Something for Joey

by Richard E. Peck

Together, they won college football's highest award.

This is a true, memorable, compassionate story of courage and love between two brothers. In 1973, while John Cappelletti was winning the Heisman Trophy as the outstanding college football player in America, his younger brother Joey was suffering from leukemia. But John, now a running back for the Los Angeles Rams, had a very special medicine for Joey. It was called touchdowns. And John scored them in bunches because they were "Something for Joey."

The story of the Cappelletti family is a story of courage you will never forget.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, Adult, Biography Memoir

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 1977

Reviews

[Darynda Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in middle school and, wow, did it make an impact. So, so good.

[Lucie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story as much now as I did when I first read it in middle school 🥹

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I am not a football fan, this book is so well written that even I understood the football talk. The writer illustrated the Capeletti family so well; I felt I knew them. The narration was easy to follow, and the story, while sad, was also uplifting and inspiring. This a a great story about good people. I recommend it to everyone.

[Gabriela Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a sweet book :) As a sports lover, I was touched by the relationship that John has with Joey. Hearing about stories such as this one is what makes sports so much better. John was a strong receiver for Penn State, but he was always willing to sacrifice practice to come home and take care of his brother. When he ended up winning the heisman and giving it to his brother for how strong he is each and every day, that brought me to tears.

[Barby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true story of the 1973 Penn State Heisman Trophy winner, John Cappelletti and his brother, Joey then suffering from Leukemia. Joey adores his big brother and "lives for the only day of the week that is worth a darn, Saturday." That is the day Penn State football plays and his brother John is on the team. The Cappallettis are told when Joey is first diagnosed that he is terminal and they are offered two choices, one to make him as comfortable as possible and live out what life he has left (about 3 months) or to join a clinical trial at Children's Hospital to try and give him more time. They choose the later. The story not only talks about the relationship between the two brothers but the relationships between the entire family. As John's popularity grows as football star and Joey's illness progresses, John asks Joey what he wants for his upcoming birthday. Joey replies 4 touchdowns in the next game. John delivers and from then one the touchdowns are something for Joey. Bring your tissues for this read.

August Book Challenge Selection - A story about a sport or athlete

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw the cover of the book and read the description I new that this book would have its heart felt moments and its sad. But a lot of the story serounded john and his little brother joey about there ups and downs about there friendship and there growing bond as brothers. And I thought that the book was going to be filled with football and not enough story but I was rong it was more story then football and it was equally balanced with johns college life.but sometime you get bored of the book because it talks to much about joey sickness but after that it got more enjoyable.
And there are some characters that don't feel like there that important and not really been introduced a lot.

[Jiyeon Jeong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know this is a real story about John and Joey.
But that made my heart warming and sad. I love the books abut family and the true story so I liked this book. I recommend this book if you like football , family story and real story. I don’t know anything about football so I couldn’t understand some parts but this book was interesting.
The main characters are John and Joey. Their story is really sad. I felt sad when I saw the cover of this book. The cover of the book made me realize that the story of this book is sad. If you look the back of this book, you can see a short summary of their story.It also made me realize that their story is vivid and sad . If you read this book, you will know the importance of your brother or sister. we fight with brother or sister but they make you happy and the super importance is we are family . After reading this book, I realized how precious my family is and feel sorry to my little brother who fought with me sometimes. If you are looking for the book that can make your heart warming, I recommend this book to you.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Cappelletti was an outstanding college football player and Joey was his little brother, who had leukemia most of his life, and pushed him to be even better. I remember watching the TV movie as a kid, and a few scenes always stuck with me, and this book brought them all back, ha.

It makes me wonder even more about the authenticity of the book when it made up lines in the Heisman speech that can be watched on YouTube, though, ha.

[Jennifer Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My brother recommended this book to me and says it is the best book he has ever read. I very much enjoyed the book. It was sad, but also hopeful. I loved the relationships painted within the family and it was also so very heartbreaking to get the perspective of all of these people whose lives are so greatly impacted by the youngest child's cancer.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the first books I remember loving as a kid. I read it in the 4th grade and could not put it down. I think this is how I ended up spending most of my youth as a Penn State fan despite being born and raised in Connecticut.

[Jack Dieleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the made for tv movie when I was a kid and watched it again a few years ago. I also own the book, which I have read many times. Great true story. Well worth the read! Make sure you have some kleenex, because you may just need them.

[DaShannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I taught this to sophomores my first year at Blanchester. It is a short novel based on the true story of a football player who plays to inspire his little brother home struggling medically. Richard Peck tells the loving story of John Cappelletti, his brother, and his family.

[Gary Sites · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in high school 42 years ago. I don't remember much about it, but I do remember loving it, and it made a big impact on how I looked at life at the time.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben loved this. It was a bit dated, but he didn’t mind/notice.

[Linda]

Excellent read. The story focuses on family unity and life rather than death.

[Andrea]

read it once, good feeling

[Tracie Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the writing style of the author was a little too "newspaper reporter" like, the story was a nice, tearful, heart-warming story that is a wonderful read.

[Callie Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is a heartwarming story, although the sad ending. I read this book for my middle grades education class

[Tinamarie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Tricia Fjerestad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story of a football hero’s dedication to his brother with leukemia.

[Jill Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my 7th graders; a winner! The kids still talk about about it!

