Second Impact

Gr 9 Up—Senior Jerry Downing is regaining his reputation as the star quarterback after a drunk-driving incident that nearly killed a classmate. Soccer standout Carla Jenson has convinced Jerry to share his thoughts about the football season on a blog, an extension of her sports coverage for the school newspaper. After enduring knee surgery, Carla turns her attention to sports medicine, particularly the evolving science of head injury. As the school's team advances toward the New Jersey state championship, her increasingly probing questions bring her greater scrutiny and eventually threats from the school principal, meant to stop her from interfering with the town's obsession, football. The story is conveyed in alternating blog posts by Jerry and Carla and fleshed out through emails sent between them. This format allows for differing perspectives as well as more private reflections shared between the main characters. But the device sometimes strains credulity. For example, 25-page blog entries and emails can run to well over 2000 words, which is difficult to imagine for high schoolers who see each other every day in school and presumably have phones. The story rises above its exposition, though. In a tense and touching moment, Jerry burns a timeout in a key game's waning seconds to confront his best friend, wide receiver Danny Rosewood, about the extent of a concussion suffered in a previous game. Written by a YA veteran with his sister, a pediatrician and medical writer, the book is highly topical and rich with current research.—Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA