Pop by Gordon Korman

Marcus Jordon is the new boy in town. As he practices football by himself one day, lonely and bored, he meets an eccentric middle-aged man named Charlie who, without invitation, joins Marcus in his football practice. Despite his age, Charlie packs a wallop and is perhaps the best football player Marcus has ever known. But apart from his name and his predilection for pranks, Marcus doesn’t know very much else about Charlie. And that’s a problem when Charlie has stuck Marcus with the bill of a broken car window.

That’s not Marcus’s only problem, though. The football team at his new High School is remarkably resistant to upstarts—and Marcus’s outsiderness is certainly not helped by the fact that the current quarterback’s ex-girlfriend begins a flirtation with Marcus.

Of course, the quarterback (Troy) has more than just girlfriend issues when it comes to Marcus. As it turns out, Marcus’s new friend, Charlie, is none other than Troy’s father, also known as The King of Pop: an NFL veteran. Unfortunately, Charlie also has early on-set Alzheimer’s due to the multiple concussions he suffered as a younger player.

Charlie’s condition is a secret from the town, and his family thinks they have it under control. Marcus, however, thinks otherwise, and he plans on taking matters into his own hands.

Pop by Gordon Korman is an enjoyable read that football fans will especially love. Marcus is a believable protagonist, and there is a full cast of likable characters. The star of the book is Charlie, of course, with his charismatic, quirky, and intense character.

Touching without being sentimental, poignant without being contrived, Pop is well-written and engaging. I think it would be particularly useful in appealing to reluctant readers and a male audience.

Korman, Gordon. Pop. New York: HarperTeen, 2009. Print.