Review by Booklist Review
Inheriting a professional football team seems like a dream come true for seventh-grader Ryan Zinna until it becomes a nightmarish competition. When the father Ryan never knew leaves the Dallas Cowboys to him in his will, Ryan thinks it will change everything his social status at school and his position as an undersized bench warmer on the seventh-grade football team. Not surprisingly, it doesn't, and even his kid owner position seems to be in jeopardy, as his father's wife contests the will in favor of her son, Ryan's half brother and a football powerhouse at a rival school. Ryan struggles to balance old friendships with his new feelings of self-importance and to make a difference on his team as a quarterback running a new kind of offense. It all comes down to winning the game, but what constitutes a win? Minor characters are drawn with a broad brush, but Ryan is believably naive and dazzled by his new situation. Sports fans will be, too.--Isaacs, Kathleen Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Ryan Zinna is crazy about football but is concerned that his small stature and questionable skills will relegate him to second-string status on his middle school team (and second-class status in the school's social hierarchy). Then suddenly, Ryan's world is turned upside down when the father he never knew dies and leaves him partial ownership of the Dallas Cowboys. Becoming an instant celebrity is heady stuff but doesn't help Ryan in his struggle to secure a spot on the team, where his coaches and teammates continue to ignore him. Supported by his mom, his huge (and hugely talented) friend Jackson, and a smart and independent-minded girl named Izzy, Ryan soldiers on, enduring the contempt of the more established players. He also finds that owning a sports franchise is more complicated than he would have imagined, as team officials seem intent on manipulating him to achieve their goal of firing the coach. Ryan takes to the coach, however, who tutors him in the ways of the West Coast offense, which requires not a rifle-armed quarterback but rather one who is smart enough to recognize and exploit weaknesses in the defense. When injuries give Ryan a chance to start a game as quarterback, he uses the coach's offensive scheme to maximize his talents. More challenges lie ahead, however, as the executor of his father's estate reveals that controlling ownership of the Cowboys will be determined by a competition between Ryan and his arrogant half-brother, Dillon. Everything comes down to the performance of the boys in the game between their competing middle school teams. VERDICT With his signature short, cliff-hanger chapters and snappy dialogue, Green has produced another smooth, well-crafted middle grade sports novel.-Richard Luzer, formerly at Fair Haven Union High School, VT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Twelve-year-old Ryan inherits ownership of the Dallas Cowboys following his father's death. Legal battles ensue as Ryan and his stepbrother fight for controlling interest of the franchise; they end up resolving their differences on the football field. Accessible text alternates between "Present" and "Years Earlier" to tell the story. Although highly implausible, this fast-paced book will appeal to young football fans. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An undersized middle school football player inherits an NFL team. When his fatherwhom Ryan's never met and whose name he doesn't even knowdies, he leaves Ryan the Dallas Cowboys. A confusing series of flashbacks and exposition about Ryan's relationship with football sets the story up, including his mother's initial refusal to let him play and the odd position he occupied on the team as a player so small that his coaches purposefully prevented him from experiencing the contact side of the sport. This rough beginning gives way to a character-driven story. Ryan battles urges to exploit his new status, with the help of a mother determined to teach him to be a good person and two wonderful best friends (a friendly giant of a teammate and a pretty, fantasy-football whiz) who like Ryan for himself, not because he's the newly famous kid owner. But bullies on his team still target Ryan, and Ryan's wicked stepmother schemes to snatch the Cowboys for her own sonthe star player of the rival middle school's team. When Ryan isn't dealing with power plays from lawyers or the Cowboys' feuding general manager and coach, he's trying to earn a shot at quarterback; despite his not-spectacular arm, Ryan's ability to read defense makes him a natural for a spread offense. All storylines culminate in a big game, and it's a good one. A wish-fulfillment fantasy pleasingly complicated by real emotional journeys. (Fiction. 8-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
