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Payback Time

by Carl Deuker
298p. 978-0-54727-981-7.
COPY ISBN
Gr 7-Up Senior Daniel True is short, pale, and round, hence his nickname the Michelin Man, or Mitch, for short. His former elementary school best friend, Horst Diamond, is the star quarterback and BMOC at their Seattle high school. Mitch's ambition is to be an ace investigative reporter, à la Woodward and Bernstein, but the new editor of the school newspaper assigns him to cover sports. Worse still, Coach McNulty makes it clear that Mitch's job is to be Horst's cheerleader. McNulty intends to ride his star player to a college coaching job, and he won't let Mitch do anything to jeopardize that opportunity. While covering a practice, Mitch notices Angel Marichal, a senior transfer student. Angel is clearly the best athlete in the school, but McNulty keeps him hidden, playing second string, changing his jersey number, and denying any interview requests. Mitch knows that McNulty and Angel are hiding something, and he is determined to get to the bottom of it. What he finds is far different from what he suspects, and along the way his personal and journalistic ethics are tested. Deuker has crafted another entertaining and readable football story. The game descriptions are well done and will appeal to players and fans. Many teens who dreamed of being a star as children but don't make the team in high school will identify with Mitch.-"Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School, CA" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.
As sports editor of his high-school paper, Mitch unearths multiple wrongdoings; unwittingly, he puts one football player's life--as well as his own--in danger. The protagonist's transformation from mild-mannered reporter to lone avenger plays out during a nail-biter of a football season. But it's Mitch's ethical dilemma, concerning not what can be reported but what should be, that gives the novel heft.
Populated with complex characters, this thought-provoking thriller raises important questions about the role of a reporter in general and a high-school reporter in specific. What stories should be ignored? What lengths should a reporter go to to uncover the truth? What is the reporter’s responsibility for the consequences of his or her actions? The mystery surrounding Angel Marichal is compelling. There are intriguing twists and turns as Mitch and his photographer, Kimi, uncover the story. Mitch’s persistence makes him a sympathetic narrator.

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