Football Books

Go Long! (Kickoff)

Ronde Barber, Tiki Barber

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

It's Tiki and Ronde's second year on their junior high school football team, the Hidden Valley Eagles. The eighth-grade season is here, and the boys have come together as a team. Now key starters, Tiki and Ronde are ready for a great season, and with hard work and determination, maybe they will even go all the way to the State Championship!

But when Coach Spangler announces that he has been asked to move up to the high school team, and Mr. Wheeler, the science teacher, is tapped for the head coaching job, the season seems over before it begins. Sure, Coach Wheeler played college football until he was benched by an injury, but it just isn't the same. Tiki wants to give Coach Wheeler a chance, yet the team's loyalties are divided. What does a science teacher know about the game of football? Can the team work together, get behind their new coach, and play smart?

Inspired by the childhood of NFL superstars Tiki and Ronde Barber, Go Long! is a story of teamwork, perseverance, and what it takes to be a champion.

Kickoff!

Tiki Barber, Ronde Barber

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Hut! Hut! Go long, Tiki!"

Tiki and Ronde's twelfth summer is winding down--the nights are getting shorter and the evenings cooler. That means two things: The first day of junior high is just a few days away, and it's almost the start of football season at last. With two championships and an 8-2 season last year, Tiki and Ronde are ready to graduate from the Peewee League and hit the field as starting players for the Hidden Valley Eagles.

But junior high is a lot bigger than elementary school. The competition for starting spots is stiff, and seniority rules. If Tiki and Ronde make it past tryouts and cuts, will they get the chance to play, or will they have to spend the season watching from the bench with the other seventh graders?

Inspired by the childhood of NFL superstars Tiki and Ronde Barber, Kickoff! is a story of teamwork, perseverance, and what it takes to be a champion.

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Amazon.com Exclusive Q&A with NFL Superstars Tiki Barber and Ronde Barber, Authors of Kickoff!

Amazon.com: How do the lessons learned on the field benefit a player's academic life?

Tiki Barber: The structure and discipline that it takes to understand schemes and game plans are great tools that transcend the playing field and carry into the classroom. Additionally, because of the strict academic guidelines for athletes, doing well in school is often a requirement for participation.

Ronde Barber: I honestly don’t think they benefit it in a direct way. To me, playing lessons are more life lessons. What you are as a student is more a reflection of what you are willing to put into your schoolwork. And in that way I guess it correlates but only because in sports, if you’re talented enough and have enough drive, you will reap the rewards of the hard work you put into it.

Amazon.com: In Kickoff! Tiki and Ronde are faced with a tough decision: Should they stick with the team even if it means riding the bench? What advice do you have for kids who love their sport but aren’t getting a lot of playing time on the field?

Ronde: You are the only one who can control how hard you work regardless of your current amount of playing time. There may be better players on your team, but that doesn't mean you can't outwork them. It takes absolutely no talent to work hard, do your best, and be the most focused guy. Eventually we all get our opportunity.

Tiki: I would encourage them to keep their eyes on the prize. If you never stop trying then you will never fail. I would also tell them to try and differentiate themselves by developing a specific skill or to consider a different position that may suit their talents better.

Amazon.com: How important is a positive attitude to a team's success?

Tiki: A positive attitude is critical to a team’s success. There was a poster in our locker room that speaks specifically to this: "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right!" It's the belief that you can be successful that pulls you through the tough times, on the field and off.

Ronde: You only get out of anything what your mind is willing to accept is possible. The best way to gain success is to prepare for success and then see it through. So if you don't believe it is possible, chances are it won’t be.

Amazon.com: How can a player get the attention of his or her coach?

Ronde: Do the right things and take coaching well. No one, especially a coach, likes a negative attitude.

Tiki: A good way to get a coach to notice you is to volunteer to do things that other players might shy away from. For example, in football, being a special teams player is important but lacks that glory that athletes crave. By volunteering to do the grunt work, you show your coach that you have the passion to be on the field and help the team win.

Amazon.com: Growing up, what was the most important thing you learned from your coaches?

Tiki: That even though you put all of your energy into something, and still fail, don't be discouraged, because in actuality you’ve learned a valuable lesson that will help you be successful in the future.

Ronde: Well, I had lots of coaches growing up and they all had important influences on me. It would be hard to say any one is more important than another. But what sticks out to me is the idea of just playing hard. Expect adversity. And force your will on your opposition.

