Payback Time

by Carl Deuker

Through the eyes of a distinctly non-athletic protagonist—a fat high school journalist named Mitch—veteran sports novelist Deuker reveals the surprising truth behind a mysterious football player named Angel.  When Angel shows up Lincoln High, he seems to have no past—or at least not one he is willing to discuss.  Though Mitch gets a glimpse of Angel's incredible talent off the field, Angel rarely allows himself to shine on the field.  Is he an undercover cop, wonders Mitch?  Or an ineligible player?  In pursuit of a killer story, Mitch decides to find out just who this player is and what he's done.  In the end, the truth surprises everyone.

Genres: Sports, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Teen, Football

298 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2010

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of boys are reluctant readers, tough nuts to crack for parents and teachers who want their kids to read more. Many of these boys are into sports, too -- some merely as fans, and others as actual players. If you know a kid like this and you don't know about Carl Deuker, you should familiarize yourself with Deuker's growing work. He's good at what he does, and what he does is chiefly sports, often with a secondary plot that goes beyond sports.

PAYBACK TIME follows the familiar Deuker formula. Like GYM CANDY, it is centered around high school sports. Like RUNNER, it contains elements of mystery. Together these elements keep you reading as you try, along with the protagonist, to figure out what's going on.

For this book, Deuker forgoes choosing a player for his protagonist and instead employs Dan "Mitch" True, the Lincoln High School sports reporter. He got the name "Mitch" from initially being called "Michelin Man" due to his weight (no doubt, he grew "tired" of it, too). Mitch has noticed this highly-talented player named Angel Marichal who is used infrequently but when necessary by the ambitious Coach McNulty. When Mitch and his cameraman sidekick Kimi Yon ask for an interview and pictures, both Coach and Angel refuse.

Suspicions aroused, Mitch and Kimi start to do some digging into Angel's past. What they learn is disturbing -- but more disturbing still is that they are not getting all of the story. As his heroes are Woodward and Bernstein of Watergate fame, Mitch wants to go to press, but going to press has consequences. And that's where the pigskin hits the artificial turf in the case of this book -- consequences.

Deuker has a way of writing football action that never gets old. It's what he does well and football-crazy boys especially will love it. Wisely, he never writes a sports-only book, but adds depth with other elements -- here the journalism angle. And though I have to steal a star for ending's suspect credibility, I know that, overall, this will score big with Deuker's fans and with those new to him. When you think YA and you think sports, Deuker is your go-to guy in the red zone. That's all there is to it.

[Anna Melomed]

it was ok. Nothing exceptional but the football parts were nicely written.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my new favorite book! I read it for a competition. To be honest i would never have read this book b/c i usually read girly books but I throughly enjoyed this!

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it really got me at the edge of my seat. This book was really good because it kept me guessing different scenarios to what will eventually happen. I could never have guessed what happened at the end. Mitch true will do whatever it takes to get a good story. I really enjoyed reading this book because in the book was about this 17 year old kid who is a reporter in his school and he is about to unravel the intense past of a kid from Philidelphia. The 17 year old Mitch had the help of his photographer Kimi Yon who had really contributed to Mitch's findings about Angel Marchel from Philidelphia. In the end they were able to find out about angel's past and also protect him from it.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story of junior journalists within the overall story.

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly idea of reading a library selection at random brought me to Payback Time. Let me say, this is not a book I would gravitate towards, especially in regards to the heavy sport involvement, but the main character, Mitch, and his fearless antics as a high school reporter had me oddly hooked.

Mitch and his partner, Kimi, are a duo that I loved. While tasked together to report and photograph for the sports section, they notice a mysterious player, Angel, and slowly begin to piece together a potential conspiracy, a story that could jumpstart their careers.

The football commentary was a bore for me, however. It didn't add anything useful to the mystery aspect, and I found myself skipping it once I realized this, but for someone who loves the sport, I could see it being a bonus. Like I mentioned, I read it for my love of Mitch, and his determination to seek the truth. Being an overweight character, given the nickname Michelan Man, there's also a bit of a side story on his journey to get in shape, which I thought added a little bit of charm to the more serious tone of the plot. I wasn't a fan of the ending, but overall I'm not upset I gave this book a shot.

