Football Hero
by Tim Green

    FOOTBALL HERO by Tim Green
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  4/22/08
    Publisher:  HarperCollins
    Reviewed by:  Jaglvr
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Ty Lewis' parents have died in an accident, so he has gone to live with his dad's sister, Aunt Virginia, and Uncle
    Gus.  Ty's older brother is Thane (aka Tiger) Lewis, a hopeful NFL first-round draft pick from Syracuse
    University.  Thane and Ty are close, but because Thane is finishing up his college degree, Ty is forced to remain
    with his aunt and uncle.

    Living with his aunt and uncle is horrible.  Ty remembers the loving home he came from, and misses his parents
    terribly.  His relatives make him sleep on a stained mattress on the floor in the laundry room. His uncle has
    scavenged an old Porta Potti that he forces Ty to use instead of the indoor plumbing.  And now it's his twelfth
    birthday.  Ty doesn't expect anything exciting, and it's even worse than he thought possible.  His uncle presents him
    with a work permit allowing Ty to work for the family cleaning business.  So while Ty and his cousin, Charlotte,
    spend their evenings after school scrubbing toilets and floors, his uncle sits back and drinks beer and socializes.

    Ty has two shining spots in his life:  his brother, Thane, and the chance to play on his middle school football team.  
    Ty is fast and has sure hands.  Coach V has great plans for Ty for the upcoming season.  But his Uncle Gus does
    everything he can to keep Ty from playing football and away from his brother.

    Then, Thane gets his draft pick and is worth millions.  Uncle Gus enters into illegal gambling with the mafia, and Ty
    and Thane are the unwitting pawns.  With the intervention of the FBI, Ty may come out better or worse than he
    started.  But you have to read the story to see how the plot twists and turns.

    I admit that I have never heard of Mr. Green before reading this story.  Mostly because I will be honest and say I
    am not a fan of football.  I go out of my way to avoid any game that may be on TV.  But Mr. Green's story
    sounded exciting and thrilling.  The story moved fast and had plots outside of football to interest those beyond the
    sports fans.  This book will easily have appeal to boys ages 10 to 100.  The reader will be satisfied to see that the
    underdog does come out on top in the end!