Waiting on Wednesday: Cracking the Bell by Geoff Herbach

Cracking the Bell by Geoff Herbach. 272 p. HarperCollins Publishers, September 10, 2019. 9780062453143.

Publisher synopsis: Friday Night Lights meets Concussion in this powerful and important novel by Geoff Herbach, author of the Stupid Fast series, exploring the dangerous concussion crisis in football through the eyes of a high school team captain.

Isaiah loves football. In fact, football saved Isaiah’s life, giving him structure and discipline after his sister’s death tore his family apart. But when Isaiah gets knocked out cold on the field, he learns there’s a lot more to lose than football.

While recovering from a concussion, Isaiah wonders what his life would look like without the game. All his friends are on the team, and Isaiah knows they can’t win without him. The scholarship offer from Cornell is only on the table if he keeps playing.

And without football, what would keep his family together? What would prevent him from sliding back into the habits that nearly destroyed him?

Isaiah must decide how much he’s willing to sacrifice for the sport that gave him everything, even if playing football threatens to take away his future.

 I absolutely adored Herbach's Stupid Fast trilogy, Gabe Johnson Takes Over (except I read an arc called Fat Boy Vs. the Cheerleaders) and Anything You Want. I haven't gotten to Hooper, but have a voracious eighth grade reader who loved it. So, I must give him a heads up about this. He'll be at the high school when it releases.