[Iglesias · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about Mitch, a young high school journalist. He hopes that one day he will be a journalist that will uncover some large, life altering news story, such as maybe Watergate or something similar. His high school, Lincoln High School, has a school paper, which Mitch wanted to be the editor of. Mitch was sadly disappointed when they gave him the sports column. He is disappointed because he liked sports but being overweight he often was picked on and never participated in the sports, and some of the people who picked on him now play the sports he will be reporting. Some of first sport articles he must report are the football team’s season and the volleyball team’s season. One day Mitch went to interview a player and saw a kid named Angel on the sideline. Angel had obvious ability, so Mitch and his photographer Kimi thought. When interviewing the coach about Angel, the coached said Angel was nothing to pay attention to. Mitch decides to use his skills to intestate why Angel is looked down upon and not getting much playing time while having great abilities. What is the reason? Mitch and Kimi look to find this as the report games and Mitch loses weight to feel more comfortable with himself.

I enjoyed this book for a couple different reasons, one being the play-by-play in the book of the football games as Mitch reports them (being I’m a huge football fan) and another being the mystery and investigating off why Angel isn't played. Something that wasn't enjoyed had to be the ending, it could have been explained more i believe. I would suggest this book to high school boys that enjoy sports and mysteries.

[Kelly Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be the first sports book I've ever read. Even if you know nothing about football, like me, the sports scenes are great. My one big complaint about the book is the cliche that the author used about the kids with purple hair and tattoos being the druggie kids. Does this guy really think that any kid who feels like dying their hair a bright color is a drug user? Lame. Other than that major annoyance, it was a fun mystery with a great main character.

[Austin Coulthard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

[Baron Grosshans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give payback time a 4-star rating because it caught my attention throughout the read. Throughout the story I made prediction to what will happen next and that is what I like in a good book. It had a good plot involved with football something I enjoy a lot. It also has expecting moments that sort of just pop up in your face and grabs your attention and makes you keep reading. It is a great story of a bigger and unpopular journalist and is the story of becoming a journalist and becoming more well known.

Some of the things I enjoyed from this book are the build up and the events that lead to the climax. I also enjoy the problem as it is constantly developing and is great at keeping the reader's attention and characters are easy to picture and have the story play out in your head. Something's I disliked about this story is the fact that the climax never really happened it just lead up strong then the protagonist saved the day without confrontation. Also, I disliked how the bad guys happened to get on the phone and figure out where Angel is located making it seem really easy and cheesy.

[Emanuel O · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rated the book Payback time by Carl Deuker 5 stars because in my opinion it was very well written. The way the author described the characters in the book made me easily picture what they looked like and what their personality was like.The book was about a junior in high school named Mitch who is a reporter for the school newspaper.He is in pursuit of a killer story when he finds out about a mysterious football player named Angel who seems to have no past Mitch knows he has a really strong arm but doesn’t allow himself to shine on the football field.Mitch throughout the story wonders if he is an undercover cop or an ineligible player.I discovered this book on destiny discover when i read a short summary of the book it looked interesting to read.I have read other books from this author and they were really good which led me to read this book i like the way the author writes his books they are full of suspense and keep you reading to find out what happens next.

[Joey Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, a high school journalist gets put on sports, which he used to play when he was younger. His name is Mitch and he is fat. People make fun of him, and call him names all the time. He doesn't want to be sports but the new president of the newspaper makes him. He then just does the best can, and a new player comes to the team. He is a superstar, but very suspicious. Mitch works and follows and tracks him down to find out the truth. It really is a big shocker and I'll let you figure that out for yourself. The plot twist when he finds a it out had me thinking about the book for a long time. The author really did a great job on this one, and if you like sports books, this is A MUST READ.

[Brandon Valet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was fun to read because it's a sports book and I like to read about sports. Daniel True is the main character. He is a journalist for his school's newspaper. However, his school doesn't have a lot to write about. So, when a new kid, Angel Marichal, shows up and is the best football player his Seattle school's ever had, he jumps right in to investigate. What he finds out, shocks him and his school.
I'll stop there because there's a surprise ending, and I'd HATE to ruin it. You'll just have to read it to find out if he gets a good story. If you like sports books, this is definitely for you

[Tomas_oconnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the book "Payback Time" by Carl Deuker to be very interesting. The main character is a high school senior named Mitch True, he is a part of the schools newspaper group and wants to go on to publish articles for big newspaper companies when he graduates. But his senior year took a big turn when he was not made head of the school paper, he was instead put on the sports section. At first he did not like the idea of doing the sports articles until He found out that he would be doing them with a girl named Kimi. They became very good friends throughout the book and make very good articles for the school papers sports section. They also got into a deep investigation into one of the football players who seemed to be hiding something. I would recommend this book to any people who like sports and mystery books. This book has a very interesting plot and I am very glad that I read it.

