The Extra Yard

Home Team #2

by Mike Lupica

Teddy, a young football player, learns that sometimes bridging the distance in your family can be harder than stretching for an extra yard on the field in the second book of the Home Team series from New York Times bestselling author and sportswriting legend Mike Lupica.

Last spring Teddy’s life changed for the better. He started working out, shaping up, and even earned a spot on the Walton baseball team, and with the team he went all the way to the Little League World Series. But the best things to come out of that season were his friendships with Jack, Cassie, and Gus, and the confidence to finally try out for the sport he really loves—football. So when eighth grade begins, Teddy couldn’t be more psyched.

Until his mom drops a bomb: his father—who left them a long time ago—is back in Walton and back in their lives. And Teddy isn’t happy about it. As a former star football player at the school, Teddy’s dad is thrilled to find out his son is going out for the team, but Teddy begins to wonder if his father only cares about him now because he’s putting on the helmet. Can Teddy find a way to go the extra yard for the team and for himself, or is the distance between him and his father too much to overcome?

Genres: Sports, Realistic Fiction, Football, Family, Middle Grade, Childrens, Friendship

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2016

About the author

Michael Lupica is an author and American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily News and his appearances on ESPN.

Reviews

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was great… until a single profane word marred it. The character growth was wonderful. I can see why so many kids treasure Mr. Lupica’s stories.

Content: one profanity

[Ruth Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything!

1) Friendship Four good friends help one another and are supportive without being fake and annoying. Author Lupica does a great job with this, giving kids characters who are modeling good friendship techniques.

Teddy is the boy from The Only Game whom Jack befriended and helped become an athlete and star catcher for their little league baseball team. Over the rest of the summer, Jack and Teddy continued their friendship and workouts - now concentrating on football.

2)Football Teddy has never played football and is very nervous about tryouts. Jack says he is ready! And this is Teddy's dream - to play this sport.

3)Family Teddy has no memory of his dad living with him and his mom. Guess who shows up a couple of days before tryouts? His dad returns to town to take a nearby job. It turns out he was the star quarterback on Teddy's school team many years ago with Teddy's football coach - ugh! A little pressure?

How will Teddy handle football and having his (football loving) dad back in his life?

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads Review
The Extra Yard by Mike Lupica
The Extra Yard is another "touchdown" for Mike Lupica. It is very heartwarming and loving. The book is about a son whose father has left but came back. The son has to find a way to accept his dad in his life because he has been gone for so long. The son, Teddy, is also trying out for sports, but his dad wants to help. The Extra Yard is the second book in the Home Team Series. In my opinion it was a fantastic book.
The book started with Teddy being nervous for the eighth grade. Teddy was most nervous about trying out for the school football team. He had never played football before. In fact he hadn't played a sport in till a kid named Jack Callahan helped Teddy get in shape. Teddy then tried out for the town baseball team and he made it. A couple months later he is about to try out for the football team. He makes the team and is very happy about it. All his friends made the team too, which made him really happy. Teddy then runs home to tell his mom the good news, but his dad is there and says he is moving in with them. Teddy is really upset about because his dad left Teddy and his mom when he was young. Teddy doesn't think his dad as a father because he was never there. The rest of the book is about them trying to bond together but they have trouble with each other. Teddy's “Dad” starts helping out at football which really annoys Teddy. I can't tell you anymore otherwise it would spoil the book.
Mike Lupica, the author of the book, has made another great book. The book had its little errors, too. Sometime the plot was very predictable which I did not like about it. There were some unrealistic parts too. A person who has never played football becomes quarterback on the A team. Those were the only problems in the book, but there was also a lot of fantastic parts, too. This book made me sit on the edge of my seat a lot. It was also entertaining because a group of friends try to save the music program at school which means they care a lot about their school. That is why I liked the book.
It was really exciting to see what happened to Teddy after the events of the last book. He started to like sports and now we can see the world from his point of view. Now we can see what he thought about going to the World Series and playing football for the first time. It gave us a lot of new information about him and what is going in his life which made me very happy because in the first book it was from a different character's point of view. That is another reason why it made me happy.
Overall I absolutely loved this book. People that love sports and have divorced parents will love this book. They would connect with the main character, Teddy, because he has divorced parents and love sports. I would rate The Extra Yard 8 out of ten stars. I would totally recommend this book for everyone.

[Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Realistic Fiction novel The Extra Yard by Mike Lupica it tells the story of Teddy, once out of shape, but after shaping up with his best friend Jack he was able to take his towns baseball team all the way to the Little League World Series. While, for most it would be a dream come true to make it their, Teddy’s dream was just to make it on to his school’s football team. Everyday Jack, who happened to be the schools QB, would pass to Teddy, as Teddy ran the routes Jack had learned from playing for so long. As tryouts inched closer, Teddy felt there was nothing in his way, and there really wasn’t with him making the team with only a little bit of a rocky start to tryouts. However, that night when he came home to tell his mom how well he did, his dad was on the front porch for the first time in several years.

