Eulo's The Great Receiver

In Joey's mind, he is a great football player, but in reality, the high school freshman is the team water boy and a part time worker in his father's hardware store. He is also involved with the local animal shelter, where his mother works, and has to work on an English project about world peace with his friend Samantha. When he gets a chance to play on the football team, he finds a lot of success, but also has to learn to balance his involvement in sports with the other things in his life.

The cover of this seems too young, because this was a great football book. Had enough action on the field to draw in the sports fans, plus enough social interaction to keep me interested. I bought this one without reading it and then had a copy donated-- both have circulated well. A student recently asked if this was a series, and this would not be a bad starting point. My only objection would be that Joey is involved in so many things that his character is a little unfocused. Simplify his life a tiny bit, and this would be a great idea.

Speaking of covers, I just got a paperback copy of Nancy Werlin's great Rules of Survival (reviewed here October 25, 2006), and think the new cover is great. Clean, clear and utterly disturbing. I don't know if the children will understand the significance of a cereal bowl full of glass shards, but I love it.

Also feel compelled to mention that book two of Frank Peretti's Veritas Project: The Nightmare Academy, glows in the dark. This wasn't quite as much fun as my son, when he was three, realizing that the Darth Vader on his underwear glowed in the dark, but it did amuse me yesterday morning.