[Jack McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book payback time by carl deuker and i rated it a 4 out of 5 stars because i like the story and the suspense. The book follows a guy named mitch who is a junior in high school who is trying to uncover the mystery of a kid at the school named angel. They both play football and i really like how the football parts were written because they really made me feel like I was in the book. I took away a star because I didnt like the ending, but the rest of the book was still good. I found this book on destiny discover and I chose this book because I read the back and liked the sound of it. I think if you like good sport books then this would be a good choice for most people because the football sections are really good and interesting. I would recommend this to people and I might check out some of his other books because I overall liked this book and the way it was written.

[Dakota Riedesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever read a story that involves a kid that's a beast and moved all the way across the country to play football? A reporter for the school's newspaper has to follow all the sports and finds this kid that is a beast and is sitting on the bench. He starts looking into the mysterious thing and tries to find out why hes sitting on the bench when the starter is smaller and not as good as he is. I enjoyed this book because it involves sports and has an adventure.

[Kim Bahr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong play-by-play description for football fans. Also a good theme as to why you should not stick your nose into other people's business.

[Colin Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was about sports. There was nothing really that I disliked. My favorite character was Angel. He was my favorite because he is mysterious and not open to speak about his past. I like that because he looks forward rather than back. He wants to forget his past. The setting takes place at Lincoln High School in Seattle, Washington. I would recommend this book to people who like sports and or mystery. Also I recommend to people in case they just want to read a book for fun. This is a good book to read and even if you don't like sports or mystery I would still recommend it, although if you don't like long books this might not be for you.

[Zackary Baker]

The book Payback Time is one of my new favorite books. Mitch True was my favorite character because he acts and has a lot of the same characteristics as I do. Mitch follows the same pace throughout the book which makes for a better read. By far my favorite event was the championship game towards the end of the book. The action back thrill of the whole event made me want to never stop reading. Carl Deuker writing style allows the book to be read fairly easy. I made several connections throughout the book such as when Mitch was determined to lose weight. I would suggest this book to anyone who loves a good mystery and action packed thrill ride.

[SchultzBry2021M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lights flashing, crowd screaming, It’s third down a close game. This is about a kid who is a person who interviews the player after the games. The book is Payback Time, the author is Carl Deuker. So far I would give the book a four star rating because at some points it can get a little slow at times. But sometimes it will get you sitting on the edge of your chair and have a little mystery. I also like how the book has a little bit of romance.
The one bad thing when Mitch-the main character- is just talking to people. Or when he's going to the game to interview a player or a coach.” “Where are u going?” I called out as I broke out into a trot to catch up. “To interview him.” “ But McNulty said no.” “He can’t turn us down now that Angel has saved the game.”We worked our way to the door leading to the locker rooms. Kimi stepped back then and gave me a push. I stood tall, sucked in my gut, and knocked hard on the door. After a minute it opened.”I’d like to interview Angel Marichal,” I said, flashing my press pass. The security cop- a giant who could have been a poster boy for LA Fitness- looked at me as if I were a fly that might not be worth swatting. “You from the newspaper?” “Does that matter?” Kimi said. He looked past Kimi, and the edge in his voice softened. “Wait here.” We stood for five minutes before the door reopened. “ Coach McNulty said no,”the guy said, only looking at Kimi. “i'm sorry.” At some points it can get slow and it’s just people talking. Like in this when you're reading you're just sitting there waiting for some action to happen.
The next reason why I gave the book four stars is sometimes it will get you sitting on the edge of your chair. The book will have a few little parts of action the it will leave u with a little cliff hanger. “They’d been playing catch for ten minutes when an old blue cadillac turned right and headed straight for the empty parking lot. Immediately both of them stopped and stared, like wild animals on alert. The older guy motioned for Angel to move behind one of the cars in the lot, and then reached into the inner pocket of his leather jacket and pulled something out. It gleamed silvery in the sunlight as he held it stiffly against his thigh. A gun? Was it a gun?” Then Mitch starts to wonder if it was a gun or not and thinking if it was why did he have one?
There is a little bit of romance every once in awhile. “ That was it. Five minutes passed. Ten minutes. Fifteen. “ Do you wanna listen to music?” I asked. She yawned. “ That would be cool.” I had some jazz CDs in the backseat- Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, stuff that was different and I’d brought to impress her. Before I could reach for them, she pulled out her iPod, stuck the buds in her ears, put on sunglasses, and leaned against the window. She was gone then, her eyes closed, her music filling her world.” They have some parts of romance and this is the first one and he tries to impress her with some music, but then she listens to her own music.
At this point i would still give it four stars. Because some parts it can get really slow and that boring for readers. Then the book has some action and mystery to keep you wanting to read more to find out what happens next. Also the book has a little bit of romance to reminder the reads about the characters and how they feel about each other. This book Is Payback Time By Carl Deuker. I would recommend this book to people who like sports or play sports and i play sports so i'm enjoying it so far.

