Left Out

New York Times bestselling author and former NFL player Tim Green tells a heartfelt and moving story about a deaf boy’s journey to change how others see him―both on and off the football field. Perfect for fans of Mike Lupica.

Landon Dorch wants to be like everyone else. But his deafness and the way he talks have always felt like insurmountable obstacles. But now he finally sees his chance to fit in. Bigger and taller than any other seventh grader in his new school, Landon plans to use his size to his advantage and join the school’s football team. But the same speech problems and the cochlear implants that help him hear continue to haunt him.

Just when it looks like Landon will be left out of football for good, an unlikely friend comes along. But in the end only Landon can fight his way off the bench and through a crowded field of bullies bent on seeing him forever left out.

• A Deaf Protagonist: Experience the game and the hallways of middle school through the eyes of Landon Dorch, a seventh grader whose cochlear implants don’t stop him from dreaming big.
• Middle Grade Football Book: Landon is bigger and taller than anyone on the field. Now he has to prove he has the heart to fight his way off the bench and become the player he knows he can be.
• Facing Down Bullies: Moving to a new school is tough enough without a team of rivals trying to keep you on the sidelines for good. This is a powerful story about standing up for yourself.
• Teamwork and Friendship: Just when it seems like he’ll be left out forever, an unexpected friendship with a teammate changes everything.

Tim Green, for many years a star defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons, is a man of many talents. He's the author of such gripping books for adults as the New York Times bestselling The Dark Side of the Game and American Outrage. Tim graduated covaledictorian from Syracuse University and was a first-round draft pick. He later earned his law degree with honors, and he has also worked as an NFL commentator for FOX Sports and NPR.

His first book for young readers, Football Genius, inspired in part by his players and his own kids, became a New York Times bestseller and was followed by Football Hero, Football Champ, The Big Time, and Deep Zone. He drew on his experiences playing and coaching Little League for Rivals and Pinch Hit and two more New York Times bestsellers: Baseball Great and Best of the Best.

Bestselling author Jon Scieszka called Tim Green's Unstoppable, a book about a boy's struggle with cancer that debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, "Absolutely heroic. And something every guy should read.”

Tim Green lives with his wife, Illyssa, and their five children in upstate New York.