Summary:
Red is the quarterback of the last Muckers football team. His little town is crumbling around him. He will be one of the final members to graduate from his high school and the last quarterback of the high school football team. Along with the town pretty much shutting down because of loss of jobs and people suffering from the losses from the war, Red has to deal with a father that has become very distant since the death of his older brother in the war. In order to win his father's attention and endear his last year of high school, Red has to lead his team to victory. Their goal is an undefeated season to send them to the state championships. Will this dying town be able to pull it through?
My thoughts:
As a fan of school sports and the way that they bring everyone together, I was on board with this novel from the beginning. After reading about the true story through a quick Google search, I was even more impressed. Muckers really brings your heart into the game and the trials that Red goes through. Everything seems to come to life and I feel myself rooting as if I was at the games. Along with that, this book investigates family dynamics and a lot of racial tensions. Muckers is one of the few football teams that is not segregated. Because of this, there are some moments of questioning who belongs and who does not. Ultimately though, this is an against all odds type of story that will warm the heart. I'd like to think this is a cross over book. While it is marketed towards young adults, adults will also clearly love the story. There isn't a lot of language or scenes that I would be particularly worried about for a middle school audience either. It's rare that books can touch so many audiences with the same amount of joy. I'm glad to have had the chance to read Red's story.
Red is the quarterback of the last Muckers football team. His little town is crumbling around him. He will be one of the final members to graduate from his high school and the last quarterback of the high school football team. Along with the town pretty much shutting down because of loss of jobs and people suffering from the losses from the war, Red has to deal with a father that has become very distant since the death of his older brother in the war. In order to win his father's attention and endear his last year of high school, Red has to lead his team to victory. Their goal is an undefeated season to send them to the state championships. Will this dying town be able to pull it through?
My thoughts:
As a fan of school sports and the way that they bring everyone together, I was on board with this novel from the beginning. After reading about the true story through a quick Google search, I was even more impressed. Muckers really brings your heart into the game and the trials that Red goes through. Everything seems to come to life and I feel myself rooting as if I was at the games. Along with that, this book investigates family dynamics and a lot of racial tensions. Muckers is one of the few football teams that is not segregated. Because of this, there are some moments of questioning who belongs and who does not. Ultimately though, this is an against all odds type of story that will warm the heart. I'd like to think this is a cross over book. While it is marketed towards young adults, adults will also clearly love the story. There isn't a lot of language or scenes that I would be particularly worried about for a middle school audience either. It's rare that books can touch so many audiences with the same amount of joy. I'm glad to have had the chance to read Red's story.