[Chase Seliger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carl Deuker’s book, Payback Time, the only book in its series, is about a teenager named Daniel True or Mitch, who has the dream to be a big reporter. Ever since Mitch was little, he has had the dream to be a reporter. Even though he needs to start out low at being a school reporter, he’s in love with that. Everyone knows every reporter has at least one big story and Mitch thinks he has his hands on his when a new kid named Angel Marichal comes to their high school. Angel is a very shadowy guy that seems to be really good at sports, but Mitch is the only one to be seeing his potential because Coach McNulty won’t play him, which makes Mitch very suspicious. This is when Mitch starts to dig his hands into places most people wouldn't do. Is Angel hiding something? Is Coach McNulty hiding something? You’ll have to read this good, thrilling book that keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting to read more.

There are a few themes that stand out within this book, including acceptance, persistence, and making tough choices. These are the main themes within the book because Mitch needs to face many problems that he needs to overcome and he needs to be able to accept things for what they are, which he does. Carl Deuker, enjoys writing books about sports which he has many others that include a sport, which is mostly football, so that is his reason for writing this book Payback Time.

I believed the plot was very good, it had a very smooth transition into everything unlike other books where they jump to conclusion. This book made me hang on my edge of my seat to see what would happen next. This is one of those books that makes you completely visualize it in your head like it was a movie, I was able to see every part like it was a movie. The ending was good but at least there was an epilogue because it continued the ending better, so if there wasn't an epilogue then the ending would've been kind of bad but other wise it was good. I believe the pacing of the book was phenomenal, because like I said before everything was paced perfectly. I would recommend this book to anyone who is into sports books, and books that have a sort of a twist. If you liked this book after reading this one, i would recommend reading Carl Deuker’s other books, including Gym Candy and Heart of a Champion.

[Nick Lengwin]

Payback Time by Carl Deuker is a sports/mystery book. It is about an overweight, nobody kid named Daniel True but everybody calls him "Mitch" because he looks like the Michelin Man. Mitch is a high school student that is a part of the school newspaper staff. He hopes to get elected as editor but loses the election and gets assigned to sports. His main focus is the football team. Mitch is instructed by the football coach to write about the teams success and about their star quarterback. Throughout the season, Mitch notices a new star on the team named Angel Marichal. Angel is a new student there. He is clearly the best defensive player on the team yet the coach never starts him and only plays him for a few downs. Mitch and his photographer friend Kimi, investigate the story to find out who Angel really is and whys the coach never plays him as he should. In the end, they find out about Angel's scary past and the danger he now faces due to them exposing who he really is.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the suspense and the surprising turns. This is not a typical sports book where an athlete has an issue that he/she fights though and wins in the end. This book is mainly about the journalism part. Being in the journalism class this year made me really enjoy this book more than I probably would have. I can actually relate to the main character. I understand how he has to write and dig deep to get information for his stories. I also understand the interviewing he does from the journalist's point of view.

I also like how this book was written. It is written in today's language with even some modern slang that a kid my age can understand. It also describes all the sporting and journalism aspects very well that the reader can comprehend easily. While the main focus of the story is about who this Angel kid is, it also has some typical high school stuff like popularity, rumors, romance, etc. This is stuff someone my age can relate to.

