Ryan is believably naive and dazzled by his new situation. Sports fans will be, too.

Inheriting a professional football team seems like a dream come true for seventh-grader Ryan Zinna until it becomes a nightmarish competition. When the father Ryan never knew leaves the Dallas Cowboys to him in his will, Ryan thinks and it will change everything—his social status at school and his position as an undersized bench warmer on the seventh-grade football team. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t, and even his “kid owner” position seems to be in jeopardy, as his father’s wife contests the will in favor of her son, Ryan’s half brother and a football powerhouse at a rival school. Ryan struggles to balance old friendships with his new feelings of self-importance and to make a difference on his team as a quarterback running a new kind of offense. It all comes down to winning the game, but what constitutes a win? Minor characters are drawn with a broad brush, but Ryan is believably naive and dazzled by his new situation. Sport fans will be, too.

Reviewed by Booklist