Gutless

Gr 6–10—Brock Ripley has just finished the eighth grade. While playing with his friends at a local park, he is spotted by the high school quarterback, Hunter Gates, and Hunter's dad. They ask him if he would like to help run passes so Hunter can get ready for fall football. It's odd, but when Hunter throws the football, somehow he and Brock share a connection that sets up a successful partnership but also a complicated relationship. Brock is athletic enough and known for his speed. However, he is also known for his aversion to any form of contact. He played goalie for the middle school soccer team and lost a big game when he froze in the face of a big player racing toward him. It's the kind of behavior that labels someone "gutless," and Brock feels it a lot, even off the playing field, especially when Hunter starts to bully Brock's new friend, Richie Fang. Richie is a wunderkind, the kind of kid who excels at math and science but also plays soccer and football. But he's also a show-off, and this gets him in trouble with the jocks. When Richie blows the game that could take the team to the playoffs, Hunter takes it hard and tries to destroy Richie. Can Brock face his gutlessness and save Richie from serious retaliation? Full of play-by-play soccer and football action, this novel will appeal to sports fans who also like a well-crafted story. Deuker's characters are sharp, and the plot moves at a quick pace. Readers will empathize with Brock, who is also coping with a parent with a serious illness. His reactions to situations in the story as well as his perpetual honesty about his own limitations will endear him to readers. It is also refreshing to see that adults aren't always the infallible, wise heroes of the narrative.