Pop-Gordon Korman

Gordon Korman has done it again. In an amazing career spanning decades, this well-known author of the Bruno and Boots series seems to be able to continually come up with a new, fresh and exciting ideas. Pop is ostensibly a football story, but that’s defintely not all it is. Marcus moves to a new town where he hopes to continue to pursue his dream of becoming a quarterback for the local football team. But he is met with a lot of resistance; their team had an excellent season the year before and Troy is already their football hero and they do not welome new-comers. Marcus is determined nonetheless, to try out, and when the coach sees his promise, he is allowed to join but not in the coveted quarterback position. In the meantime, he practices at the local park where he is unexpectedly joined by an older man who obviously knows his way around the game, and is a prankster to boot. Undependable and eccentric, it takes some time before Marcus acknowledges that there is something wrong and that the man’s family are hiding something. This turns into a story that is heart-wrenching to say the least, and provides an authentic look at the impact of Alzheimer’s on an individual and their family, as well as a reminder of the health risks take by our professional ball players. This is an outstanding read which I would recommend for grade 7 through high school. It will appeal to reluctant readers and both genders alike. I now begin to look forward to the next Korman book to cross my path, as all recent offerings have been very satisfying reads.