Cracking the Bell by Geoff Herbach

Cracking the Bell

Geoff Herbach

HarperCollins · Paperback · July 19, 2022

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.

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Who it’s for
A football story with real stakes, where loyalty and the future collide.
Genres
Football, YA Illness & Disease Stories, YA Family Stories
Published
HarperCollins, July 19, 2022

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About this book

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.

Continue reading

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.

Beyond the Game

A football story with real stakes, where loyalty and the future collide.

Come here for

  • The pull of a team, a scholarship, and a game Isaiah loves
  • A close look at football’s concussion risks

Expect

  • Tension between belonging and protecting what comes next
  • A high school athlete weighing what the sport has cost

Where it sits

Football99%
YA Illness & Disease Stories59%
YA Family Stories35%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • YA Family Stories
  • YA Sibling Stories
  • YA Blended Family Stories
  • YA Illness & Disease Stories
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Friendship for Teens
  • Mental Illness for Teens
  • New Experiences for Teens
  • Football
Authors
Geoff Herbach
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
July 19, 2022
Format
Paperback
Reading lane
YA Family Stories