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Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

ISBN 0375967540 (ISBN13: 9780375967542)

SYNOPSIS:

Felix O’Sullivan’s world is crumbling around him: the mine that employs most of town is on the brink of closing, threatening to shutter the entire town. And Felix, or Red, after his fire-colored hair, will be one of 24 students in the final graduating class of his local high school. But Red’s got his own burdens to bear: his older brother, Bobby, died in the war, and he’s been struggling to follow in his footsteps ever since. That means assuming Bobby’s old position as quarterback, and leading the last-ever Muckers team to the championship. Maybe then his angry, broken-hearted father will acknowledge him, and they’ll be able to put Bobby’s death behind them.

But the only way for the hardscrabble Muckers team to win State is to go undefeated, and tackle their biggest rival, Phoenix United, which would be something of a miracle. Luckily, miracles can happen all the time on the field.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For more than fifteen years, SANDRA NEIL WALLACE was a news journalist and ESPN sports announcer before leaving television to write novels. Named a Talented Newcomer in Children’s Literature by THE HORN BOOK, Wallace admits her life now is a far cry from traveling across the country covering the NBA or the NHL, but she much prefers the comfort of her tiny, Macintosh-colored office in New Hampshire. It’s situated across the hall from her husband, author Rich Wallace’s office. Their shelter dog, Lucy, often lies in the hall in between, turning onto her back and itching for a belly rub, just like Eli’s dog, Tater, in Wallace’s first novel, the award-winning children’s book, LITTLE JOE.