YA Review: Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp

Hampton Green isn't the sharpest stick in the knife drawer. It's hard for him to pull together his thoughts to even participate in a class discussion, but on the football field everything clicks for him. He can almost stop time to read a play, and he's definitely got size on his side: he's one of the biggest, meanest, most effective defensive tackles in a very competitive eastern Oklahoma high school conference. His team has won every game for nearly five years, and his best friend Blaine is the star running back trying to grind out one more season on bad knees that he doesn't want anyone to know about.  However, there is an undercurrent that's unsettling: For Hampton, football is just a game. For Blaine, it is everything, and he doesn't try to hide his jealousy when big-time colleges start talking to Hampton and not him. Hampton lets his friends do the talking for him, as well as the thinking in most cases-- until Hampton realizes he's developing feelings for a very unpopular, nerdy girl named Sara, who helps him realize that his friends are pushing him around and getting him into situations he doesn't need to be in.  This is a well-paced story that will appeal to guys and girls alike, although there might be more on-field action than non-football fans would like.  At just more than 200 pages (I read it in eBook format at 251 pgs) this is a quick read but with enough depth to make students weigh the price of friends over sticking up for what is right. Recommended.