For most people this would seem like a dream day, first doing amazing at tryouts and then getting to see their father for the first time in a long time, not for Teddy though. Teddy had always felt that his dad had left him and his mom in order to get his dream job, almost as though he cared more about the job then them. The father never believed this though and instead tried to pick things up with Teddy from where they left off. Teddy was different the last time they had talked, he was a lazy bum who never played sports, and it seemed as though the dad only now started liking him for getting outside. As a result of this and the fact Teddy’s dad tried to get more involved with the team, Teddy is unable to perform at the level he wants to.

That is until Jack gets injured after a hard hit to his arm, taking him out of the game for the rest of the season, and forcing Teddy to lead the team through the rest of the season. Since this was the case I began asking how Teddy would be able to help out his team in such a large manner with his dad now helping out with the team. At first it seems like Teddy may just leave the team, but Teddy is no quitter. Teddy seems to find a way to live with his dad on the team, just not at home as more people seem to like Teddy’s dad. How he handles the situation is just something you will need to find out for yourself.

[Sebastian Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a group of friends and all there names are Jack ,Cassie , Gus , and teddy. Gus , Jack , and Teddy that all like to play sports and are trying out for the football team this fall in the beginning of school. Teddy's dad made a choice to move back to live with him and his mom after moving away from them. Jack helps Teddy with training and conditioning because last year he was called the fat kid of the baseball team. He was ready for anything. When Jack suffers a bad injury playing dodge ball and Teddy's dad starting helping on the sidelines. Teddy and his dad starting getting closer.



I think that this story was really good because it show the struggle between fat athletic sports kids and between skinny athletic kids. This story meant a lot to me because i know the difference between them to but i didn't know that bigger kids really get affected off one joke that a skinny kid made. I also liked this book because it would tell about the struggle about them but also tell the reader about teddy's dad coming back into his life and putting more problems.



I really liked this book because it tells a story about two different kids at the same time that end up to like each other and become really good friends and help each other with training and school. The things that i didn't like the most about this story was that the author making it boring and putting to
much other peoples problems and didn't put a lot stuff that the friends did together to make them friends.

[Eli Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. It's plot line was very predictable: The substitute quarterback lead his team all the way to the big game. One thing I did like was that instead of your typical sports hero book, in the end Teddy lost the game because he couldn't complete the comeback. Another thing I liked was that Teddy's dad left him and then came back and they finally were able to restore their connection. This provided an off-field issue that kept the plot semi - intriguing. I just think that the author uses very similar plots in all of his books. One more thing I liked is that they ended up saving the music program for their school. It was a cool idea to create a fake "The Voice" show to raise money. Overall this book just didn't do it for me and I thought it could be a lot better.

[Amy]

ARC from reader affiliate program - DNF

My students love Mike Lupica because his books are so obviously about sports and the language is simple and relatable, but I can't find myself getting into his writing. With empty descriptions like: "It was the only kind of (baseball) hit you dreamed about hitting, in the big game, on national television. Teddy Madden had gotten that hit." I have a hard time connecting to the emotions in this story.

For sports books aimed at a middle grades audience I much prefer Tim Green's FOOTBALL GENIUS series and John Feinstein's sports mysteries that develop character, plot, and sports. For slightly older kids I like Carl Deuker and Paul Volponi's work.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Lupica is great author. This book is an example of it. The book is basically about a kid named Teddy that used to be fat but his friend Jack helps him out over the Summer by working out with him. He eventually get lean and muscular and wants to play on the football team. He is afraid and worried about making the team. Now there are bigger problems. His dad is back. His dad left him when he was really young, but he is back and wants to be accepted. Will his dad ever be accepted by his son Teddy?Find out by reading this great book that I would recommend if you love or don't love the sport of football.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Extra Yard By: Mike Lupica This book is about a kid who loves football hasent went out for it until his friend encourage him to play football in the middle of the season his dad comes back because his parents were divorced. He was really mad but after a long time he got along with hime he was a tight end then there quarter back got hurt then he became a quarter back they got second in the whole championship game I liked they thrilling moment in this book. I liked the character because he was always pushing him self and sometimes didn't believe in himself

[Jalen_Lewis21 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book overall, because it talks about football, first of all, and second about a relationship with a son and his dad. To get the gist of the book it is about a kid that doesn't really have a stable relationship with his dad. But when he is back in town and volunteers to be the football coach of his son's team they ar forced to build up their relationship again. In all, this book was great because it appealed to two of the most important things in my life. Family and Football.

[Darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this one was just ok. I liked Teddy and his friends, but it was Teddy's daddy issues that drove me nuts. I thought his feelings were justified and hated that at the last minute all was well, that daddy learned what was real and life was one big happy thing. Not very realistic.

