Game Plan

Dygard, Thomas J.

ISBN 10: 0606075550 ISBN 13: 9780606075558

Publisher: Demco Media, 1995

Synopsis

When the hospitalization of Barton High's head football coach forces skinny student manager Beano Hatton to step in, he must deal with a rebellious quarterback and his own lack of confidence

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-9-When the Barton High School football team's coach is injured in a car accident, the student manager is asked to fill in for the last game of the season. Beano Hatton is a stereotypical nerd, unathletic but intelligent. All of a sudden, he must command the respect and trust of the team members who have virtually ignored him for the last three years. The notion of a student manager being made acting coach is ridiculous. Dygard only halfheartedly tries to explain why no adults can substitute for the man. Even worse, he dismisses the female basketball coach from consideration solely because she is a woman. Even if readers accept the far-fetched premise, Beano's obligatory moments of self-doubt are unconvincing. By the time the game has ended, he comes off as the greatest coach since Knute Rockne. He doesn't make a mistake all game, and every one of his ideas is a resounding success, resulting in the inevitable victory. A bland, formulaic book that bogs down even further during an unbearably boring game sequence.
George Delalis, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

When tiny Barton High's football coach is hospitalized a week before the season's last game, only bookish student manager Hubert ``Beano'' Hatton is available to step in. Never having coached before, Beano is faced with several challenges: organizing practice sessions, dealing with the local media, gaining his team's respect, outfacing prima donna quarterback Marty Tucker, and--most importantly--working out a plan to beat the Carterville Bobcats. Dygard develops the idea that thinking, as much as athletic ability, wins games, and shows real insight into the art of coaching. Concealing his uncertainty behind a confident mask, Beano rises to the occasion; and his sharp analysis of Carterville's players gives his team the victory. As usual with Dygard, the climactic game is a real edge-of-the-seater; younger readers will also appreciate the simple language and repetition of key points. (Fiction. 10-13) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Demco Media
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0606075550
• ISBN 13: 9780606075558
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 220