Amazon.com: What advice do you have for students who have a difficult time balancing school and sports?

Ronde: To me the best part of playing sports in school was that it made me organize my time in order to get everything done. Unlike regular kids, student athletes have less free time to commit to their schoolwork. So I would encourage them to schedule their day around their sport. You know when you have to be at practice, and you know when you have to be at school. The time in between you can get a lot done, so make it a routine that you can stick with.

Tiki: Make lists. It allows you to prioritize the important things in your life. When you can systematically check off the day’s tasks, you’re more able to focus on completing them.

Amazon.com: Growing up, did you ever get nervous before a game or in the classroom? How did you handle it?

Tiki: I was always nervous before every game and in the classroom, at test time for instance. I was always able to handle it by visualizing success: Playing the seAmazon.comuence of events through my head helped prepare me for what was ahead.

Ronde: Everyone feels nerves or anxiety at times. I think of it as excess energy. There is nothing you can really do to get rid of it. The best way I know how to deal with it is to make sure you are prepared to succeed. If you know you have studied enough for a test or practiced enough for a game, then you can expect to know how you will do, and in that way you can embrace those nerves and use that energy to your advantage.

Amazon.com: Kickoff! delivers the message that "players make plays, but teams win championships." How does this message apply to sports and life?

Ronde: I don’t think we can ever really accomplish anything in life by ourselves. We always have parents, friends, coaches, teachers that lift us up and help us along. In a sense, that is your team in life just as a good Amazon.comuarterback needs good receivers to help him or a good running back needs a good offensive line. Only together can they succeed. So when we compete or when we test, yes, it’s the individual that has to make the "play" but it's the whole team that wins in the end.

Tiki: We all have individual responsibilities in sports and in life. Personal focus and dedication are paramount to being successful individually, but it is the coordinated effort of the many that ultimately brings fulfillment. That applies to a team, a marriage, a job, etc. We are all components of something, and the strength of all components determines the viability of the whole.

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Deadline

Chris Crutcher

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HarperTeen Amazon Marketplace: 56 new & used starting at $6.30

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Ben Wolf has big things planned for his senior year. Had big things planned. Now what he has is some very bad news and only one year left to make his mark on the world.

How can a pint-sized, smart-ass seventeen-year-old do anything significant in the nowheresville of Trout, Idaho?

First, Ben makes sure that no one else knows what is going on—not his superstar quarterback brother, Cody, not his parents, not his coach, no one. Next, he decides to become the best 127-pound football player Trout High has ever seen; to give his close-minded civics teacher a daily migraine; and to help the local drunk clean up his act.

And then there's Dallas Suzuki. Amazingly perfect, fascinating Dallas Suzuki, who may or may not give Ben the time of day. Really, she's first on the list.

Living with a secret isn't easy, though, and Ben's resolve begins to crumble . . . especially when he realizes that he isn't the only person in Trout with secrets.

Hooray For Fly Guy! (Fly Guy)

Tedd Arnold

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Editorial Review:

"Flies can't play football," says the coach. But Fly Guy and Buzz are determined to prove him wrong. New readers will experience both pride and delight as they read the simple text and look at the funny pictures of Fly Guy trying to kick a football, go out for a pass, and tackle his friend Buzz. In the end Fly Guy scores and gets to do his hilarious touchdown dance.

Hooray for Fly Guy!

The first book in the Fly Guy series, Hi! Fly Guy, is a Theodor Geisel Honor Book.

By My Brother's Side

Tiki Barber, Ronde Barber

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Highly Recommended 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If this book were any sweeter it would cause cavities.

I bought this book for my 7 year old and I think I like it more than he does.

Tiki and Ronde demonstrate how they work together off the football field when Tiki injures his leg one summer. Their brotherly bond helps Tiki to wait out his injury and eventually make it back to the playing field better than ever.

Football is a side note to the themes of patience, endurance, doing the right thing (Homework!), and overcoming what seem to be insurmountable odds.

I hope they write more books like this one.

Editorial Review:

Tiki and Ronde were each other's best friends. Together from the start, these twins might not have been the strongest or the tallest, but they were fast and worked hard at what they loved. And they loved sports, especially football.

Then one day Tiki badly hurt his knee in a biking accident, and he was sure he'd never be able to play again. Their mother had always told them, "You are each other's best friends. Stick together, believe in yourselves, and you can do anything." They kept her words in their hearts and never gave up.