[Jerrod Drye · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a good book i think it was cool on how he didn't he was a great football player and had a lot of talent because all he did was play baseball and football with friends but not tackle

[Connor Josephson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read was The Extra Yard by Mike Lupica. The book’s lexile level was 780. I have read many books by Mike Lupica, one of them being Travel Team. Lupica has been known to write sport books and has written many books. Mike Lupica also tends to have the main characters be teenagers in his books. In The Extra Yard, the main character’s name was Teddy. Teddy was out of shape, but his friends helped him get in shape. He had three close friends, Jack, Gus, and Cassie. Teddy was excited for football to start as were Jack and Gus. He was not prepared for the things that were about to happen to him in football and at home though.
The theme in The Extra Yard was to accept new things and you may even like what happens. Teddy accepted two new things in this book that changed his life. One thing the author wrote about was Teddy switching from tight end to quarterback on his football team. He accepted this challenge. Teddy didn’t like playing quarterback at first, but then he started to love it. This showed what new things in your life can lead to when you try them. The other new thing that Teddy accepted is his dad in his life. When Teddy’s dad returns to live with Teddy and his mom he hates it at first. ‘“Do I sound happy?”’(page 16). Teddy said that when he was talking about his dad moving back and he said it very angrily. Then, Teddy started to like his dad as a coach. ‘“I don’t want you to think that just because he’s helping me be a better player, that means I think he’s a better dad”’(page 161). That shows that Teddy liked his dad as a coach. Finally, at the end Teddy liked his dad as a dad. “Both of them probably wondering how they could lose the big game the way they just had and still feel like they’d won so much,”(page 292). This quote was when they just lost the football game, but Teddy and his dad were walking by each other. When it said “won so much” it meant Teddy having a dad in his life.This explains how the theme developed throughout the story.
I liked the majority of this book. I liked this book because of how it has sports in it. I love sports and if I read a sports book, I normally like it. When I read sport books I can normally connect them to life, because I play sports. I connected the feelings I have about sports and what was happening in my life, which made me understand the book better. I also liked that they added a little something else to the book other than sports. The author added the part about them trying to save the music program, which I thought was good. I liked how the main characters in this book were around my age. Teddy’s dad came back to live with him and his mom was also a part of the book I enjoyed. That was a good because it added to the book and made it more interesting. I could see how the relationship between Teddy and his dad developed throughout the book which let me see how it could happen in real life. I did not like the ending of the book though. I think that the author should have had them win that game so that they could of made it to MetLife Stadium. I think the author should have described that part as well. It would have added a ton to the book because then I would have known if they were amazed or what they felt like to be on a NFL field. I did like one thing about the ending, and that was that part of the ending was unpredictable. Normally in sport books they win the last game, but instead in this game they lose. I did see the part coming about Teddy and his dad developing a good relationship in the book like they did. I would recommend this book to teenage readers who love to read sport books. I would recommend it to them because they can connect it their lives easily because it has parts about their lives in it. It would also be a good book for kids to read that have one of their parents come back into their lives and they don’t want to give them a chance. I would recommend it to them because the book can give great insight to that situation. It could show them what can happen if they give their parent a chance. Those are some of the types of readers I would recommend this book to.

[Chase Zengel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teddy madden was getting ready to go into 8th grade and play football. HIs mom encouraged Teddy to try out for the football team and teddy wanted to be a Quarter Back.. Teddy and his friends Jack and Gus which Jack was trying out to a defender and Gus was trying to be a WR. Teddy and his friends were having trouble but, they all made the team. It was the day of Teddy first game and he was very nervous. His mom kept on encouraging him and telling him that he would do good. In teddy's first game they won 28-21. Few games past and the Wildcats have a winning record and heading into the playoffs. Teddy's dad knows that his son Teddy is mad at him and his mom had teddy read a email from his dad. Teddy dad was going to get a job from ESPN and as a announcer for the chargers game. Teddy was not mad but sad about the email but, he was surprised that his dad wrote an email. Teddy left early for his game and so did his friends gus and jack. Teddy was surprised that his dad was there. Teddy and the wildcats were down by 1 at halftime. Then the wildcats w in the fourth quarter had 1 minute left to score. Teddy kept on throwing good passes to gus. With 3 seconds left Teddy throws the game winning pass to be champions!! After the game Teddy and his father were talking now and Teddy was not mad at him. Then Teddy and his father went home to celebrate the victory.
I liked the book because it knowledge me about football. It also gave me a good summary of how it is to be on the football team. It also has a good plot where it starts out where Teddy is mad at his father and then at the end he is now not mad at his father. It has a good ending where it was a game winner for the championship. Overall it was a great book and i would recommend it and give it 5 stars.

