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
ability (uh-BIL-i-tee)—skill
approached (uh-PROHCHT)—came up to
autograph (AW-tuh-graf)—someone’s signature
confidence (KON-fih-duhnss)—belief in your own abilities
opponent (uh-POH-nuhnt)—someone who is against your team
option (OP-shuhn)—something that you can choose to do. To learn more about the option play, turn to the next page.
pro (PROH)—short for professional, a person who makes money for playing sports
scrimmage (SKRIM-ij)—when the two teams line up to face each other, they are on the line of scrimmage
statistics (stuh-TISS-tiks)—a record of how someone has done
ultimate (UHL-tuh-mit)—the best example of something
MORE ABOUT THE OPTION PLAY
Many football teams use an offensive system called the “option.” The option gets its name because each time it is run, the quarterback (QB) has the option, or choice, to decide what to do with the ball. He can keep it and run it himself, he can hand it to his fullback (FB), or he can pitch it out to his halfback (HB).
As the quarterback gets to the end of his line of blockers, he makes his decision. If there is no defender in his way, he will run with the ball. If he is challenged, he will pitch the ball to his running back.
The play works because the defense doesn’t know whether the play is a running or passing play, and who will carry the ball. The option requires a quarterback who is very quick on his feet and can make quick decisions, too.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Do you think it is more important to help your team win, or to make yourself look good? Talk about which is better.
2. In this book, Malik tries to impress his uncle by doing what his uncle tells him to do. Do you think that was a smart way to behave? What could he have done differently? Talk about Malik’s actions.
3. Do you think Anton did the right thing when he talked to his coach about Malik’s behavior? Was there something else he could have done?
WRITING PROMPTS
1. How do you think Jerome Biggins felt after the last game in this book? What do you think he might have said to Malik afterward? Write a few paragraphs telling what Malik and Jerome talk about.
2. Who is your favorite pro athlete? Write about the person. Describe how they look and the position they play. What do you like about them? Write about it!
3. Have you ever had to confront a friend or teammate about their actions on the field? What did you say? How was the situation resolved? Write about it.
OTHER BOOKS BY JAKE MADDOX
Caleb has always batted with the same wood bat — until the other team accuses Caleb of tampering with the bat! Caleb’s forced to use the aluminum bat. How is he supposed to help his team win when he keeps striking out?
Jamie thought everything was perfect on his hockey team. But when the goalie is injured, Jamie has to step in to the unfamiliar position. Can Jamie help his team skate to victory, or are they on thin ice?
INTERNET SITES
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