Based on the childhood of National Football League superstars Ronde and Tiki Barber, this inspiring book about the values of family, hard work, and determination is the story of what it takes to be a champion.

Knights of the Hill Country

Tim Tharp

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In a small Oklahoma town, one star linebacker must decide what kind of man he wants to be--both on and off the field.
Welcome to Kennisaw--where Friday night high school football ranks right up there with God and country, and sometimes even comes in first. This year, the Kennisaw Knights are going for their fifth straight undefeated season, and if they succeed, they'll be more than the best high school team in the eastern Oklahoma hill country--they'll be legends.

But the Knights' legacy is a heavy weight to carry for Hampton, linebacker and star of the team. On the field, he's so in control you'd think he was able to stop time. But his life off the field is a different story. His father walked out on him and his mom years ago, and now his mom has a new boyfriend every week. He's drawn to a smart, quirky girl at school--the type a star athlete just isn't supposed to associate with. And meanwhile, his best friend and teammate Blaine--the true friend who first introduced Hampton to football back when he had nothing else--is becoming uncomfortably competitive, and he's demanding Hampton's loyalty even as Hampton thinks he's going too far.

This unforgettable novel is the story of a boy whose choices will decide the kind of man he becomes, and raises powerful questions about sportsmanship, loyalty, and the deceptiveness of legends.


From the Hardcover edition.

You Can Do It!

Tony Dungy

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Sweet story, expressive illustrations 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

There is a sweetness to this illustrated storybook about a young boy whose siblings all know what their passion is, but he doesn't know his. This book is best for kids unsure of what they want to be when they grow up. That description fits almost everyone! When young Linden feels anxious that he hasn't found his niche, readers will undoubtedly relate.

Linden's older brother Tony and scientist dad gently help him search for his "it," his passion. They remind him to have patience and trust in God to reveal this special talent. "Just keep having faith," Dad tells Linden. The boy finds his "it" during a trip to the dentist.

This true story was written by the head coach of the 2006 Super Bowl champions.

Expressive watercolors fill the pages with color from edge to edge. The loving African-American family is realistically rendered. Illustrator Amy June Bates has a knack for showing movement and action, and depicting real people.

Under the dust jacket the cover has the exact same artwork on the front and photo of Tony Dungy on the back.

Editorial Review:

Tony Dungy's little brother, Linden, is a third grader who is having a bad day at school. Linden is the youngest of the Dungy family and the least motivated because he hasn't found "it." In a family where everyone seems to have found their special talent, all Linden knows is that he wants to make people happy.

With encouragement from his parents, a helping hand from his older brother Tony, and inspiration from God, Linden learns that if he dreams big and has faith, he can do anything!

Dairy Queen

Catherine Murdock

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

My New Favorite Book!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I loooooved this modern day tale of a not so obviouse couple falling in love!! I've suggested this charming book to all of my friends and at the moment is being borrowed by one of them and a few others are on hold waiting for it! If you read this then you MUST read the sequal "The Off Season"!!!

Editorial Review:

When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.

Harsh words indeed, from Brian Nelson of all people. But, D. J. can't help admitting, maybe he's right.

When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.

Stuff like why her best friend, Amber, isn't so friendly anymore. Or why her little brother, Curtis, never opens his mouth. Why her mom has two jobs and a big secret. Why her college-football-star brothers won't even call home. Why her dad would go ballistic if she tried out for the high school football team herself. And why Brian is so, so out of her league.

When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said.

Welcome to the summer that fifteen-year-old D. J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, learns to talk, and ends up having an awful lot of stuff to say.

Kick, Pass, and Run (I Can Read Book 2)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An excellent book for little football fans 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Both of our sons love sports. And both have loved this book. It's simple, easy to understand and easy to enjoy. I, and my boys, like it because the stars are the animals, and the little boys that play football. The pictures are simple and descriptive enough to convey the message and the story moves along quickly enough to keep short attention spans occupied. We've read Kick pass and Run hundreds of times in the last 4 years, and now that we own a copy of it ourselves, we'll probably read it twice as often.

Editorial Review:

Rabbit was the first one to hear it.
Duck was the first one to see it.
Cat was the first one to feel it.

But what is it? It turns out to be a football, and it leads the animal friends to discover the exciting game of football.

Young sports fans have cheered Kick, Pass, and Run for thirty years. Now Leonard Kessler has reillustrated his classic I Can Read Book in full color, bringing this popular tale to a new generation of beginning readers.