[Chris Hilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has someone close to you ever been diagnosed with cancer? What affect has that had on your life? In Richard E. Peck's Something For Joey, the Cappelletti family expresses everlasting love for the Joey. The youngest in the family, Joey is diagnosed with a threatening case of leukemia. John Cappelletti, Joey's brother, plays football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Living on campus, John must battle with the fact that he cannot see his brother everyday. John and Joey share a special relationship in which Joey looks up to John as his idol. Joey nearly passes away from the common chickenpox disease, bringing the family even closer together in the fight to save Joey's life. Throughout this breathtaking journey, John manages to attain the Heismann Trophy in honor of Joey. Something For Joey creates an emotional connection with the reader and the Cappelletti family.

Not only does this story show the struggles a young boy must go through, but the affect that it has on an entire family. Cancer can affect anyone, but it's how one deals with it that makes the situation better. Unexpected occurrences in our lives shape the person we are today. A the end of the day, family is the only thing that will remain constant in ones life and Something For Joey proves that. The Cappelletti family is constantly there for Joey, deciding what's best for him and having everlasting love for a family member. Cancer is an everyday epidemic that affects nearly every person in the World.

Overall, this is a memorable book that indulges the reader into an emotional rollercoaster. Something For Joey is a must-read for those looking to experience a true-story.

[Joe Dotro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Dotro 2/8/14
Book Review
Something For Joey
Have you ever felt the weight of the world on your shoulders? Have you ever had to do something impossible for someone you really cared about? John cappatelli has that feeling all the time in this book. Johns little brother Joey has leukemia since the age of three. and john plays college football at Penn state. John wins the Heisman award for being one of the best college football players. This book is about two years before he wins the Heisman and shows the relationship between the two brothers and the fight to live. Joey had always wanted to play football like his brother. He went to every one of Johns games. Joey continues to get worse with his condition. He starts to get more and more restless and violent. During a downturn in joeys illness one of joeys friends dies in the hospital from the same condition. Joey is more afraid than ever. John does anything he can to take care of Joey. There is not a lot John could do to help Joey. There house gets a call for john. “JOHN WINS THE HIESMAN” says joey. He runs out into the street screaming of joy. John wins the Heisman for being one of the greatest college players he says Joeys is his biggest inspiration. Joey breaks out in tears and hugs john. Joey died from cancer a couple years later. This book was an inspiring story about the love of two brothers and the amazing story of the two capatelli brothers.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cappelletti's are an extremely close family who would do anything for each other. There are Anne and John Sr. Who had their children Martin, John, Michael, Jean, Joyce, and Joey. Joey has leukemia...bad, and spends his days watching his role model brother John play football. John and Joey always had a special connection and Joey's dream is for John to win the Heisman Trophy. Joey's has constant crazy ups and downs with his cancer throughout the book, and have everyone constantly fearful and in edge. Will John be able to win the Heisman Trophy and live up to Joey's hopes and dreams?

This book is very easy to enjoy for someone of any age. It is a great story of courage, selflessness and persistence. The plot of the story was a little slow in the beginning and middle but towards the end it picked up very fast and was hard to even put the book down. The author was very good at describing the characters in depth and helping the reader truly understand their personalities. Someone who enjoys sad realistic and historical fiction stories would receive great enjoyment from reading this heart warming novel.

[Carly Dambrosio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something for Joey is a story about two brothers, Joey and John. Joey has Leukemia and John is a football player at Penn State. The two brothers are incredibly close and have an amazing relationship. Joey looks up to John. Joey becomes very ill. All Joey asks of John is for a certain amount of touchdowns in a game. Will John make the touchdowns and make Joey happy? Will Joey survive his disease?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a charming story about the amazing bond the two brothers had. This book made me feel many emotions while reading it. I believe anyone of any age could read this book and enjoy it. While reading, I never lost attention.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book and the movie. This is the true story of John Cappelitti, Heisman Trophy winner from Penn State who gavs trophy to his younger brother, who eventually loses his battle with Leukemia. Since I come from a family where my dad was an NFL Official for years, I had the opportunity of meeting John while he was playing for the Los Angeles Rams. This book is a remarkable story of the bond two brothers have. A truly courageous and heartrending book. I read it when it first came out in the mid 70's.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a touching story about a talented college running back, John Capaletti, and his courageous younger brother Joey who lived with leukemia. It details the amazing achievements that John had on the field and the tremendous struggles that Joey faced in daily life. It is also the story of their close relationship and the importance of family.

This is a good read for young and old and for football fans and even those who do not follow football. It reminded me of the important things in life.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not really like this book, as the same two subjects, leukemia and football, got a little tedious. the author did not go into tons of detail most of the time, and the only area of the story I could really picture was the presentation of the Hiensmen Trophy. I thought it was a very good idea to have dedicated an entire chapter to telling what happened to the characters throughout their lives.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, so I don't understand football - so at times I felt lost in this book. I have to admit, though, it got me. By the end, I was emotionally connected to the family and shared in their joy and in their sorrow. I also felt that I appreciated sports and sports culture in a way I hadn't before. I am glad I read this book and recommend it for sports lovers and human-interest, non-fiction lovers alike.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was incredible when I first read it sometime in elementary or middle school. Set in the 1970s, this story of a Penn State football player's little brother battling with cancer was so compelling to me that my copy of it is literally falling to pieces. I haven't read it in years but I would recommend it to young readers (this one will appeal to both boys and girls I think).