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Rocket Arm
#1 New York Times bestselling author and former NFL player Tim Green is back with an action-packed novel about a football player with big dreams whose life changes forever when he attends an athletic boarding school.
Zeno Dubois might be young, but he has a remarkable ability. He’s a quarterback with a “rocket arm”—he’s able to throw a football for incredible distances.
His dad wants Zeno to succeed, no matter what, so when a coach comes to recruit Zeno to an athletic boarding school, his dad immediately signs Zeno up.
The school is intense, but Zeno quickly bonds with one of his coaches, Coach Lamb. However, when Zeno tells a reporter that Coach Lamb uses unusual healing methods, he finds himself at the center of a media storm. While trying to keep a low profile, Zeno stumbles across a mystery and starts to go out nightly to uncover the truth. With his energy down and the media circling, will Zeno be able to perform in the biggest game of the season?
Zeno Dubois might be young, but he has a remarkable ability. He’s a quarterback with a “rocket arm”—he’s able to throw a football for incredible distances.
His dad wants Zeno to succeed, no matter what, so when a coach comes to recruit Zeno to an athletic boarding school, his dad immediately signs Zeno up.
The school is intense, but Zeno quickly bonds with one of his coaches, Coach Lamb. However, when Zeno tells a reporter that Coach Lamb uses unusual healing methods, he finds himself at the center of a media storm. While trying to keep a low profile, Zeno stumbles across a mystery and starts to go out nightly to uncover the truth. With his energy down and the media circling, will Zeno be able to perform in the biggest game of the season?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 23, 2025
20 people are currently reading
2055 people want to read
About the author
Tim Green
92 books732 followersTim Green, for many years a star defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons, is a man of many talents. He's the author of such gripping books for adults as the New York Times bestselling The Dark Side of the Game and a dozen suspense novels, including Exact Revenge and Kingdom Come. Tim graduated covaledictorian from Syracuse University and was a first-round NFL draft pick. He later earned his law degree with honors. Tim has worked as an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and as an NFL commentator for National Public Radio, among other broadcast experience. He lives with his wife, Illyssa, and their five children in upstate New York. Football Genius is his first novel for young readers. For more updates, visit www.facebook.com/authortimgreen
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 29, 2025
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Zeno Fyfe is heavily involved in the Junior Football League in Atlanta, and hopes to impress the high school coach, but he doesn't seem to acknowledge the incoming 7th grader's fantastic throwing skills. However, someone else does; Coach Lamb, of the International Sports Management Group sports boarding school does. Lamb is so impressed by Zeno's skills that he offers him a full tuition scholarship. This is great, since Zeno's father isn't a great businessman, and his restaurant doesn't do well enough for him to afford the $90,000 a year tuition. Lured by the idea of Zeno making bigs bucks even in college, with the Name, Image, Likeness opportunities, his father is completely on board. Before he knows it, Zeno is checking in to the school and meeting his beefy roommate, Archie Takowsky, who likes to talk about himself in the third person while letting toxic farts rip. Coach Pantz isn't thrilled with Coach Lamb, who was brought in because he knew someone on the influential board, and so is tougher on Zeno than he should be. Zeno's year starts out well; he has a crush on blonde volleyball player Rachel, impresses his advanced math teacher, and does well on the field. When a play goes wrong and he sprains his ankle, though he is worried that he won't be able to play until Coach Lamb "cures" his injury with a crystal and some "voodoo". Mentioning the miracle cure, but not calling it voodoo, during an interview causes Zeno's popularity to soar, and his father's restaurant's business to pick up. His father gets him an interview in New York City even though he doesn't get permission from the school. This causes some problems, but Zeno is more concerned with a crisis that Rachel is having. Her father is a gambler, and has recently lost so much money that it's doubtful that she can continue in the school. Her boyfriend, Tod Parrotte, an 8th grader who has been "reclassed" a couple of times (meaning that he is fifteen, but playing in a league for younger kids), claims that an ancestor of his was a pirate who had a treasure buried in the swamp near the Florida school. He's not willing to take the risk to help Rachel dig it up in the middle of the night, but a besotted Zeno IS. He and Rachel spend quite a bit of time digging, finding empty boxes and little else. These late night forays don't help Zeno's football or academic ventures at all. After finding a chest with a note from 1805 claiming the rumors of a treasure are all a joke, a long with three gold coins, Zeno tells Rachel he is done. There is a football game in a storm that doesn't go his way because he is so tired, even though he plays better than expected. Coach Lamb, who has looked the other way, also runs into trouble, and Zeno doesn't speak up. Will Zeno be able to make things right so that he can continue at the school, or will he perish from Archie's toxic farts have to return home and miss the exciting opportunities the school has to offer?