[Cam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to read a book with the a good variety of sports and real world issues? If so you should read The Extra Yard by Mike Lupica. The Extra Yard is realistic fiction, and it takes place in a town named Walton during the summer and fall of 2015. In the book the town is important because the football team that Teddy plays for is the town's school.
Teddy Madden is the main character of The Extra Yard. He is a 13 or 14 year old boy, who is going into eighth grade and lives in a town named Walton. Teddy is a very Hardworking kid who is nice and has a has a very good sense of humor. Teddy is tall, brown hair, sort of tan, and pretty big. He is best friends with Jack, Cassie, and Gus. Teddy is the main character so the book is about him overcoming problems in his life but also in football. When Teddy was young his father abandoned him and his mom so, when his father returns it may cause problems.
Teddy has three friends that are very close to him. Those people are Jack, Gus, and Cassie. Jack is his friend but, also his personal trainer and quarterback for the Football Team. Gus is a Wide Receiver for the football team and good friend of Teddy’s. Cassie is a friend who is a girl who offers a lot of support and guidance towards Teddy. They helped Teddy get into shape and then convinced him to play football. They also give him guidance and support with his family problems. Teddy’s friends are very supportive of him and a very kind and will always be there for him.
Teddy had started to get back into shape and then his friend Jack told him to tryout for the football team. Before the season begins his father returns after many years and Teddy gets all bent out of shape. During the football tryouts on the last pass, Teddy makes a spectacular catch that ensures him a position on the team. Before the beginning of the first game, the team's star quarterback suffers a season ending shoulder injury.
After the quarterback is injured and is out of the rest of the season the backup quarterback has to come in and try to run the team. The backup is very nervous and doesn’t perform well in the first couple of games, so the coaches start to look for a new quarterback. Also Teddy’s dad tries to get closer to Teddy and even starts to coach for his football team, and he still is upset about that. The team finally finds a new quarterback and that is Teddy. Teddy’s dad is the quarterback coach, so when he because quarterback that brings them closer together.
At the end of the season the game comes down to the wire and Teddy makes a clutch play at quarterback to hopefully win the game. The play works and the team wins the game. After the win it draws Teddy and his father much closer to each other, and Teddy ends up starting to hang out with him more, and letting him into his life.
The theme of this book is Realistic fiction because this book could actually be someone's life. There isn’t too much stuff that is to crazy to have happened in real life. I enjoyed it because it was a book about football and a kid having trouble overcoming family problems. I mostly enjoyed this though because it was about sports.

[Monoskoonkiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book The Extra Yard is meant to be in a series with The Only Game. The series is called Home Team. It is just a play off The Only Game. The person at a key position gets hurt and Teddy takes over. In The Only Game the catcher Scott Sutter broke his leg, and Teddy took over for him. In The Extra Yard Teddy takes over Jack because he takes a hard hit, and brakes his arm.

The book starts off with, Teddy being nervous about the football tryouts for the Walton Wildcats. Jack, who is his closest friend, tells him that he has nothing to worry about because he is a great receiver. (For the past year, Jack has been Teddy’s personal trainer). After Jack and Teddy’s training session, Teddy walks home to find his dad standing in the doorway with a triumphant smile. Teddy’s dad started to talk to Teddy like everything was normal, but Teddy knew that things were anything but that. (Teddys dad had been away for about eight years). Teddy blew his dad off. The next day is the tryout for the Walton Wildcats. Teddy doesn't have his best day, but in the last catch of the day he makes an Odell-like catch causing him to make the team.

In the first game of the season, Jack brakes his arm getting a touchdown. It looks as though the Wildcats are going to lose until, Teddy made a great catch from Danny Hayse and scores a touchdown. The Wildcats won that game, and barely won the second. Danny is awful at quarterback, and can't throw the ball. Teddy tells the coaches that he is going to try to play quarterback, he is actually good at quarterback. Halfway through the season the Wildcats are undefeated, and Teddy and his dad are becoming closer.

The music teacher Mrs.B is going to lose her job because the school doesn't have enough money to pay her. Cassie, Gus, Jack, and Teddy all host what they call the voice to try to help raise money for Mrs. B. In the end of that Katie Cummings won, but they fell short of the money needed to keep Mrs. B. Teddy’s dad covers the expenses, and put in the final blow to have Teddy love him.

For the second to last game of the season, Teddys dad takes off again. He tells Teddy that it's for work, but Teddy doesn't want to hear it. Teddy leads his team to win the game and stay undefeated. The final game of the season is do or die for the Wildcats, if they lose to the panthers they go home.

Right before the game started Teddy’s dad told Teddy that he will always be here and that he would rather be Teddy’s father than have a better job than he has. The game itself is a shootout between the two quarterbacks. Teddy gets his final shot at the win and hits his mark to Gus for the touchdown. The panthers quarterback gets the final score and wins the game. After the game Teddy goes up to the opposing quarterback and tells him good game. The other quarterback tells him if Teddy had another shot at it he would've won, and then said, see you next year.

