Game Changer

Hot
Published |
Updated
 
0.0 (0)
3636 3
Game Changer

"Hospital Admittance Report"

Edward Youngblood, 13-year old male, Head Trauma

Possible Intracranial Bleeding

No External Injuries

Comatose, Needs Total Respiratory Care"

Teddy Youngblood, age 13, is lying in a hospital bed in a coma.  He was walking off the field at football practice when he suddenly turned and asked his teammates, "Is it raining?" and the dropped to the ground unconscious.  Teddy's parents are scared to death. His sister, Janey, is wondering what is going on.  His best friend, Alec, is afraid to talk to anyone.  Ethan, the boy who may have been responsible for Teddy's condition, is supposed to tell all to a school therapist.  Online, the students have started a thread that is supposed to support Teddy but quickly morphs into a place where questions are being asked and doubts are being spread.

What happened to Teddy?  Will he ever come out of the coma?  Just how much were the coaches involved in the last minutes of this practice?  How much did they see or know?  What does anyone know? Should the police be called in to investigate?   The team captain, Will, tells everyone not to break the code of football brotherhood.  Not to tell what happened on the field.

Teddy waits in a dark place listening to the voices of the people who come to visit him, come to talk to him.

With a revolving point of view, this story dances between the worries and the guilt to the love and hope that a community feels when a high school athlete suffers a very serious injury.  The emails and short entries become a great catalyst for looking deeply at high school sports, their traditions and their value.  The gridiron is up for discussion.

304 pages         978-1419731433         Ages 10-14

Recommended by:  Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com

*****************

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 an inevitable result of playing a violent sport, or was something more sinister happening on the field that day? Told in an innovative, multimedia format combining dialogue, texts, newspaper articles, transcripts, an online forum, and Teddy’s inner thoughts, Game Changer explores the joyous thrills and terrifying risks of America’s most popular sport.--from the publisher

User reviews

Have you read this book? We'd love to hear what you think. Click the button below to write your own review!
Already have an account? or Create an account