Dinged - (The Game Changer) by Tommy Greenwald (Paperback)

About the Book

Fourteen-year-old star freshman quarterback Caleb Springer watches his father deteriorate from injuries he suffered playing the very same sport, forcing Caleb to consider whether playing football, the sport of his dreams, is worth risking irreparable physical harm.

Book Synopsis

From the award-winning author of Game Changer, Tommy Greenwald, comes a thought-provoking sports novel about football, identity, and the price of success.

Caleb Springer is the star freshman quarterback on his high school football team. With talent, confidence, and college scouts already taking notice, his future seems all but guaranteed.

But as Caleb's football dreams grow brighter, his father, former NFL star Sammy Springer, begins showing troubling signs of memory loss, confusion, and unpredictable behavior. As Caleb watches someone he admires slowly change before his eyes, he is forced to confront an unsettling possibility: the sport that has given his family so much may also have taken something away.

With compelling characters, fast-paced storytelling, and timely themes, Tommy Greenwald explores sports culture, identity, concussion awareness, family expectations, and the difficult choices young athletes face both on and off the field. Readers will find themselves asking a challenging question: When the game you love comes with real risks, what would you do?

Perfect for sports fans, classroom discussion, and reluctant readers, Dinged is a thought-provoking novel that sparks conversation long after the final whistle.

"A cogent cautionary tale." --Kirkus Reviews

Read more books in Tommy Greenwald's acclaimed Game Changer series, where sports, mystery, and timely issues collide:

• Game Changer
• Rivals
• Dinged
• The Right Call

Review Quotes

"The author folds frightening scenes with an injured teammate and another ex-NFL player into the story as he takes his confused protagonist through the championship game to a decision that may be smart even if just possibly too late... A cogent cautionary tale."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

About the Author

Tommy Greenwald is the bestselling author of the acclaimed Game Changer series, including Game Changer, Rivals, Dinged, and The Right Call. Game Changer was selected as an Amazon Best Book of the Month, a YALSA Top Ten Pick, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and has appeared on multiple state reading lists. Rivals was also an Amazon Best Book of the Month, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.

Known for his innovative storytelling and fast-paced, accessible narratives, Greenwald writes books that explore sports, friendship, identity, resilience, and the challenges facing young people today. He is also the author of the popular Charlie Joe Jackson and Crimebiters! series, among many other books for children and young adults.

In addition to his writing, Tommy is the cofounder of SpotCo, a New York City theatrical and entertainment advertising agency. He is also the lyricist and co-book writer, with Andrew Lippa, of the Off-Broadway musical John & Jen, which has been performed throughout the United States and internationally.