The Middle School Rules of Brian Urlacher

by Sean Jensen

For more than a decade, Brian Urlacher was the face of the Chicago Bears&;one of the NFL&;s most storied franchises. An eight-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker, Urlacher established himself as one of the league&;s preeminent defenders with his athleticism, intelligence and ferocity. He is widely expected to gain entrance into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he is eligible in a few years which is not bad for an athlete from Lovington, New Mexico, where his coaches did not even see college potential in him until his junior year of high school.  The Middle School Rules of Brian Urlacher features the real-life childhood stories and exploits of young Brian Urlacher and illustrate how they shaped him into the world-class athlete he became. The first of The Middle School Rules series, these books not only entertain, but also inspire greatness in the next generation by highlighting the importance of being your best, overcoming adversity, and reaching your dreams through discipline and hard work.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 26, 2015

Reviews

[James Uscroft · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a Progressive, English Atheist with absolutely no interest in team sports whatsoever, (let alone "Rugby, But With Body Armour,") the only way that I could be farther from this book's target demographic would be if I were a different gender, ethnicity or orientation. But even leaving that aside though, this is still an absolutely terrible attempt at storytelling with no stakes or apparent point of any kind beyond a middle-aged, white man yelling "Back In My Day" to try to get the young'uns to straighten up and fly right under the looming threat of violence. (AKA "Corporal Punishment.") Because my Sister in Satan, if the only stories that you have to tell from your childhood are about how you used to be small and bad at sports, but then you became a professional athlete because you worked hard, didn't make excuses and finished what you started, then congratulations on your Straight, White, Male, Christian Privilege. And although it would mean that every children's book based on real life would be as utterly pointless as this one, I genuinely wish that (aside from the violence and threat of violence which the adults in this book present as "Discipline,") absolutely every childhood was this privileged and as uneventful as well.

[AndrewN · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book falls into a- Biography because it talks about the rules of School that give you information.The setting of this book is the Gym and outside of school. The theme is sports because that's what brian urlacher would do play sports.The main part of the story is Brian getting into a good football team. Page 34 when Brian urlacher faces himself in tryouts. when Brian urlacher frees his Brother in wrestling 4-6. I like the book because I like learning a- bout New Football Players. And their life. I Don't like it because it is to child Like. People that Like football would like this book.

[Noah Nice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it includes the sport football i rate this book 4 stars because it is actually told by the football player Sean Jensen.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great and inspiring book.

[Leigh Collazo · Rating 2 out of 5]

More reviews at Mrs. ReaderPants.

WHAT I LIKED: I am trying very hard lately to broaden my reading and reviewing horizons. I tend to choose more YA romance and dystopia books, and I want to branch out to include other genres that I am less inclined to read. When I saw this book compared to Kinney's classic Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I gave it a whirl.

The idea for the Middle School Rules series is a really good one that is desperately needed among sports books for middle grade readers. According to the blurb, the Middle School Rules series intends to "inspire greatness in the next generation by highlighting the importance of being your best, overcoming adversity, and reaching your dreams through discipline and hard work." I think this is a fantastic goal for a series that spotlights professional athletes and how they weren't just born professional athletes. There is a huge amount of hard work that goes into playing for professional sports leagues, and books that tell these stories are hugely needed for our young sports fans.

I do think there is an audience for this book. Reluctant readers who love football could be talked into trying this one, especially if they have heard of Brian Urlacher, which is likely. I'm just sad that the writing isn't better. Just because a book is for reluctant readers doesn't mean the writing has to be super-simplistic.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Despite the comparisons I've seen to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this is nothing like Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It's not funny. The artwork looks more like free clipart than anything original. There's more telling than showing in the simplistic, uninspired writing style.

On my review template for School Library Journal, there is a section that asks me if "the story has a dominant theme, is it too obviously superimposed on the plot?" I've reviewed for SLJ for three years, but I never really understood that question until I read The Middle School Rules of Brian Urlacher. Holy, yes, the theme too obviously superimposes the plot in this one! Now I know what that question means!!!