Payback time is a very different sports book. It focused on more of the story behind the story rather than the actual books. I'd say this is more of a mystery book with sports mixed. I would recommend this book to all football, sports, and mystery lovers. Also to people to like journalism storyies and finding out the truth.

[Kyle Sheedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kyle Sheedy



Payback Time, by Carl Deuker, is an exciting fictional novel that focuses on football and
Mysteries all in one book. Deuker also wrote the book, Gym Candy also a book about
Football. If you are interested in reading about football you should grab this book ASAP.

In this novel, the main character is Daniel True a school journalist who finds his self-motivation
throughout the book when facing very big obstacles. Sometimes in the book he needs to be smart and courageous especially when he tries to discover a scandal with the football team.

The novel tells us about Dan and Kimi who work for the school newspaper, and they discover
That there a mysterious player on the field named Angel. They notice that he does great in football practice, but doesn't allow himself to shine on the field for some reason. Dan and kimi try to find the truth about Angel, trying to figure out if he is undercover somehow. In the end it will definitely be a surprise to the reader.

Carl Deuker teaches the reader to never give up on yourself even if there are obstacles, and soon you will get where you want to be. I like the theme of this book because I knew never to give up on something if I wanted it.

I really liked how the book focused on football and it went play by play at some points that I didn't want to stop reading. The novel kind of related to me in some way because I play football and in my life I knew there were going to be big obstacles, but I never gave up on myself.

A quote I really liked in the book was "With an eleven point lead, Ferris changed their defense, dropping their safeties deep, trying to take away the deep threat and the quick touchdown"(276)". This quote I like because the author goes in deep to the game and makes you interested in reading about it every play.

The action in the novel Payback Time is incredible, keeping you engaged in every sentence of the book. I would recommend this book to people that like a lot of action and are a fan of sports.

[Hunter Soerens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pay Back Time


Personal Response
To me this was a really interesting book. It was very interesting to see how a reporter do their jobs. The one thing i enjoyed was how much excitement was in this book. It was interesting to hear all about college football through a reporter's eyes.


Plot
A boy named Mitch is a sophomore at lincoln college. He's waiting for the results of whos the head reporter. The names are called and his name was for sports. Mitch knows nothing about sports, but that's about to change. His first came he notices a person he's never seen before on the field. The kid's name was Angel. Head coach McNulty had him benched till the fourth quarter then he finally went in. Angel tore it up in there. Tackle after tackle he just kept pushing the ball farther and farther back. When Mitch asks McNulty to give Angel a interview he says no and don't ask again. Mitch decides to do some work on this guy. Every game that season McNulty held his star player till fourth Quarter or didn't put him in. Well Mitch finds out that Angel moved from pennsylvania after saving some kid from a gun fight. He also finds out the gang is looking for him cause Angel pointed them out of a line up for the shooting. So McNulty was just trying to keep him on the down low so he wasn't found. Pretty smart if you think about it.


Characterization
Mitch Was fat but then he worked and worked on his running and the food he ate to become a little skinnier. Coach Mcknutly didn’t mind Mitch asking him for information on Angel, but later in the story he didn’t want them to even say Angels name.


Personal Response
I would recommend this book to ay gender. Age wise i would say 12 and up. It´s a pretty easy book to read but there's some big words in it. If people like books with adventure and excitement this is a book for them.

[Noah Rucks · Rating 4 out of 5]

PERSONAL RESPONSE:
I liked the book Payback Time by Carl Deuker, because I related to this book by me playing football. I thought this book was great. I felt like I was there watching the games.

PLOT:
In the book Payback Time they were picking people for a school paper. Mitch got the job of the reporter for the sports section which he thought he would not like, because he wanted the editor position. He went to the football coach, and the coach only wanted the quarterback to be interviewed. The coach scared Mitch, because Mitch wanted to interview some other players. Mitch saw there was a new guy called Angel on the team which had great talent but would hide the talent. Mitch asked coach who he was but coach would not say. Coach changes Angel’s jersey number game to game, and only plays him second string. Mitch wanted to find out why this was.

CHARACTERIZATION:
Mitch was the main character in the book. He was trying to become a reporter for a big company. He got the name “Mitch” from a childhood nickname. He used to play football when he was younger but not in his high school career.

SETTING:
Payback Time takes place in Seattle. This takes place in a small town between the late stages of summer and beginning of the season fall.The school is called Lincoln High School and some of the book takes place there. There is lot of action on the football fields and football practice field. This could be present time or it is around the 90's.


