgiving morning to see a snow covered ground and no relatives because of treacherous roads.  He comes up with a solution that will make his first turkey bowl one he will never forget.
C. F. Payne's illustrations with over large faces are memorable!
Word choice is superb.
Skill: word choice

Hooray for Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold

Buzz's football team need an additional player.  When he suggests Fly Guy, his coach has a good laugh.  Can Fly Guy save the day for the team?
Funny!