Second Impact

June 17, 2013
The format occasionally gets in the way of the story in the Klass siblings’ message novel about the risks of head injuries to football players. School sports reporter Carla Jenson has come up with a brilliant idea: recruit star quarterback (and talented writer) Jerry Downing to blog about his senior season. Jerry—less than a year removed from a drunk driving accident that nearly killed a classmate—takes to the assignment, documenting his thoughts on school, football, and workouts. When he takes a hit to the head, Carla, the daughter of a doctor, starts looking into the effects of concussions on football players, finding the same disturbing results that have been in the news. The core story—Carla and Jerry’s mutual respect, the small-town love of athletics, and the dangers posed by ignorant but well-meaning coaches (and less ignorant and corrupt principals)—is fascinating and engaging. Alas, the blog format feels forced, and the huge posts (some as long as 25 pages) aren’t always believable in that context. Nonetheless, fans of sports novels and contemporary issues will find the story riveting. Ages 12–up.

June 1, 2013
Carla Jenson, sports reporter for her school paper, convinces Jerry Downing, star quarterback and excellent writer, to blog about the team's season--a novel idea with unexpected repercussions. Carla, an athlete in her own right, is somewhat of an outsider to the working-class community and school. Jerry has always been a centerpiece of the team, with one exception: a suspension caused by his involvement in a booze-filled party and a serious car accident. Since his punishment and return, he has been set on redemption. A torn ACL disrupts Carla's athletic career and causes her to focus on the physical vulnerabilities of players. This awareness drives Carla to pursue the sensitive issue of sports-related concussions even though she is opposed by Jerry and practically everyone else in the school and town as the controversy escalates. The story unfolds through their blog posts, comments to the posts and email exchanges, and readers learn about both characters and how much the adults in the school and community have invested in the issues. The authors, an acclaimed writer for teens and a doctor well-known for her medical journalism, do a remarkable job incorporating both riveting sports action and sobering medical facts in the narrative. Most of all, the passion that Carla brings to telling her story and the desire Jerry has for his team's success will resonate with aspiring journalists and teen sports fans alike. (Fiction. 12 & up)

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July 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-Senior Jerry Downing is regaining his reputation as the star quarterback after a drunk-driving incident that nearly killed a classmate. Soccer standout Carla Jenson has convinced Jerry to share his thoughts about the football season on a blog, an extension of her sports coverage for the school newspaper. After enduring knee surgery, Carla turns her attention to sports medicine, particularly the evolving science of head injury. As the school's team advances toward the New Jersey state championship, her increasingly probing questions bring her greater scrutiny and eventually threats from the school principal, meant to stop her from interfering with the town's obsession, football. The story is conveyed in alternating blog posts by Jerry and Carla and fleshed out through emails sent between them. This format allows for differing perspectives as well as more private reflections shared between the main characters. But the device sometimes strains credulity. For example, 25-page blog entries and emails can run to well over 2000 words, which is difficult to imagine for high schoolers who see each other every day in school and presumably have phones. The story rises above its exposition, though. In a tense and touching moment, Jerry burns a timeout in a key game's waning seconds to confront his best friend, wide receiver Danny Rosewood, about the extent of a concussion suffered in a previous game. Written by a YA veteran with his sister, a pediatrician and medical writer, the book is highly topical and rich with current research.-Bob Hassett, Luther Jackson Middle School, Falls Church, VA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2013
Grades 7-10 Star high-school quarterbacks often have celebrity status thrust upon them, and Jerry Downing is no exception. What is exceptional is the penetrating look at high-school football culture he provides via the school newspaper's sports blog. Recruited by sports reporter Carla to detail the season, Jerry trades chapters with Carla to present a novel written in posts and supplemented with e-mails. The football action will delight fans, but the heart of the story lies in the matter of sports injuriesparticularly concussions and the potential for brain injury. Muckraking Carla, herself an injured soccer player, takes on the school administration with her extensive research on the perils of contact sports, exactly what the school does not want to hear as the team advances to the state finals. The muzzling of Carla is as dramatic as the football plays, and the resulting controversy polarizes the town. Though Jerry's posts seem overly detailed and sophisticated for a school blog, Klass and Klass still deliver a highly engaging, timely, and thought-provoking read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)