Pop

Gordon Korman

$15.99

Publication Date: May 7th, 2019

Publisher:

Balzer + Bray

ISBN:

9780061742613

Pages:

272

Usually Ships in 2 to 5 Days

Marcus Jordan loves football. Practicing his passes in the park, he meets ex-NFL player Charlie Popovich and the two begin an unlikely friendship based on grueling football drills and childish pranks. Before long, Marcus realizes that Charlie doesn't just act like a teenager -- he thinks he still is one and that Marcus is his old friend Mac. Alzheimer's disease, possibly brought on by the multiple head injuries he suffered as a football player, has disrupted Charlie's memory. Korman has created believable characters and a powerful story.

Kat Goddard, The Bookloft, Great Barrington, MA

Autumn 2009 Kids' Indie Next List

Description

Pop delivers suspense, humor, sports action, and a compelling look at the damage those "pop"s in football can cause

Gordon Korman's books appeal to a wide range of kids and adults and can pull in even reluctant readers. Share Pop in your home or classroom; sports fans in particular won't be able to put it down.

When Marcus moves to a new town in the dead of summer, he doesn't know a soul. While practicing football for impending tryouts, he strikes up a friendship with a man named Charlie, the best football player Marcus has ever seen. He can't believe his good luck when he finds out that Charlie is Charlie Popovich, or "the King of Pop," as he'd been nicknamed during his career as an NFL linebacker.

Charlie turns out to be a prankster, and his actions get Marcus in trouble. He's also the father of the quarterback at Marcus's new school—who leads the team in icing out the new kid.

The story of a good kid's struggle to land on his feet in a new town after his parents split up combines with compelling sports action and even some romance in Gordon Korman's Pop.

About the Author

Gordon Korman published his first book at age fourteen and since then has written more than one hundred middle grade and teen novels. Favorites include the New York Times bestselling Ungifted, Supergifted, The Superteacher Project, The Unteachables, Pop, Notorious, Unplugged, Operation Do-Over, Slugfest, and the Masterminds series. Gordon lives with his family on Long Island, New York. You can visit him online at gordonkorman.com.

Praise for Pop

“A brisk, heartfelt and timely novel.” — New York Times Book Review

“Korman goes straight to the heart.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Thought-provoking.” — Publishers Weekly

“Fantastic…Perfectly captures the football experience.” — Newsday

“Funny, poignant and full of football action, POP hits you hard and doesn’t let up.” — Tim Green, author of the New York Times bestselling Football Genius and Football Champ

Praise for SUPERGIFTED: “Humorous, relatable, and full of heart, Korman’s gift for understanding the middle school mind is on full display.” — School Library Journal

Praise for SUPERGIFTED: “Managing a large cast of characters with ease, Korman creates a comedy of compounded errors leading to a public disaster and, strangely enough, a happy ending.” — Booklist

Praise for SUPERGIFTED: “Another chortleworthy outing from Korman.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for MASTERMINDS: PAYBACK: “Packed with surprising twists, high-speed chases, and plenty of near misses.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for MASTERMINDS: PAYBACK: “Korman’s action-packed caper series comes to a satisfying close…with a masterful balance of humor, thought-provoking questions, and adventure” — Booklist

Praise for MASTERMINDS: CRIMINAL DESTINY: “A thrilling and fun series perfect for middle grade adventure seekers” — School Library Journal

Praise for MASTERMINDS: CRIMINAL DESTINY: “Cat-and-mouse chase scenes deliver thrills…Volume 3 can’t get here soon enough.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for MASTERMINDS: CRIMINAL DESTINY: “Packed with enough thrilling action and suspense to keep the pages turning...[a] highly entertaining series.” — Booklist

Praise for MASTERMINDS: “A terrific page-turner. Full of unexpected twists and revelations. Buckle up.” — James Patterson

Praise for MASTERMINDS: “Masterminds takes readers on a wild ride with terrific humor, a surprising mystery, and characters you can’t help but root for.” — Brandon Mull, New York Times bestselling author of the Fablehaven series and the Five Kingdoms series

Praise for MASTERMINDS: “[A] compelling, twisty mystery . . . [with] a truly gratifying payoff” — Booklist (starred review)

Praise for MASTERMINDS: “This tense, fast-paced story will have readers racing toward the cliffhanger ending.” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for MASTERMINDS: “This tense, fast-paced story will have readers racing toward the cliffhanger ending.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for MASTERMINDS: “This unique and action-packed story is filled with twists and turns that readers will not see coming. A wonderful start to what promises to be a thrilling series.” — School Library Journal

Praise for UNGIFTED: “Touching, without being overly sentimental, Ungifted is a gem for readers looking for a story where the underdog comes out on top.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Praise for UNGIFTED: “From its lovable-robot jacket art to its satisfying conclusion, this will please Korman’s fans and win him new ones.” — ALA Booklist

Praise for UNGIFTED: “Donovan has a goofy kindness that charms characters and readers alike … The message is tolerance, and Korman expertly and humorously delivers it in an unpretentious and universally appealing tale.” — School Library Journal

Praise for UNGIFTED: “Funny and insightful.” — Publishers Weekly