[Raider Damuni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is mainly about a young 8th grader named Teddy who is playing football for his first year. He is super nervous about making the team, and is practicing super hard every day. Everything was going well for Teddy until his mom broke the news that his father, who abandoned them many years ago was coming to live with them. Throughout the book Teddy and his father had a brittle relationship, but as the book goes on, football really makes them become closer and understand each other better. The main characters of the book is Teddy, Teddy's Mom, Teddy's Dad, Jack, Gus, Cassie. Although Jack, Gus, and Cassie did not have a super big roll in the book, they were always there for Teddy and helped him in anything he needed. Teddy had a very important adventure. Originally Teddy plays tight end, but their star quarterback got injured and Teddy was the only one left to play quarterback. The pressure was on Teddy to lead his team to win the championship. He would eventually win the championship for his team and moved on to high school. My favorite character was Teddy because of his courage to come out and win for his team on his first year playing football. As a young child he went through a lot of trials and he overcame them.

If there is a character in the book who I can relate to I would say Teddy because I once was in the same position as him. On my old football team when I lived in Hawaii, our starting quarterback got injured making me play the role. I originally never play that position but learned how to for the rest of the season. Although we didn't win the championship, I would say that my situation was pretty similar.

I personally liked the book because I am really into sports. My favorite part of the book was when Teddy won the championship with his team because I could feel the emotions of Teddy and how happy he was. The author made the games super suspense and we did not know what was going to happen, which I thought was very smart by the author. It made me really feel the emotions of the book and gave me great imagery.

I would recommend this book to people who actually find interest in sports. As an athlete, I feel like we all think the same and that by reading this book many of us can relate. Teddy goes through many trials and overcomes them in this book, teaching the readers good life lessons to not give up. I am glad I had the opportunity to read this book and rate it a 5 out of 5.

[Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Extra yard
Mike Lupica



Teddy is a young boy who just moved to a new town. He made three new friends named Jack, Cassie, and Gus. With them, he has been working on his strength training during the off season. Doing things such as working out and lifting weights. When summer came around he got on a new baseball team that ended up going to the little league world series. When his summer ended, so did his baseball season. However, football season came back around at this time too, and he was more than ready to go out for the football team. Teddy was not ready for the bomb his mother was about to drop on him. His father was going to be coming back into his life, after many years of being absent from him. His dad was a professional football player. He was a great player that was an all-star for many years. His father was proud and very excited to hear that his son was playing football. When his father came home to live with Teddy and his mother, Teddy and his friends all thought that he was just coming back home because Teddy was now playing football. Teddy has the courage to go the extra yard in football. But will he go the same distance with, and for, his relationship with his father?
I thought that this was a really good book for several reasons. First, I love football and baseball. Secondly, Teddy is kind of like me, but not with the whole dad thing. I stopped playing football when I was younger. When I was in 7th grade I was old enough to play for the Middle School Team. I could not wait to play again. Lastly, I thought that the book was a very interesting because of the way he started off the book. It started of with Teddy just moving. Then it took him getting on a baseball team that went to the little league world series. Followed by Teddy going out for the football team. And lastly, to his dad coming home because of Teddy becoming a football player.
I thought this was a very entertaining. It definitely kept me interested with all of the twists and turns. Especially with the sports Teddy played. I even found it to be emotional in some parts. I don’t know how I would have reacted if I were in Teddy’s shoes having my father come back into my life unexpectedly. . I would recommend this book to kids that love a great sports story. And to those who are interested in how life can change at any moment. That is why I gave this book a five out of five rating.

[Garrett S · Rating 5 out of 5]

February Book Review
The Extra Yard
Mike Lupica

Teddy Madden is the main character of the book and was having to deal with all the events and giving lessons throughout the entire book. The main characters of this book are Teddy, Cassie, Jack, Gus, and Teddy's mom and dad. Teddy was a very nice and athletic, but once in a while he was down on himself. Cassie was very athletic and a good friend to Teddy, but sometimes she was a little annoying. Jack was Teddy's favorite person those two were always best friends and protected each other. Gus was very nice to Teddy and they are good friends. Teddy's parents got divorced when he was very young so he always was loving his mom because his dad left him. One major event in the story was when Teddy made the Walton Wildcat middle school football team from one very lucky catch during tryouts. Also another huge event was when David (Teddy's dad) decided to start fresh and come live with Teddy and his mom. At first Teddy was not to pleased with this idea but then he started to get very close to his dad when David coached his football team. Another big event was when Jack got hurt playing quarterback, Teddy volunteered to pick up his spot and got the Wildcats to the championship but sadly they loss. Finally, the last event was when the school was about to fire there music teacher Mrs. Brandon, but Teddy, Jack, Gus, and Cassie came up with an idea to do a school Voice they were very close but came up a little to short, so David made a check and saved her job.
This book gave off some very meaningful lessons in life. One lesson is it's not over till it's over, that is a lesson because they were getting killed in a football game but they made a fantastic comeback to win the game. Another lesson i learned was trust your family. This was a theme because David his dad did not turn out to be that bad of a father and looked out for Teddy. Finally, the last lesson i picked up from this novel was be happy with who you are. This was big lesson because Teddy was sometimes down on himself because he was not good at sports but that changed quickly when he took his team to the championship.

