  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 09/01/2017 In San Antonio, football is life. For 12-year-old wide receiver Clay Hollis, “don’t play scared” are the words that he lives by—until, that is, he takes a big hit during one of his Pop Warner football games and thereafter finds himself dodging catches, scared of getting hurt again. His fear grows when his best friend (and team quarterback) gets a concussion on the field. Suddenly, Clay can’t stop thinking about everything his mom has been saying about football and long-term brain damage. To top it all off, Clay is beginning to realize that the memory-loss episodes of Coach Coop (a former Dallas Cowboys player) are more serious that Clay might have thought. Can Clay work through his fears in time to help his team get to the championships and to help Coach Coop get to his Cowboys reunion during Thanksgiving weekend? Despite the rushed and somewhat contrived ending, Lupica’s football nuance is unparalleled. Young readers, no matter their level of interest in the game, will be drawn in by this touching, timely story. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. Loading...
 |