I received a complimentary advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is about concussions from playing football. It is a timely subject, and currently in the news quite a bit.
Arlo loves football, and the harder the hit, the better. However, even after seeing his brother Lloyd affected by subconcussive hits and/or undiagnosed concussions to the point of not being allowed into the Army, Arlo still refuses to change the way he plays. Despite Arlo's constant symptoms--headaches, extreme sensitivity to light, sound, and smell, dizziness, etc., he refuses to accept he's taking damage to his brain.
The story and lesson is great, but for this reader, I was disappointed in the lack of realism in the book. Neither his brother nor Arlo ever reports an injury, even after passing out, going temporarily blind, or being in constant pain. His mother, who is obsessed with head injury statistics, never notices the dialated pupils, broken blood vessels in his eyes, and changes in behavior. No one ever goes to the doctor, and that seems a little unrealistic to me. Coaches cut playing time for Arlo and his brother too late to prevent lasting damage. Indeed, every person in this book seems to wake up too late to prevent permanent damage to both boys.
As a middle school librarian, I would put this book in my library with caution. There is some harsh language, and a mention of taking condoms on a trip, but no sex scenes. I'd recommend this for mature 7th and 8th graders, as the symptoms described may help another student recognize their own damage.
This book is about concussions from playing football. It is a timely subject, and currently in the news quite a bit.
Arlo loves football, and the harder the hit, the better. However, even after seeing his brother Lloyd affected by subconcussive hits and/or undiagnosed concussions to the point of not being allowed into the Army, Arlo still refuses to change the way he plays. Despite Arlo's constant symptoms--headaches, extreme sensitivity to light, sound, and smell, dizziness, etc., he refuses to accept he's taking damage to his brain.
The story and lesson is great, but for this reader, I was disappointed in the lack of realism in the book. Neither his brother nor Arlo ever reports an injury, even after passing out, going temporarily blind, or being in constant pain. His mother, who is obsessed with head injury statistics, never notices the dialated pupils, broken blood vessels in his eyes, and changes in behavior. No one ever goes to the doctor, and that seems a little unrealistic to me. Coaches cut playing time for Arlo and his brother too late to prevent lasting damage. Indeed, every person in this book seems to wake up too late to prevent permanent damage to both boys.
As a middle school librarian, I would put this book in my library with caution. There is some harsh language, and a mention of taking condoms on a trip, but no sex scenes. I'd recommend this for mature 7th and 8th graders, as the symptoms described may help another student recognize their own damage.
