I love the format of this book. I think middle schoolers will like as well! Hand to readers who enjoyed Before the Ever After or Crossover.

This is one of those books I know I can hand over to so many students. You don't have to play football to enjoy this book or to understand the issues surrounding the sport. It is also written in a quick-read format, which will appeal to reluctant readers.

Excellent selection for those students who want sports related fiction and reluctant readers. The alternative format is appealing.

I requested this book because of its description and I was not disappointed!

Teddy is in the hospital under critical conditions after an incident during football camp. I love how the narrative switches from newspaper articles, to text messages, to therapist transcripts, to online forum messages, to dialogues Teddy listens and responds to. It not only creates a fast paced read, that is true to how we (not only teens) communicate in the digital world, but it enhances the suspense as well.

A captivating read that touches the topic of hazing and its consequences.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this book courtesy of the Amulet Books via NetGalley.

Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald

Release Date: September 11, 2018

Publisher: Amulet Books

Genre: Middle Grade

Rating:  3.5 / 5 

Storyline:

The book begins with a hospital report detailing the injury and comatose status of Edward "Teddy" Youngblood, age 13. From there we start to hear Teddy's inner thoughts, in a sort jumbled nonsensical format. Through his family members' dialogue, we learn that Teddy sustained a traumatic brain injury and collapsed on the football field after the "Rookie Rumble" scrimmage.  At first, no one really knows what caused him to collapse.  However, throughout the book, we slowly learn his injury is more than just a "typical" football injury.  The truth unravels in a multimedia format, through text messages, online forum posts, transcripts from school therapists and dialogue of who talks to Teddy in the hospital.  This book unravels some of the deep truths of the rising news stories on head injuries in young football players, as well as hazing rituals in team sports. 

The Good:

I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick read, but sucked me in from the very first page.  The multimedia format was inventive and helped the story evolve almost in "real time." Being able to follow along as the truth is revealed was a great way to keep the reader engaged. As someone who has studied the effects of head injuries in young football players, I felt this book will be a timely read for young readers.  It also covers the tough topic of hazing rituals on sports teams, especially in regards to younger players wanting to do anything in order to impress the upperclassmen.  Young readers will benefit from this book and learning that hazing takes many forms, some of which might not even seem like "traditional" hazing, but are definitely still not okay.  Kids will enjoy the story and the suspense of trying to figure out what actually happened to Teddy, but they will also take away some important lessons.

The Bad:

I wanted more depth to the characters. I feel we got just a snippet of who everyone is, but not enough background or depth to who they really are.  I also would have loved more to the ending.  I love the last line of dialogue in the book, but it can be interpreted many ways. I wanted to know more at the end, in order to get more of a completeness to the story and how the investigation is going to be handled going forward. 

I also had some formatting issues with my digital ARC, which I was reading using Bluefire Reader on an iPad (which usually offers the best graphics for multimedia books).  The pages where texting was happening, appeared almost blank.  I could see the phone and the little bubble messages, but no text. So, either that was intentional or I was missing the words on that page. That sort of took away from some of the story, but I still enjoyed it and didn't feel like I missed a lot plot-wise without the text messages.

Bottom Line:

Overall, a great read with important lessons for middle grade readers to learn!

I absolutely loved this book and will definitely be recommending it to others! The topic of concussions is a major concern for parents and players. Game Changers explores whether "getting hurt" is just "all part of the game" or can have life-changing effects on players and their families. Greenwald found a way to tell the story in a way that will captivate the players and readers of today!