[Nick B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Extra Yard by Mike Lupica showcased an interesting life story with many different lessons to be learned. Although the title and cover of the book is football related, the overview and main conflict in the story was really about the main character Teddy and his dad. Teddy's mother and father become divorced. Teddy and his mother now live alone, therefore the relationship between Teddy and his father was falling apart. I liked the way Mike Lupica sequenced the events in the story. He introduced Teddy's problem and input some events that would foreshadow their future. The falling action and resolution were based around Teddy's passion: football. I really enjoyed how the author incorporated football to solve the main conflict. I've read many Mike Lupica books, but never one with so much emotion and empathy as this one. I would say my favorite part of the novel was when Teddy and his father finally share their thoughts and opinions after Teddy's father comes to watch his game. The description and imagery kept me, and probably most other readers, on the edge of their seat. Teddy's dad approached him and I thought it was going to make another insignificant remark to Teddy. Instead, his father congratulated him on well he did in the football game, and how happy he was to watch him play. It created a warm, happy mood in the story. For the most part, I would recommend this novel to anyone. Although it contained many football components, Lupica integrated personal stories into the main pyramid of action. No matter what genre you enjoy reading, I think The Extra Yard could be enjoyed by anyone. I'm sure teens who love sports will be the first to jump towards this novel, but from my personal preference it could be relished by everyone. The author wrote this story similarly to the way Tim Green writes his sports novels. Fans of Tim Green's novels may be even more interested in this novel. Thus, I gave the book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Not my favorite Mike Lupica novel, but it had many interesting ideas that I have never read or seen in his previous books.

[Connor Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

In “The Extra Yard” by Mike Lupica, Teddy Madden is starting eighth grade a changed boy. Over the summer he lost weight, started to eat right, and trained hard. His baseball team, the Walton Rays, made it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Teddy’s best friend Jack Callahan became his life and health coach that summer, getting him fit for football and baseball. Jack also became the first person Teddy opened up to about his dad, who’d left his life 7 years ago, while he consoled Jack who blamed his brothers death on himself. Now summer was ending and football was beginning with Teddy 2.0 ready at tight end. Teddy was ready for a great year until he found out his dad had chosen that year to re-enter his life. Teddy thought that his dad would ruin his season and his new, improved life. He was also scared that he’d get attached to the man who left him. In the Wildcats first game Jack got hit hard and separated his shoulder, putting him out for the season. That left Teddy to play quarterback, with his dad now coaching him. Teddy hated the idea to start but once he saw how good he passed and how good his dad coached he grew on it. The Wildcats were going undefeated with Teddy passing the ball and he and his dad were growing closer. Between football season Teddy and his friends were trying to save the music program from budget cuts. The kids put on a show based on The Voice with coaches, contestants, and shows for anyone who would buy a ticket. By then Teddy was starting to like his dad and the Wildcats playoff chances. That’s when David Madden left unexpectedly, leaving his family and coaching behind without a goodbye. The Wildcats still made it to the semifinals with out Coach Madden but Teddy was devastated and told his dad not to come back. Right before the first whistle of their game Mr. Madden arrived and apologized to Teddy who decided to accept and be happy. Their game was close but in the end the other teams quarterback beat out the Wildcats, who still felt they’d won.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teddy Madden loves football. And, together with his friends Jack, Gus, and Cassie he has realized a dream of his...to be competitive and athletically fit to play the game. It's been just Teddy and his mom for as long as he can remember, being that he's had a dad who's been removed from his life, showing up only a handful of times in his life. His dad was a quality football player, but suffered a game-changing injury that ripped him apart from his dream of playing in the big time.

Unexpectedly, Teddy is forced to step into the role of quarterback for his team, after Jack is injured and out for the season. He studies, practices, and drills himself into quarterback shape. Yet, a big surprise is waiting for him. His dad shows up unexpectedly and decides to worm his way into his life and plant himself as assistant coach for his team, The Wildcats. Teddy, of course, wants nothing to do with .

With subtle encouragement from his mom and blatant conjouling from his friends, Teddy admirably tries to let his dad back into his life and accepts the coaching his dad has to offer. The Wildcats are the better for it as winning is what they do. But, as the final game appoaches, his dad takes off again, leaving Teddy feeling humiliated that he let his dad into his heart again. Will they ever find their way back to each other again? As with football, the game is never scripted, you have to go out there and make it happen...and making it happen is what Teddy Madden is all about. Will it be enough?

