Go Long! »

Ronde Barber is a cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 2003 Super Bowl champions. Mr. Barber is one of just two cornerbacks in the NFL selected to the Pro Bowl three times.

Tiki Barber is a record-holding retired running back for the New York Giants. Mr. Barber is currently a correspondent for NBC's Today show and an analyst for NBC's Football Night in America.

Paul Mantell is the author of many books for children, including books in the Matt Christopher series.

It's Tiki and Ronde's second year on their junior high school football team, the Hidden Valley Eagles. The eighth-grade season is here, and the boys have come together as a team. Now key starters, Tiki and Ronde are ready for a great season, and with hard work and determination, maybe they will even go all the way to the State Championship!

But when Coach Spangler announces that he has been asked to move up to the high school team, and Mr. Wheeler, the science teacher, is tapped for the head coaching job, the season seems over before it begins. Sure, Coach Wheeler played college football until he was benched by an injury, but it just isn't the same. Tiki wants to give Coach Wheeler a chance, yet the team's loyalties are divided. What does a science teacher know about the game of football? Can the team work together, get behind their new coach, and play smart?

Inspired by the childhood of NFL superstars Tiki and Ronde Barber, Go Long! is a story of teamwork, perseverance, and what it takes to be a champion.

Children's Literature

The Hidden Valley Eagles have a new coach, and no one is happy. Last season, beloved Coach Spangler led the team to the District Championship, and the team expected he would do the same this year. But he has been replaced unexpectedly by Mr. Wheeler, a science teacher who once played football in college. What does he know about coaching? Not much, in the opinion of most of the team members. He wants them to watch videos? To understand that football is a mental game as well as a physical one? Maybe it's not the game that's mental...maybe it's the coach! That is certainly the opinion of the talented but arrogant quarterback, Cody Hansen. Cody thinks the game is all about him. The Eagles' first game is a huge, mistake-filled disappointment, and hopes of winning a second championship are rapidly fading. Is it possible for the new coach and the team to figure out a way to work together and get back on track for another winning season? Based on the childhood experiences of real-life football stars, Tiki Barber and Ronde Barber, this book celebrates the sport of football and the teamwork that makes victory possible. A list of definitions for all of the football plays mentioned in the book is included for those with little prior knowledge of the specific terminology. Reviewer: Anita Barnes Lowen