Long Arm Quarterback
Written by Matt Christopher
Illustrated by Matt Christopher
Reviewed by Connor M. (age 11)
Cap Wadell loves football, but is is unlikely that he'll ever play on a real team. Then his Grandfather Tully tells him about six man football. Tully says that Cap can start a league like that and Tully will be Cap's oooach. Cap gets all of his friends to be on his team. At the first practice, everyone argues over their positions. Cap wonders if the team will survive.
Cap's team is starting to look ok. Everybody can catch the ball, Cap can throw the ball, the lineman can block, and the receivers are fast. Tully says that the first game is going to be against the Cudas, an undefeated team from last year. He says if the Cowpens beat them, it will give Cap's team a boost. Cap hopes his team wins the game.
When the game starts, Cap is on fire. He doesn't miss a receiver. At halftime,the score is tied at 14. As the game continues, Cap still makes good passes, but his team isn't catching them. In the fourth quarter, the score is 17-14 with the Cudas winning. With 7 seconds to go, the Cowpens need just one field goal to tie the game. When the kicker kicks the ball, it sails high. It hits the side of the goalpost unsusccessfully. The Cuda fans go wild. In the locker room, Tully tells the team to think about the rest of the season. Cap realizes that Tully is right. You need a whole team to win a game.
If I could change the story, I would change the ending so that it describes the entire season. My favorite part of the story is when Cap throws balls down the field in touchdowns because he's gaining experience as a quarterback. My favorite character is Cap because he's a long throwing quarterbook. My least favorite characters are Cap's teammates because they don't respect him.
This story relates to my life because I love football! I don't think you should read this book because it doesn't have a good ending.