The obvious theme here is "Work hard and don't make excuses," and the author takes every single opportunity to remind the reader of this theme. While I liked the sibling rivalry and that Brian's mom starts out as a single mother (she remarried when Brian was seven), Brian feels too much like a "golden boy" in the events that occur. He feels mad or frustrated or jealous, but those things just inspire him to work harder. I felt beat over the head with the "no excuses" meme. I get why the author adds this to the story, but it's just so OBVIOUS. I think even young, reluctant readers will tire of the whole "winners never quit" thing. Every time young Brian experienced adversity, he remembered that "winners never quit!" When he takes licks at school for something he didn't do (completely unfair since they had no proof at all), Brian just channels his anger into his football game that night. Winners never quit! No excuses! It just got old so quickly. And there you have it, folks: a "theme too obviously superimposed on the plot."

THE BOTTOM LINE: I like the idea, but the execution is overly simplistic and preachy. Winners never quit! No excuses!

STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: We don't have it, and I have no plans to order it.

READALIKES: Kickoff! (Tiki and Ronde Barber); Football Hero (Tim Green); anything by Matt Christopher

RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall: 2/5
Creativity: 1/5
Characters: 2/5
Engrossing: 1/5
Writing: 1/5
Appeal to tweens: 3/5--particularly reluctant readers who love football
Appropriate length to tell the story: 3/5


CONTENT:

Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none
Drugs/Alcohol: none

[Albert Minton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book a very easy read

[Adam Khan]

MIddle school rules is a book about NFL Brian Urlacher. In the book you learn about Brian’s Childhood and some of the challenges he faced. You also learn about how his love for sports developed. He talks about things he liked to do, and people he knew.


In the book, there were somethings I thought they could have fixed. First, they should have got into more detail and explained stuff better. I noticed they would skip over some things that could seem important to people. Also, they didn’t talk much about his life at home. It was mainly about his life playing sports. The last thing they should have fixed is that we didn't get to know the characters very well. Of course it’s about Brian, but, they really talk about anyone else. The good things were that that the setting and plot were described properly. Also the beginning really hooks the reader to the story. The beginning helped me get into the story because it doesn’t start slow, it gets right into the main part and themem of the story. The theme could be something like “Hard Work Pays of” because Brian had to work really hard but he got to the NFL.

I would give this book ⅗ stars because it was good but not great in the sense that would still recommend it to people who enjoy reading . I would not recommend it to someone who likes reading long and detailed

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given To Me For An Honest Review


Middle School Rules of Brian Urlacher by Sean Jensen is a book with the real life childhood stories of Brian Urlacher. Your child will be able to find out all of the challenges and things that Brian had to overcome in order to achieve his dreams. These stories aren't only entertaining but will also inspire your child to see the importance of being their best, overcoming adversity and working as hard as they can in order to reach their dreams. You will find full color graphics. The writing is clear and bold. I gave this book 5 stars but wish I could have given it more. This book would make a great gift. It would look good on your child's bookshelf or on any library's bookshelf. I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially middle school grades 5 - 8 and sports fans. I look for more from Sean Jensen.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of The Middle School Rules of Brian Urlacher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this up for a few reasons: As a Bears fan, who doesn't love Brian Urlacher? With two boys of my own, I do think my younger one would be interested in reading this book because he LOVES football and he also loves Brian Urlacher. I do have to admit though, as much as I loved Urlacher as a player, I struggled getting into the book. The writing is very simplistic and the storyline was a bit boring. I do like the message that children will receive about working hard and perseverance even when life doesn't go your way. I think there are kids out there who will enjoy it, but it just didn't meet my expectations.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know anything about football, so I was pretty lost through most of this book. But I think if I were a 6th-8th grade kid who loved football, I would probably love this book!

This tells the story of a young boy who loves sports, mainly basketball and football, and how that plays a large role in the development of his character.
There's a wonderful building of tension through the story that really gets you cheering for Brian and his friends. There's also some personal drama and family stories that paint a picture of a boy with parents who care, siblings who challenge him, and coaches who believe in him.

A great story for sports lovers!

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This biography about young Brian Urlacher was not very well written. The story was written factually, but was boring. Brian's values and commitment to improving himself are commendable, but this book did not do a good job of keeping me interested.

[Cherie]

Middle grade book about a famous football player.