Fourth and Ape

On a zoo sleepover, Ivan Zelinka gets mixed up with a couple of semi-mad scientists who accidentally inject his leg with top secret gorilla serum. Soon the muscles on his right leg are bulging and his skin is covered with thick black hair. Most high school students would be horrified by such a transformation.

But Ivan is the place kicker on his high school football team.

Horror gives way to delight as Ivan finds himself booting sixty-yard field goals and punting the ball into the stratosphere. The fans love him. He's even got his own cheer, "Super Booter, Super Booter, ooh, aah!"

On the flip side, he's worried about turning into a full-fledged gorilla. And the scientist who's supposed to be working on a cure is a behemoth named Elko. When Elko's not threatening to crush someone into a ball or spray them with knockout gas, he's betting on football - including Ivan's high school games.

By the big game, Ivan must decide whether to fully transform himself into Super Booter or return to being plain old Ivan.

Fourth and Ape is a great read for anyone who has fantasized about having superpowers or simply loves a funny story.