About the Author

Bob Temple lives in Rosemount, Minnesota, with his wife and three children. He has written more than thirty books for children. Over the years, he has coached more than twenty kids’ soccer, basketball, and baseball teams. He also loves visiting classrooms to talk about his writing.

 

About the Illustrator

When Sean Tiffany was growing up, he lived on a small island off the coast of Maine. Every day, from sixth grade until he graduated from high school, he had to take a boat to get to school. When Sean isn’t working on his art, he works on a multimedia project called “OilCan Drive,” which combines music and art. He has a pet cactus named Jim.

 

Glossary

confident (KON-fuh-dent)—feeling sure of your abilities

crouch (KROWCH)—to bend down low

fumbled (FUM-buld)—dropped

huddle (HUD-dul)—a group of people standing close together

penalty (PEN-ul-tee)—a punishment for breaking the rules

referee (ref-uh-REE)—a person who watches a sports game to make sure that all players follow the rules

sarcastically (sar-KASS-tik-lee)—spoken in a teasing or mocking way

scrimmage (SKRIM-idj)—a sports game played for practice

stance (STANSS)—a position or way of standing

 

Offense and Defense

The offense is the name for the team who carries the ball. The offense tries to get a touchdown.

The center starts each offensive play. He snaps the ball to the quarterback. Then the quarterback hands the ball to the running back or throws it to a receiver.

Linebackers try to tackle and block the players of the other team. They don’t want the other team to catch the ball or wreck the play.

The defense plays against the offense. The defensive players try to tackle, block, and catch the other team’s passes. They do this to keep the other team from scoring.

Discussion Questions

1. At the beginning of the story, Robby was afraid to go back on the football field. Why did he feel this way?

2. When James fumbled the football, Robby took the blame. Why didn’t Robby say anything to the coach? What might have happened if Robby blamed the mistake on James?

3. Why did Robby’s attitude change by the end of the story?

 

Writing Prompts

1. At the end of the story, Andy thanked Robby for saving the play. Write about a time when someone who was mean to you changed. Why do you think the person changed?

2. Describe your favorite character in the story. Now describe your least favorite character. Explain how they are the same and how they are different.

3. List some ways to deal with bullies. Then list some of the things Robby did to deal with Andy. Did Robby’s methods work?

 

Internet Sites

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