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Pop Library Binding – August 25, 2009
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.
- Print length272 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBalzer + Bray
- Publication dateAugust 25, 2009
- Grade level8 - 9
- Reading age13 years and up
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.93 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100061742309
- ISBN-13978-0061742309
- Lexile measure740L
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“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
From the Back Cover
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 an unlikely friendship with an older man. Charlie is a charismatic prankster—and the best football player Marcus has ever seen. He can't believe his good luck when he finds out that Charlie is actually Charlie Popovich, or "the King of Pop," as he had been nicknamed during his career as an NFL linebacker. But that's not all. There is a secret about Charlie that his family is desperate to hide.
When Marcus begins school, he meets the starting quarterback on the team: Troy Popovich. Right from the beginning, Marcus and Troy disagree—about football, about Troy's ex-girlfriend, Alyssa, but most of all about what's good for Charlie. Marcus is betting that he knows what's best for the King of Pop. And he is willing to risk everything to help his friend.
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.
Product details
- Publisher : Balzer + Bray; 1st edition (August 25, 2009)
- Language : English
- Library Binding : 272 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0061742309
- ISBN-13 : 978-0061742309
- Reading age : 13 years and up
- Lexile measure : 740L
- Grade level : 8 - 9
- Item Weight : 13.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.93 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #9,699,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Gordon Korman has written more than fifty middle-grade and teen novels. Favorites include the New York Times #1 bestseller The 39 Clues: One False Note, The Juvie Three, Son of the Mob, Born to Rock, and Schooled. Though he didn't play football in high school, Gordon's been a lifelong fan and season ticket holder. He says, "I've always been fascinated by the 'culture of collision' in football and wanted to explore it-not just from the highlight films but from its darker side as well." Gordon lives with his family on Long Island, New York.
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I really liked this story because I could relate to a lot of things Marcus was going through. Marcus just moved into a new school and is trying to fit in, which I could understand. I also liked this story because I’m interested in football, so the parts where they were playing football were interesting to me.
There are some ordinary parts about the book, but there are many special things in the stories. The characters in the story are very stereotypical (new guy, jock, cheerleader). The characters interact in a very interesting way, especially how the character of Charlie ties them all together. The many minor conflicts and disagreements that occurred were typical and ordinary, but the main problem that Marcus faces is very unique and special.
After the problem is “solved,” the happy ending was short lived. The story ended in a sad, but satisfying way. Overall, the story was very entertaining (I read it in a single day because I couldn’t stop) and even inspired me to help people in need.
In conclusion, Pop is a great story. The plot is interesting, and the end will make readers emotional. Football fans will also not be disappointed because football is mentioned a lot in this story. Readers can learn the importance of friendship and be inspired to help a friend in need. I wouldn’t recommend it to kids too small, because there are a couple of romance scenes and complicated football terms (though it is appropriate for kids around middle school and up). I would recommend this book to readers who are up to reading a decent-sized book about football and friendship.
I would recommend this to THE whole world.
It's a great book on safety of nfl as well.