Tuesday, February 12, 2008

"Good eye, kid!" Football Fugitive by Matt Christopher includes a Deaf Character

"Good eye, kid"*, is the only sports related comment that I remember from my Dad. You're probably thinking, "What's with the sports talk?" I know, I was the one who had to ask my husband for various baseball terms when reading a baseball-related story. Yet, here I think "good eye, kid" also applies to the young adult reader who spotted a Deaf Character in Matt Christopher's 1988 Football Fugitive. I was in a grumbly mood when the email from the student's teacher appeared in my Inbox. I love when I receive emails from authors and publishers letting me know that their adolescent literature book includes a Deaf Character. Even more than that, I am thrilled when young people let me know about the Deaf Characters that they find in books! Yeah! I really needed that kind of email today. So thanks to the student and my friends at VSDB for letting me know about the book and for changing my mood!

*((My husband wants me to note that the expression "Good eye, kid" doesn't relate to football as much as it does baseball. Whatever. I'm trying to relate to my male readers!))

Football Fugitive (1998) by Matt Christopher
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 119 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0316140643
List Price: $4.99 <--- Not only is the book still in publication, but it is inexpensive!!!

Representing a pro football player whom his son admires brings a lawyer closer to his young son.
Greg, "who had been deaf since birth" and "attended a special school where he learned to talk" plays right guard for the Digits (page 10). Greg communicates through lipreading. The only "signs" used are football signals.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Sharon,
THIS was my favorite post of all! I can imagine how excited you were to get that letter, and your husband is right about that "Good eye,kid" stuff, but that just makes you even more adorable! So cool! Jodi

Karen Putz said...

My oldest loved the Matt Christopher series. He never mentioned the deaf character in this one though!