Double Reverse

Fred Bowen Sports Story Series

by Fred Bowen

Calling all football fans! An action-packed Sports Story Series book from Washington Post KidsPost columnist and author Fred Bowen – perfect for fans of Mike Lupica and Tim Green. “This tale of confident persistence will ring true for all the kids who have been told they’re too small or too female…. An apt choice to surprise a young football fan with the power of words.” ― Kirkus Reviews Do you have to be the “perfect” type to be a great football player? Jesse is experienced as a wide receiver―but can he play against type and help his new football team as a quarterback? The Franklin High Panthers need a new quarterback. Freshman Jesse Wagner knows the plays, but he feels he is too small to be QB material. Jesse’s brother Jay has a problem of his his college coach wants him to switch from quarterback to safety. The brothers agree on a Jesse will try out for quarterback, and Jay will try playing safety. Meanwhile, Jesse and his teammates recruit an unlikely kicker for their team―a girl named Savannah who is a goalie from the girls’ soccer team. In the afterword, Bowen provides real stories of successful professional athletes, like Pro Football Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton, who did not “look the part.” Discussion Guide available.

Genres: Sports, Middle Grade

125 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Fred Bowen is the author of Peachtree’s popular Fred Bowen Sports Story and All-Star Sport Story series. A lifelong sports fanatic, he has coached youth league baseball, basketball, and soccer. His kids’ sports column “The Score” appears each week in the KidsPost section of the Washington Post. Bowen lives in Maryland.

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I'm not a huge sports fiction fan I have students who are so I decided to give this a try. I'm glad I did, I found myself quite enjoying it, especially all the football action. The free flowing text works well for a quick read that focuses on the game of football. I can see this being a great book for reluctant readers who love sports. The interactions between the kids, especially the addition of a girl playing football was very welcome. Positive relationships, overcoming long odds, and trying new things are all great themes that shine through the book. I also appreciated the diagrams showing some of the different football plays. Overall, a great addition to a sports fiction collection and especially appropriate for reluctant or low readers.

[Sue Poduska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jesse and his brother, Jay, are both freshmen – Jesse in high school and Jay in college. Jesse is looking forward to being a wide receiver on the JV squad. Jay, star quarterback in high school, assumes he’ll be quarterback at Dartmouth too. This story of realizing one’s potential should speak to everyone. A Junior Library Guild Selection, it is fast-paced and thrilling.

[Kris Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turns out that not only do I not enjoy watching football, I don't enjoy reading about it play by play either.

[Chaun J]

The book I’m reading is called Double Reverse and the author is Fred Bowen. Jesse Wagner always has been running routes for his older brother Jay. Jesse knows the playbook by heart. Jesse starts wide receiver for Franklin High School Panthers. The season was off to a bad start. Jesse’s quarterback was injured. Things started going downhill after that. Then Jesse tried out for quarterback and he got the position. Then they started to win games again.
The thing I like about this author is that he makes you wanna run around in happiness like you just won the state championship. He just makes moments like so unbelievable.
I recommend this book because it’s really good. I liked this book because they teach you to never give up. This book isn’t confusing unless you don’t like football or don’t really don’t know nothing about the sport.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about how 2 brothers played football together every day, on the high school fields right next to their house. One day, the older brother had to go onto his college career, and play safety (he usually played quarterback for his high-school team). Read the story to find out how the 2 brothers develop, and even switch roles for a change!

Character Strengths: Persistence, Gratitude, Love, and many more.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 good book

[JL Salty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good football details, clean.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ninth grader Jesse has never seen himself as a quarterback. That position belongs to his older brother, Jay, who looks the part. When Jay is not named quarterback on his college team, however, Jesse begins to question whether players should be pigeonholed and takes on the challenge of playing quarterback for his own freshman team, while also encouraging a female classmate to join the team as kicker.

Fred Bowen writes a regular sports column for children in The Washington Post, and his background in newspaper writing definitely shows in his fiction. The writing in this book is concise, easy to read, and never dull. Bowen has a knack for moving scenes along using dialogue, and for moving quickly through long periods of time without making the reader feel rushed. Jesse's story spans an entire football season, but Bowen only writes what is absolutely necessary. Very few words are spared for details like setting and physical descriptions of characters; instead, most of the text focuses on football itself, with plenty of scenes from games, and including only those other events which enable the characters to play or watch the game.

Though the main character is a teenager, this is very clearly a middle grade book, and one that could be read by kids as young as 7 or 8. The relationships in the book are all very supportive and healthy - even the ones between characters who may be rivals - and Savannah, the would-be kicker, is treated quite fairly by her teammates, and by the author, who does not exploit her character as a token girl in any way. (See my review of Joy in Mudville to understand why this is worth mentioning.) The story conveys a clear lesson, as does the historical content provided at the back of the book, which highlights various famous sports figures who were hugely successful despite not always looking the part.