RECOMMENDATION:
I recommend this to middle schoolers and up. The book targets people who like football and or plays the game of football. Any guy or girl could read the book but it was mostly targeting boys.

[Dan Hanlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review of Carl Deuker’s Payback time
In Payback time, the story tells about a teenager at a high school named Mitch and he is a reporter and writer for the school newspaper. There is a new kid who joins the football team that goes by “Angel“. There is no background information about this new kid. Mitch sees him acting odd in school and not wanting to be recognized by anyone. The coach also gives him different numbers for his jersey so people don't know who he is. Anger has great talent on the football field and Mitch wants to find out the background information on this kid and thinks that Angel really isn't a high schooler and that the coach is cheating. Mitch goes on investigations to find out whether Angel really is a high schooler or someone else.
I thought that the author did a good job of explaining how Mitch investigates to find out who Angel really is. The author did good on how the events went in order. The story starts out really slow. I think that the author could have sped up the beginning of the book because the first couple of chapters are slow but once Angel became a part of the story things changed in a positive way. The message of the story would be making tough choices and doing what is right. In the story Mitch has to make some pretty risky decisions to find out about Angel. Mitch knows that finding out that Angel could be someone else than a high schooler and reporting it could make everyone hate him but he feels it is the right decision to make.
I would rate this book a ⅘ stars. This book was overall very good. I feel that it had great events throughout the story and the whole storyline was amazing. I would recommend this book to any sports fans or anyone who is interested in mysteries.

[Jenelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never would have guessed that I'd like this book.

Yeah, it's got a lot of football in it, but it's also a mystery, and surprisingly clean (I'm sorry, but no gang member is going to yell "I'm gonna beat the crap out of you!", but I appreciate the gesture nonetheless).

I was charmed by Mitch, too. I'm not sure I've encountered a high school male protag with quite the same personality.

Anyway, pretty nice.

[Adam Krause · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “Payback Time” by Carl Deuker is an ok book. Senior Daniel True is short, pale and overweight. His nickname is the Michelin Man, or Mitch for short. Mitch wants to be an investigative reporter but, for now, he’s stuck covering sports for the school newspaper. In true investigative style, Mitch wants to dig deeper into the mysterious Angel, an older-looking transfer student with “NFL skills” whom football Coach McNulty is hiding on the bench until key moments of play. Coach changes Angel’s shirt number game to game and only plays him second string. He refuses Mitch’s requests for interviews. Mitch is sure that Coach is hiding something and is determined to dig into Angel’s past.

Mitch is the main character in the book and is trying to become a sports reporter. He has gotten the name “Mitch” from a childhood nickname “The Michelin Man.” Mitch is trying to uncover the secrets of his local football team, but the coach has some secrets not worth sharing.

The book takes place in the 90’s in Lincoln High School. A majority of the book is at the school, but occasionally goes off into the football field.

The thematic connection is hard to pick up in this book. It is a sports novel, but all it talks about is how this new player is so good, and why the coach tries to hide him. I suppose there is a connection with perseverance. Showing how hard Mitch works to uncover the truth could be the theme.

This book is a good read for high school athletes. Most of the book is clean, but there is some language between the Coach and Mitch. I recommend it for sporty readers.

[Jackson Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great book with a good plot. Highly recommend it!

[Hailey Krabbe]

This book is about a journalist for Lincoln Lights high school news paper. His name is Daniel True, more likely to be known as Mitch a nickname that was picked up through the years. This was his senior year and in the newspaper he was just switched to the sports column, something he didn't really know much about since he got cut from the football team his freshman year. The first story he was put on was football, because that's what most high school students care about. What's worse than covering football? Having to interview your exbestfriend, the one who didn't get cut from the team. Daniel was stuck with the most attractive photographer that Lincoln lights had on the staff which was the one thing he didn't complain about. At a football practice one day, Alyssa and Daniel were sitting at practice watching and saw something that they wanted to know more about. But should they dig into it? Or just let it go.
I would definitely recommend this book to football players because then they can see what happens behind the scenes of some of their team members. Do you really know what everyone's past and home life is about? I think this book is a good, fast and easy read for any teenagers that like reading and enjoy sports. The book is not gender specific because the two main characters are a girl and a boy.