tjadenle's review against another edition
I was using this book as read aloud with a summer school student and the writing style was super hard to follow. It was written in a super train-of-thought way that was incredibly difficult to read out loud. My student and I weren’t super interested in the story, either.
danavanderlugt's review against another edition
Read with the boys. They loved it.
shighley's review against another edition
2.0
I came very close to stopping this book, but I didn't have another one in the car at the time. Talk about stereotypical: nice boy who's a little smaller than others, a former NFL quarterback who wants his son to be a quarterback (but of course, the son doesn't want to be the quarterback but is afraid to tell his dad), a group of boys who are friends--but, wait, there is one girl who is smarter than they are--the team has to come from behind to win.... Yup, that pretty much describes this book. At one point, I thought it was going to get a little more interesting and original, but then it went back on autopilot. I want more creativity for my students. I found the come-from-behind wins monotonous, much of the writing very trite and cliched. "In that moment, Shawn became a ram". The final game was so syrupy my teeth hurt.
At one point, my interest was piqued a bit when Shawn (son of former NFL quarterback) has his own football field in his back yard, complete with a robot to play receiver. When Ben (the undersized kid, who, yes, eventually does get to play quarterback) drops a pass or two and starts to act immature himself, I thought it was a way for him to better understand the poor sport Shawn. Then he became perfect again and Shawn went back to being a huge jerk, even though his dad wasn't that bad.
The narrator at times sounds like a bad impression on Saturday Night Live, especially when doing voices for some of the adults and other kids who are thrown in to make the book seem diverse. Above all, these kids are supposed to be 11. I can tell you, this is not how 11 year olds act, and their game plays are not executed so close as to look like they are that well planned. Ben is almost perfect, way too perfect. At least the coach/former NFL player is not the caricature jerk I expected.
Sure, I have this in our library at school, and kids will like it, but they can do better. Lupica was much better in books like Heat, which was more original and thought-provoking. Even Travel Team was more enjoyable. I am a big sports fan myself, but this was not that interesting.
At one point, my interest was piqued a bit when Shawn (son of former NFL quarterback) has his own football field in his back yard, complete with a robot to play receiver. When Ben (the undersized kid, who, yes, eventually does get to play quarterback) drops a pass or two and starts to act immature himself, I thought it was a way for him to better understand the poor sport Shawn. Then he became perfect again and Shawn went back to being a huge jerk, even though his dad wasn't that bad.
The narrator at times sounds like a bad impression on Saturday Night Live, especially when doing voices for some of the adults and other kids who are thrown in to make the book seem diverse. Above all, these kids are supposed to be 11. I can tell you, this is not how 11 year olds act, and their game plays are not executed so close as to look like they are that well planned. Ben is almost perfect, way too perfect. At least the coach/former NFL player is not the caricature jerk I expected.
Sure, I have this in our library at school, and kids will like it, but they can do better. Lupica was much better in books like Heat, which was more original and thought-provoking. Even Travel Team was more enjoyable. I am a big sports fan myself, but this was not that interesting.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
I've never read one of Lupica's sports books before, but I've read his column many times. His ear for language is as evident here as it is in the newspaper, making this book about a sport I don't really follow that much more enjoyable.
Ben McBain's goal is to be the QB for the Rockville Rams Pop Warner team, but he's never chosen for that. This year there's not only Shawn O'Brien, last year's QB, to contend with, there's also Shawn's father, a former NFL QB. As the Rams' season unfolds, Ben gets to be a good friend, good teammate and good football player in what to an adult appears to be a very predictable fashion.
That's why for me this was a 3-star: the predictable nature of the plot, and the somewhat moralizing tone overall. However, if I were a football-besotted middle grade boy? Those wouldn't matter and I'd love the book.
ARC provided by publisher.
Ben McBain's goal is to be the QB for the Rockville Rams Pop Warner team, but he's never chosen for that. This year there's not only Shawn O'Brien, last year's QB, to contend with, there's also Shawn's father, a former NFL QB. As the Rams' season unfolds, Ben gets to be a good friend, good teammate and good football player in what to an adult appears to be a very predictable fashion.
That's why for me this was a 3-star: the predictable nature of the plot, and the somewhat moralizing tone overall. However, if I were a football-besotted middle grade boy? Those wouldn't matter and I'd love the book.
ARC provided by publisher.
emdoux's review against another edition
I will admit that I only read half of this book, and that I don't like sports books.
hailey_reads's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
elllie's review against another edition
3.0
Sports books aren't my thing and this one was a little cheesy (they just laid it on really thick with the teamwork thing - the main character is basically a saint based on all of the excellent choices he made), but overall, great pick for a 4th-7th grade boy (or a high-reading 3rd grader) who likes sports and maybe needs a lesson on teamwork. Audiobook is decent, so parents could take this on a road trip and probably not pull their hair out.
amdame1's review against another edition
3.0
Book 1 in a new series by well-known sports author, Mike Lupica. Ben McBain is an amazing quarterback. He can make snap decisions, he has a big view of the field, he has a great arm... However, no coach sees him as a QB because he is so little, barely 100 pounds. Ben always makes the best of the situation but it is really difficult when the new QB on the team is the coach's son – and he's not nearly as good as Ben. A great story about friendship, hard work, and sportsmanship.
literacydocent's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't know when I started this one that it was the first in a series but I'm glad to know that. Sports minded readers will enjoy the characters, the descriptive action, and conflict. My only complaint was that 11 year old Ben seemed wise beyond his years. Some of his actions/dialogue didn't ring true to me.
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