Strengths: This is middle grade sports wish fulfillment at its finest. Of course Zeno gets picked to go to a spectacular sports school. He's a great player, so his adult life will find him playing professional ball right out of college, getting huge signing bonuses, and making an enormous amount of money after going through college on a full scholarship. While I'm not a fan of selling this dream to my students, it will definitely get them reading! The buried treasure gave this a bit of a New Kid vibe, and I did appreciate the flawed by present parents, the crush on Rachel, and the fact that everything ended happily. The cover alone will ensure that this title is constantly checked out, like most of Green's happier football titles.
Weaknesses: I could have done without the whole plot arc surrounding the buried treasure. It does lead to a satisfying conclusion, but I found it hard to believe that Coach Lamb knew about Zeno's escapades and allowed him to continue. Archie's severe flatulence didn't appeal to me, but will be a huge hit with the target demographic.
What I really think: This is an even more exciting version of Whitaker's Snap Decision, where a younger middle schooler gets a chance to play on a high school team. The characters all read like they were in high school, especially Tod. This is a great choice for middle grade readers, who love to read about high school sports players. If you don't know about Tim Green's story, you should look into his new podcast, Nothing Left Unsaid. I'm assuming that he wrote this book by typing it with his eyes, in the same way he wrote Final Season, which is one of the few sports books that teachers AND students will like. There's enough sadness to make the football palatable to adults.
Zeno Fyfe is heavily involved in the Junior Football League in Atlanta, and hopes to impress the high school coach, but he doesn't seem to acknowledge the incoming 7th grader's fantastic throwing skills. However, someone else does; Coach Lamb, of the International Sports Management Group sports boarding school does. Lamb is so impressed by Zeno's skills that he offers him a full tuition scholarship. This is great, since Zeno's father isn't a great businessman, and his restaurant doesn't do well enough for him to afford the $90,000 a year tuition. Lured by the idea of Zeno making bigs bucks even in college, with the Name, Image, Likeness opportunities, his father is completely on board. Before he knows it, Zeno is checking in to the school and meeting his beefy roommate, Archie Takowsky, who likes to talk about himself in the third person while letting toxic farts rip. Coach Pantz isn't thrilled with Coach Lamb, who was brought in because he knew someone on the influential board, and so is tougher on Zeno than he should be. Zeno's year starts out well; he has a crush on blonde volleyball player Rachel, impresses his advanced math teacher, and does well on the field. When a play goes wrong and he sprains his ankle, though he is worried that he won't be able to play until Coach Lamb "cures" his injury with a crystal and some "voodoo". Mentioning the miracle cure, but not calling it voodoo, during an interview causes Zeno's popularity to soar, and his father's restaurant's business to pick up. His father gets him an interview in New York City even though he doesn't get permission from the school. This causes some problems, but Zeno is more concerned with a crisis that Rachel is having. Her father is a gambler, and has recently lost so much money that it's doubtful that she can continue in the school. Her boyfriend, Tod Parrotte, an 8th grader who has been "reclassed" a couple of times (meaning that he is fifteen, but playing in a league for younger kids), claims that an ancestor of his was a pirate who had a treasure buried in the swamp near the Florida school. He's not willing to take the risk to help Rachel dig it up in the middle of the night, but a besotted Zeno IS. He and Rachel spend quite a bit of time digging, finding empty boxes and little else. These late night forays don't help Zeno's football or academic ventures at all. After finding a chest with a note from 1805 claiming the rumors of a treasure are all a joke, a long with three gold coins, Zeno tells Rachel he is done. There is a football game in a storm that doesn't go his way because he is so tired, even though he plays better than expected. Coach Lamb, who has looked the other way, also runs into trouble, and Zeno doesn't speak up. Will Zeno be able to make things right so that he can continue at the school, or will he perish from Archie's toxic farts have to return home and miss the exciting opportunities the school has to offer?