Fred Bowen is to this generation what Matt Christopher was to children of previous generations: a reliably talented teller of sports tales that will appeal to reluctant readers who like sports as well as sports-lovers who like to read. Bowen has written two other titles about football: Quarterback Season and Touchdown Trouble.

[Maryann Skaritka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great football themed book with a great message. Fall holds many new changes for brothers Jay and Jesse Wagner.

Jay, a star high school quarterback is off to Dartmouth for his freshman year. Jesse is starting high school and is on the Panthers football team.

The Panthers want to have a winning season but when their quarterback gets sidelined due to injury, its suggested that Jesse might become the next quarterback even though he does not look like one. He is shorter, not very big but he can run and throw. The team is also in desperate need of a good kicker for the team. Jesse and his friends suggest that Savannah try out for the position. She is a great soccer player and they soon discover she is a great addition to the team too.

Jay wants to quit his college team as he is not assigned to play quarterback but rather safety.

Everyone learns that its not important that you look like you can play a part or position on the team, what matters is being able to play the part or position and help your team.

This is a great book for young readers who are sports fans but might not be strong readers.

[Lorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jesse and his older brother Jay are both on new football teams this year as they transition into high school and college they are now asked to play positions that they hadn’t thought about before, Jay a quarterback is now on defense and Jesse steps up to fill in for the injured quarterback on his freshman team. Jesse succeeds more than he could have ever imagined even though he is not the right size for a quarterback earning him the respect of his teammates and coach.
This middle grade sports story meets expectations for the genre; it has a struggle that must be overcome, lessons learned by all the players on the team, and eventual triumph in the end. Football fans will enjoy the story and the technical details of plays and games will keep their interest till the end. A short biography extra on real NFL Quarterback Fran Tarkenton is included at the end, which is very interesting since Jesse earns the knick-name “Tark” as his coaches and team mates compare him to the Hall of Famer. I would recommend this book for purchase to any school or public library.

This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

So sports books really aren't my thing and this one wasn't really that different. I can see it finding fans with sports-loving boys, but I really wanted a bit more plot. It was more football plays than plot. The book tells the story of Jesse who is starting freshman football with a team that has a terrible quarterback. Jesse's brother Jay has always been the quarterback in the family but he is off playing college ball. When the quarterback is injured Jesse decides to try out even though he doesn't look like a quarterback. Turns out he is really good, knows all the plays and even writes a few of his own. His move allows big kid Quinn to handle the ball and bit and little guy Langston to get some game time. The team needs a kicker which they find in soccer girl Savannah. Turns out that even though none of them look like ideal player they all got game. I enjoyed the fact that the characters defied the expectations of their looks to be who they wanted to be on the team, but I wanted a bit more meat to the story. It was a lot of play-by-play and little character or plot development.

[Carolyn Injoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free kindle copy of Double Reverse by Fred Bowen, published by Peachtree Publishers from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

I gave this football oriented story four stars. I liked it because it referenced Fran Tarkenton, the Scrambler. It also made clear that just because someone doesn't 'look' like they could play a position, it didn't mean they wouldn't be good at it.

Jesse who played wide receiver, had lived in the shadow of his older brother, Jay, who played quarterback. After Jay went to college, Jesse tried out & was successful. They even had Savannah, a girl as kicker.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone who plays team sports has to face the priority question at some time. Are you a quarterback, or a football player? Are you a member of the offense, or a member of the team? But in Fred Bowen's latest, priorities get challenged, stretched, and tied in knots when a soccer defenseman becomes a goalie to become a football player to become a kicker and end up as a running back?? And SHE's not even the main character! Keep your eye on the ball in this high-fun, high-action sports tale.
For more great Middle School Sports books, see: http://www.talestoldtall.com/B4BMSPO....

[Elizabeth Finney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worried that I can't judge the football game aspects of the book - and a relatively straightforward we've-seen-it-before sports plot, with some twists - but I really liked the main theme of this: that it doesn't matter what you look like, if you can play the position - and well done sports book. And, hello! Sports book! Well-written sports book is like gold!!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Football? I am not a fan, but I really liked this book. It is an easy middle school book, but some older teens will find it entertaining. Bringing a girl in as the kicker and then Bowen's statistics on girl players in the U.S. really was interesting. All the illustrations of the plays and the descriptions made this sport much more understandable!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

You've got to know a lot of football lingo in order to understand this entire book. It did a great job of beginning to get rid of stereotypes in the game and was a fast paced read. Football lovers should enjoy it!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am not at all into football, this is a perfect book for children who do love the sport and might be looking for a book to peak their interest. Football plays are discussed in lots of detail; when my brother's were young, this is a book they would have enjoyed.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Realistic sports writing with sure kid-appeal. Thumbs up.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This freshman team proves that not all football players look the part. Doesn't mean you don't have what it takes to win.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Realistic sports fiction about a freshman boy who learns that the football team overall is more important than the position you play.

[Book Buying With Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It takes a whole lot for me to like a sports book, but it is a good example of the genre. There's a girl football player in it!