Lone Stars by Mike Lupica Blog Tour


I turned over this blog tour to 5 of my fifth grade boys who read and will be reviewing the book from their point of view. We live in a town right outside San Antonio, so I felt that this would be an awesome opportunity for them to be able to read and make those connections to where the setting is in Lone Stars. 

Boys easy summary: This story is about Coach Coop and Clay and their football season. It discusses the tragic times that they are going through in their season and the things that truly do happen between teammates and coaches. 

Q: How does this book relate to your life as a young football player in Texas? 
Boys: Coming back from losing and winning games. Even as fifth graders we are taught to never give up. So, when in the story they never lose, but are down a lot, they portray to never give up, which is how we are in our own games as well.

Q: What are you thoughts on concussions in football?
Boys: Overall, we know that they are really bad and they damage you brain. Right now, there is only one of us out 5 who are able to play tackle football. We would say that the injuries are exactly why our parents decided that we are not able to play tackle football until middle school.
At first whenever David got blindsided we all thought that he had a neck injury and he wouldn't be back, but the team still won even though he suffered with a concussion.

Q: Have you had any positive role models as coaches? What impact have they had on you as fifth graders?
Boys: Yes. As coaches they have taught us more than what we have learned on the field, just like Coach Coop, we have learned respect, responsibility, hard work, and perseverance.

Q: Favorite part of this book?
A: Getting to go to the Cowboys game and how that feels to be able to watch your idols. Also, the fact that it is set in San Antonio and all of us know all of the locations that they were talking about. Being able to relate to the parts of the story made it even more interesting.

Q: Least favorite part of the book?
A: When he gets a concussion, and knowing the effects that the concussion had on him and the team through the rest of the story.

We really wish that Mike Lupica would make another book that follows Lone Stars after the Thanksgiving game that they got to attend. Even though the book left us with some few questions, we recommend this story for any boy OR girl who plays sports. To read about athletes in school and what they go through is a great opportunity for any young middle grade student to be able to relate to.


Goodreads Summary:

An uplifting story about role models, football, and tackling fear set in the heart of Friday Night Lights country--from the bestselling author of HeatTravel Team, and Fantasy League

Clay is a quarterback's dream. When he zips across the field, arms outstretched, waiting for the ball to sail into his hands, there's no denying him the catch. Like most Texans, Clay is never more at home than when playing football. And his coach, a former star player for the Dallas Cowboys, is just like a second father.

But as the football season kicks off, Clay begins to notice some odd behavior from his coach--lapses in his memory and strange mood swings. The conclusion is painful, but obvious: Coach Cooper is showing side effects of the many concussions he sustained during his playing days. As Clay's season wears on, it becomes clear that the real victory will be to help his coach walk onto that famous star logo in the middle of Cowboys Field one last time--during a Thanksgiving day ceremony honoring him and his former Super Bowl-winning teammates.

In Lone Stars, #1 New York Times bestseller Mike Lupica demonstrates once again that there is no children's sports novelist today who can match his ability to weave a story of vivid sports action and heartfelt emotion. A touching story that proves life is bigger than a game. 

Praise for Lone Stars

"Lupica has crafted another fine sports story for the middle school reader."--VOYA 

1 comment

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