First Team By Tim Green is a Sports Fiction action-packed book. This book hooks readers from the start and is a page-turner. The novel covers many topics such as football, the act of being hard-working, the importance of friends and family, and more.

In this book, the main character Brock is on the run because his dad is being chased by Russian spies. Brock's mom, unfortunately, died when Brock was a young age because Russian spies killed her. Brock is used to being the new kid as he usually goes to two different schools a year and sometimes three schools a year! However, this time is different because his father announced that the new town they were going to stay in would be a permanent move. This town would be Calhoun, Ohio, a town that shared a common interest for football. Brock's favorite sport, baseball, isn’t played in Calhoun.

From the day Brock moved to Calhoun he had made his first friend, Mak Koletzky. It all started when Mak was riding his bike to football practice and he fell off his bike. Mak was in need of a ride so he asked Brock who was the closest person to him at the time. Mak noticed that with Brock's big size he would be a perfect fit for the football team. After Brock met with the coaches he was ready to ball out for the 7th grade Calhoun football team. After a couple of practices, he noticed that to be on the big stage in Calhoun, you had to be on the “first team”. First team was the people who were the starters for every game. To be on the first team, you had to prove yourself to everyone and have a passion for the game. Mak was on the first team and is so passionate that he wears his football helmet all the time except for when he’s eating(he wears it in his sleep). 

Brock also became close with another girl in his grade, Laurel. Mak introduced Brock to Laurel who was volunteering at the library. When people thought of Laurel, they thought of her as a kind, nice girl who sacrifices her time to help others. Her dad was a quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals and her brother is the varsity quarterback who has an offer to play for Ohio State University. As Brock becomes closer with Laurel, they learn more about each other and even have their ups and downs throughout the book. Laurel and her brother even train with Brock to make him a better quarterback; whether that means going through all the plays or working on Brock’s throwing motion.

When football coaches looked at Brock, his big appearance made him seem like an offensive lineman. However, Brock had an arm from baseball and believes he’s fit to be a quarterback. It won’t be easy, however, as Brock will need lots of help to go against his sinister offensive coordinator Wally Van Huffler. Brock eventually gets help from the varsity quarterback and his demanding mom. But that won’t be enough as Brock will have to prove he can ball out for the 7th-grade team. Will Brock be at the bottom of the bench or on the first team? Read Tim Green's First Team to find out. 

Why recommend

Even though this book seems like it only covers the topic of football and is meant for people who enjoy football, I’d recommend this book to all readers. One part I love about the book is how entertaining it is, there’s never a dull moment. For instance, the book starts with Brock and his dad escaping Russian spies from a plane they find in the woods. Even in the saddest moments, it always seems like there’s a plot twist. I remember that I was reading this book for an hour and a half but it only felt like I was reading the book for ten minutes. I even remember gaping at one of the scenes in the book. Another aspect I love about this book is the fact that they teach about being hard-working. Brock must be a hard- worker to be the first team quarterback and throughout the book, it shows how Brock acts as a hard worker. First Team is a must-read!

Check out First Team from NBPL!