The Extra Yard is a story about acceptance of family for who they are, forgiveness, and making those extra ten yards. A very readable tale for not only those who love football but also those who love storytelling that gives us reason to pause and think about what's truly important in life.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Extra Yard
Mike Lupica
9/25/17

The Extra Yard by Mike Lupica was a sports novel which was an enjoyable read. This book was about the main character Tommy, a 13 year old in 7th grade moving to his a new town and becoming a football player. Tommy had never stepped on a football field but he wanted to become a football player his entire life. His new friend from school, Joseph taught him the basic fundamentals and positions of football one week before tryouts for the school football team and Tommy became a better football player. Amazingly enough, Tommy made the football team and he was very excited to be on a the school football team playing for coach Gallagher. Tommy was very fast so the coach had him playing at wide receiver.
This novel shows the obstacles Tommy had to overcome to be a football player with such little experience playing the sport of football. I liked how the author used action and rich sensory imagery to convey Tommy’s football tryout in how he did during his tryout. I liked how on page 229, after his tryout, Tommy got a phone call from the head coach saying that he had been accepted on the team and he was going to be playing wide receiver during the football games. “Congratulations you have been accepted to play on the school team.” coach Gallagher said.
Tommy said “Whoa really? Thanks coach this is an amazing opportunity to play for you coach.”
“It is a pleasure to have you on are team, I would like to let you know that you will playing wide receiver for us Tommy.” coach Gallagher said. What I did not like was the main plot because I thought it was a little weak because the author did not show Tommy’s results in his football games during his season. It was only him preparing for his tryout and making the team. Overall I rate this book a four out of five stars.

[Kyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is called The Extra Yard by Mike Lupica. The characters in this story is Teddy Madden, Jack Callahan, the Football team, and Teddy´ś dad. The setting of the story is the football field, in a big city with a small football team.
The story is about how Teddy was born in a big city and he use to be a large kid until his friend Jack helped him out to obtain that. He soon started to play football and the schools team was not big, Teddy was going through hard times with his dad, but he was managed to become a good football player. The main conflicts of the story was when Teddy's dad wasnt helping him at all with the football problems and he wasn't letting him play. That was hard on Teddy and it was irritating also.
I personally liked how the book was. I like football and so does teddy. I just didn't like that fact that Teddy's dad was making this hard for Teddy and it was kinda losing my interest on the book for awhile. But then at the end he managed to do everything and be super successful in like with football and make it far. And then his father was happy with him and they became best pals basically.
The people who I would recommend this book would be someone who likes football. This whole book was about it and he got to go through some hard times in like and still be able to manage them and become and good football player also. Another person who I would recommend this book to would be someone who likes it when someone goes through some tough times through their life. He couldn't fit in the crowd and then he managed to show everyone up. I really liked this book and would like to watch the movie with it.

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a boy whose name is Teddy. Teddy and his friends Gus, Jack and Cassie have gone through some tough stuff between the 4. Teddy and Gus had been playing catch at a park in the summer a lot and it paid off. Jack brought Teddy to his football team's tryouts and Teddy became the starting tight end for the Walton Wildcats. In his first game things really take a Turn for the worse. Jack is the QB and he gets hurt. He is rushed to the hospital and is out for the entire season. Their backup isn't any good and they lose their next two games.Cassie comes up with a greater idea. She thinks that Teddy should take over as QB. Jack eventually agrees to the idea and tries out for it. He becomes the starting quarterback but during the entire process his dad comes back from Oregon. He left Teddy and his mom years back for a good Job. Teddy's dad becomes one of the football team's coaches. At first Teddy hates him but later starts to get used to him. Just when he warms up his dad throws another loop in the story.(you’ll have to read the book to find out)

I love this book because it's super exciting and has lots of twists and turns.
It feels like every time you pick up the book the character will have a new experience or there will be a loop in the story . I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves sports stories and action packed books. I would also recommend this author, Mike Lupica. This unfortunately will probably be the last time i read a book of his becasue im above that reading level but every time i pick up one of his books it brings back the 7th grader in me and hooks me into reading all day.

[Joseph Kruppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is about the book "The Extra Yard" by Mike Lupica. This book is about about a 12 year old boy named Teddy. He is mad at his dad at first because he left teddy at a young age, then he finally comes back after all this time. Also, they are trying to save a music teacher's job ,Mrs. Brandon, so they did there version of the version of the Voice to raise money to keep there job.His dad tries to be his dad by helping him get better at football, then he became one of the assistant coaches so he calls the plays. Then just when the season just got over they were in the playoffs, his dad left for California cause of work just as Teddy was liking him. I think this book was a good book, but not a great book.

