Game Changer (Paperback)

Description

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A mysterious football accident sends a high school reeling in Game Changer, an award-winning multimedia-format novel from Tommy Greenwald.
 
Thirteen-year-old Teddy Youngblood is in a coma, fighting for his life after an unspecified football injury at training camp. His family and friends flock to his bedside to support his recovery—and to discuss the events leading up to the tragic accident. Was this the inevitable result of playing a violent sport, or did something more sinister happen on the field that day?
 
Told in an innovative multimedia format combining dialogue, texts, newspaper articles, interview transcripts, an online forum, and Teddy’s inner thoughts, Game Changer explores the joyous thrills and terrifying risks of America’s most popular sport.
 
“A must-buy for libraries looking for innovative narratives for sports fans. Readers who enjoy Tim Green, Mike Lupica, and Kwame Alexander will want to pick this up.” —School Library Journal

About the Author

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Tommy Greenwald is the author of Game Changer, Rivals, and Dinged. Game Changer is on 19 state lists, was a YALSA Top Ten pick, and a Junior Library Guild Premier selection. Rivals was a Junior Library Guild selection, and a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Greenwald is the author of the Crimebiters! and Charlie Joe Jackson series, among many other books for children. Day jobwise, he is the cofounder of Spotco Advertising, a theatrical and entertainment advertising agency in New York City, and the lyricist and co-bookwriter (with Andrew Lippa) of John & Jen, an off-Broadway musical that has been produced around the country and internationally.

Praise For…

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"This nontraditional narrative, using conversations, interview transcripts, text messages, hospital reports, and other documents, skillfully peels back the elements of the mystery. The issues of football's violence are presented, but the book's real strength is the depiction of the culture behind it....The story will resonate with those on both sides of the debate about the role of youth football in society, and the unusual storytelling technique sets it apart from most sport fiction."
— Kirkus Reviews

"Hand this to your reluctant readers who love football; the format makes this an incredibly easy story to navigate and will not intimidate struggling readers."
— School Library Connection

"A must-buy for libraries looking for innovative narratives for sports fans. Readers who enjoy Tim Green, Mike Lupica, and Kwame Alexander will want to pick this up."
— School Library Journal

"Greenwald’s novel entertains while exposing readers to the potential risks and consequences inherent in the sport of football . . . an interesting, innovative read."
— Booklist

"An ideal discussion starter for middle-school readers ready to debate whether football’s—or any sport’s—violence is reason to pull the plug."
— The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A must-read for any parent, coach, or young football player."
— Midwest Book Review