TWO-MINUTE DRILL

Scott Parry is the smartest kid in his sixth-grade class and the clumsiest player on the football team. Chris Conlan is the coolest kid and the star quarterback, but he’s dyslexic and a washout in school. The two become unlikely friends, and each finds a way to offer what the other needs in a rousing, high-spirited novel for young middle-grade readers. Scott tutors Chris, and Chris gives Scott the encouragement needed to stick with football. Only Chris knows of Scott’s secret skill of kicking field goals, a talent that comes in handy in the final exciting scene, after which Scott finds himself featured on YouTube and ESPN. Though simply written and predictable, this brisk story of friendship and football will be a huge hit with the target audience. (Fiction. 8-10)