FOOTBALL CHAMP

Twelve-year-old Troy White has an uncanny ability to see football patterns, a talent that enables him to correctly predict what plays will be run next. When this sports thriller opens, Troy is working for the Atlanta Falcons. Troy’s gift has been a particular boon for Seth Halloway, the team’s aging and aching star linebacker, who, despite his fame, is a centered guy who coaches Troy’s middle-school football team. The story kicks off when an unscrupulous reporter—Green’s characters tend to be either paragons or poisonous—gets wind of Troy’s talent and then later, because of an old grudge, accuses Seth of steroid abuse. As the stakes rise for Troy, Seth and their respective teams, the action becomes both more suspenseful and less credible. Still, there’s no denying that the former defensive end writes an engaging page-turner that’s full of play-by-play action, and this sequel to Football Genius (2008) ends with a whopper of a surprise, most likely signaling another book to come. (Fiction. 8-12)