I liked this book because it had some good parts like when they saved Mrs. Brandon's job. They only saved her job is because Teddy's dad wrote a check when they were a little short on the fundraising. I liked this because his dad only tried to help Teddy like a dad would. Somethings I disliked about the book is he is always in self-doubt because you can infer it from this on page 6 it says "I wish I was as confident in me as you are." Also I disliked when his dad moved here, but then in the same year he moved back to California. I like it when for the championship that he got to play on the New York Giants field.

This is why I like the book. I would recommend this book to people who like sports, and who likes the books were most of the stuff works out. This could be a book for the whole family.

[Zack · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book i'm am doing is The extra yard. Is about a boy named teddy madden and he has a passion for football. But one day his dad left him and he was sad for a long time. The author is Mike Lupica and he has many more books that are like this one. And the lexile for this book is 780.
The main thing that is Teddy madden and his father are having fights and he has the trouble of football also. He has to go to football and the coach is his dad and they were good for a while they won a couple of games and they even went to a lunch together. But one day teddy had a day planned for him and his dad and he was waiting for him and he never came. And jack says “Yeah, well I’d rather be you today, because you’ve still got a game to play.” So the next day he had a very important game and he didn’t have his couch or dad so they had the assistant coach the whole game. So teddy learned to move on and to forget about the past and work on the future.
What is like about the book is that I like that it is about sports and i think sport book are easy to read. I would recommend it for the people who like football and people who like people that go over and beyond when they think that couldn’t. My favorite part of the book is that when he thought he couldn’t make the team but he make a catch that got him on the team. My connections is that when I first started football I didn’t think that I was good but when I played a couple of practices I figured out is was good. These are my opinions and connections I made in the book.

[Nic Sherm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The four friends are back at it, but in high school. Jack, the most athletic kid in town. Cassie, the girl star. Gus, the smart one. Then there is Teddy. The chubby not so athletic new kid. Who tries to fit in every possible way and somehow succeeds. Is it because he is the starting tight end for his football team? Or that the most popular girl in the school like him? This book, The Extra Yard is a Home Team series from New York Times bestselling author and sports-writing legend Mike Lupica.

Teddy changed his life around last spring when it came time for baseball season. He started working out, getting in shape, and even eating healthier. His life was going great,
until his mom drops a major bomb… His father who left them a long time ago is back in Walton and back in their lives. And Teddy isn’t happy about it. As a former star football player at the school, Teddy’s dad is thrilled to find out his son is going out for the team, but Teddy begins to wonder if his father only cares about him now because he’s putting on the helmet. Can Teddy find a way to go the extra yard for the team and for himself, or is the distance between him and his father too much to overcome?

This book is definitely a keeper. The excitement and thrill is the best part about it. I enjoyed reading this sports book because the author, Mike Lupica, does an extraordinary job of really giving you a visually or a picture in your head.If you want a book that you can't put down once you start. This is the one for you. Read to find out what happens next in the book, The Extra Yard.

[Jack McKernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fourth book I read this school year was "The Extra Yard" by Mike Lupica. Last spring Teddy, the main character in the book, life changed for the better. He started working out, shaping up, and even earned a spot on the Walton baseball team, and with the team he went all the way to the Little League World Series. But the best things to come out of that season were his friendships with Jack, Cassie, and Gus, and the confidence to finally try out for the sport he really loves which was football. Teddy's father a former star football player at the school, is thrilled to find out his son is going out for the team, but Teddy begins to wonder if his father only cares about him now because he’s putting on the helmet.

What I liked about this book was how how there were a lot of football, friendship, and family and those three things really kept my attention while I was reading this book. What I didn't like about this book was how suspenseful the last few chapters of the book was because it made me kinda scared . What I would change about this book is Teddy's dad I thought that he was really mean and that the book would've been better if the dad was nicer.

I would suggest this book to people that like to watch and play football. Most of this book is about football. If you like to read action books than this book would be great for you cause there's a ton of it. Also this book has a lot of comedy so if you like that then you would also want to read this.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This second book in the Home Team series takes Jack, Gus, Teddy, & Cassie into football season. (This one is told from Teddy's point of view.) A new league has formed in their area, one step above Pop Warner and the three boys try out. It has always been Teddy's dream to play football, and after his transformation in The Only Game, he finally gets that chance. He still lacks self-confidence, but with Jack, Gus, and Cassie on his side, he plays his hardest and makes the team. His life at home is shook up when his father (whom he has seen 6 times in 8 years) moves back to town. To complicate matters more, Teddy's father is good friends with the football coach and starts showing up at all of the practices. Teddy doesn't want to let his dad back into his life, but he may not have a choice, since he also wants to be the best football player that he can. Filled with drama both on and off the field, this book will appeal to football players and fans of the first book. I recommend reading the series in order for a better understanding of the characters. I'm looking forward to the next book, which will hopefully be basketball. Recommended for grades 4 & up.