The Walk On (The Triple Threat, 1) - Hardcover

Feinstein, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385753462 ISBN 13: 9780385753463

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2014

Synopsis

Bestselling sportswriter John Feinstein kicks off a new series for middle grade featuring Alex Myers, a student athlete who tries to take on the sports establishment in his new town.
 
Alex Myers is a quarterback, but from the first day of football practice, it’s clear that that position is very much filled by the coach’s son, Matt.
 
Alex has the better arm, but Matt has more experience—and the coach’s loyalty. Alex finally gets a chance to show what he can do when Matt is injured, and he helps win a key game to keep the Lions’ bid for the state championship alive. But just when his star is rising, Alex gets blindsided—the state has started drug testing, and Alex’s test comes back positive for steroids. Alex knows that’s not right. But he doesn’t know if it’s a mistake—or if someone wants to make sure he can’t play. . . .
 
John Feinstein has been praised as “the best writer of sports books in America today” (The Boston Globe), and this first installment in the Triple Threat series is his most thrilling and suspenseful novel yet. Fans of Mike Lupica, Tim Green, and Paul Volponi will want to check out The Walk On, and its companion, The Sixth Man.
 
“A cliffhanger of a football novel bristling with social, personal, familial and ethical issues to complement the gridiron action. . . . All the goods for the sports enthusiast—and more.” —Kirkus Reviews

About this title

About the Author

JOHN FEINSTEIN is the author of many bestselling books, including A Season on the Brink and A Good Walk Spoiled. His books for young readers offer a winning combination of sports, action, and intrigue, with Last Shot receiving the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best young adult mystery of the year. He lives in Potomac, Maryland, and on Shelter Island, New York, with his family.

From School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up—This book begins with freshman Alex Myers, a new transplant to Chester Heights, Pennsylvania, at varsity football tryouts where he meets fellow newbie, Jonas Ellington. Unbelievably, both are superior to the upperclassmen in their positions, quarterback for Alex and wideout for Jonas. Dictated by the quest for another State Championship, and the subsequent scholarship offers for upperclassmen, high school football politics kick in, and Alex finds himself playing backup behind two lesser quarterbacks. The starting quarterback, who happens to be Head Coach Gordon's son, quickly honors Alex with the nickname "Goldie" in recognition of Alex's faultless throwing arm. While most of the school blindly cheers the dictates of Coach Gordon, the school newspaper is a breeding ground of investigative reporters, one being freshman Christine Whitford. Football action on the field, suspicious events off the field, combined with modern dilemmas faced by both teen and adult characters, make this coming-of-age story a page-turner for all mystery and sports fans. It compares well with Mike Lupica's QB 1 (Philomel, 2013), which focuses on a freshmen quarterback in Texas, and Carl Deuker's Payback Time (Houghton Harcourt, 2010), which follows a high school journalism student who investigates a football player. Feinstein's latest is an excellent addition to sports-fiction collections.—Sharon Lawler, Texas Bluebonnet Award Committee

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0385753462
• ISBN 13: 9780385753463
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368