Gang Tackle (Orca Sports)

After budget cuts force the Southside Saints football team to disband, Jamal and his friends have to settle for playing pickup on the hardscrabble field behind their high school. Then the president of a sporting goods company offers to donate $20,000 worth of equipment to the team. There’s only one catch: he wants to be the coach. Thrilled to have a real team together, the players turn a blind eye to Coach Fort’s racism, bullying and discrimination. Until he takes it too far. Now it’s up to Jamal and his teammates to take back their team and show what they’re made of. This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read!