Strengths: This is middle grade sports wish fulfillment at its finest. Of course Zeno gets picked to go to a spectacular sports school. He's a great player, so his adult life will find him playing professional ball right out of college, getting huge signing bonuses, and making an enormous amount of money after going through college on a full scholarship. While I'm not a fan of selling this dream to my students, it will definitely get them reading! The buried treasure gave this a bit of a New Kid vibe, and I did appreciate the flawed by present parents, the crush on Rachel, and the fact that everything ended happily. The cover alone will ensure that this title is constantly checked out, like most of Green's happier football titles.
Weaknesses: I could have done without the whole plot arc surrounding the buried treasure. It does lead to a satisfying conclusion, but I found it hard to believe that Coach Lamb knew about Zeno's escapades and allowed him to continue. Archie's severe flatulence didn't appeal to me, but will be a huge hit with the target demographic.
What I really think: This is an even more exciting version of Whitaker's Snap Decision, where a younger middle schooler gets a chance to play on a high school team. The characters all read like they were in high school, especially Tod. This is a great choice for middle grade readers, who love to read about high school sports players. If you don't know about Tim Green's story, you should look into his new podcast, Nothing Left Unsaid. I'm assuming that he wrote this book by typing it with his eyes, in the same way he wrote Final Season, which is one of the few sports books that teachers AND students will like. There's enough sadness to make the football palatable to adults.
June 4, 2025
Tim Green has done it again! Kids are going to love Zeno and his rocket arm that whistles when he throws the ball. Zeno’s dad gets him a full scholarship at ISM, a sports boarding school, so he can show off his rocket arm. Zeno has a roommate that farts a lot but always has his back, and a Coach that says he can hypnotize him when his shoulder hurts him. What?! Zeno has his eye on Rachel, but she has a boyfriend, Tod. Tod wants their help in digging because he has a relative who was a pirate and left a treasure map. Zeno helps Rachel many nights looking for the treasure and he’s so tired he’s afraid it will affect their last big game. Then he realizes that Tod wants him tired so his team will lose. What happens?
Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
October 5, 2025
Why, oh why is the main character a sixth grader instead of seventh or eighth? Unless the target audience is 4th-6th? With all the football action, I just think the main character should be older and I’m always trying to find good sports books for that age group. Im sure I’m not the only MS librarian with this problem.
October 10, 2025
Tim Green’s newest book does not disappoint. The characters are memorable with lots of action. Even if you don’t know anything about football, you’ll root for Zeno to find the treasure, prove his talent and get the girl.
October 4, 2025
Great book for kids who love sports!
October 30, 2025
Really good book and very interesting
This book kept my interest that I had to keep reading it to get to the end. I'm not the biggest fan of football but this was a great book.
This book kept my interest that I had to keep reading it to get to the end. I'm not the biggest fan of football but this was a great book.
December 26, 2025
Plenty of football, a little mystery, a bit of romance and characters from Louisiana with mentions of voodoo, Cajuns, bayous, New Orleans, the Saints, LA Tech. 12yr old sixth grade main character.
December 31, 2025
Sports books are a good idea to get some kids into reading but I never liked sports stories. I only read them because I haven't read them before
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews