Heed my warning. If you like football, you will not be able to put this book down until you finish. I am the last person you would ever expect to read a book about football, but let me tell you, this book is every bit as good as watching a real game.

Like Mike Lupica’s Game Changers, this is the first book in a series called Triple Threat where you have an athlete that excels in football, basketball and baseball. The Walk On is about Alex, the new kid in town who wants a spot on the varsity football team. He’s a freshman, but his QB skills are stellar. Good enough to be a starter. Standing in his way is the head coach, whose son is the current QB. Coach Gordon manages the team with an iron fist. No one questions his authority or judgment. No one changes his calls on the field. No one talks to reporters behind his back. What Coach doesn’t know is that you can only hold back the truth for so long and school reporters, Christine and Steve, will stop at nothing to get it out in the open.

Feinstein used to be a reporter and he loves to infuse journalism into his sports fiction. In this case, it creates an effective way for a slime ball coach to get caught through some tough investigating. An interesting twist is that Matt Gordon Jr. is nothing like Matthew Gordon Sr. Matt sees what his father is doing to Alex and must stage injuries in order to get field time for Alex. This drama plays out about half way through the book when they are down 14-0 at half-time in a game they have to win. 1st and 2nd string QBs go down, forcing Alex into the game. It’s edge of your seat, people. Then just when you think the coach is starting to mellow, BAM!, his bad judgement gets in the way again. This time he’s going down.

Great book for all ages. Get in a locked room and read it. ( )

Publishers Weekly, August 2014