Gridiron Gamer

By Jake Maddox and Francisco Bueno Capeáns

As much as he would like to, Iako can’t play football. Being in a wheelchair keeps him from hitting the real gridiron. However, Iako makes up for it by being a whiz at his favorite video game, Football Blitz: Turbo. When his friends tell him he should play at a local esports tournament, Iako is hesitant. He doesn’t think he’s that good, and he doesn’t like crowds. But when Iako plays a pickup game and beats the current FB:T champion, he endures a lot of insults from the sore loser. With the support of his friends, Iako decides to enter the tournament to prove he can compete as well as anyone else. Will Iako’s skills help him defeat the current champ again and claim the title?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781666344684

Jake Maddox

Who is Jake Maddox? Athlete, author, world-traveler – or all three? He has surfed in Hawaii, scuba-dived in Australia, and climbed the mountains of Peru and Alaska. His books range from the most popular team sports to outdoor activities to survival adventures and even to auto racing. His exploits have inspired numerous writers to walk in his footsteps – literally! Each of his stories is stamped with teamwork, fair play, and a strong sense of self-worth and discipline. Always a team-player, Maddox realizes it takes more than one man (or woman) to create a book good enough for a young reader. He hopes the lessons learned on the court, field, or arena and the champion sprinter pace of his books can motivate kids to become better athletes and lifelong readers.

Book preview

Jake Maddox eSports: Gridiron Gamer by Thomas Kingsley Troupe, Illustrated by Fran Bueno

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Gridiron Lineup

Chapter 1: Unstoppable

Chapter 2: No Thanks

Chapter 3: Retired

Chapter 4: Online Opposition

Chapter 5: Not Ready Yet

Chapter 6: Champion Charles

Chapter 7: Very Sneaky

Chapter 8: Face the Crowd

Chapter 9: The Big Games

Chapter 10: Loss for Words

More about Esports and Football Video Games

Talk about It

Write about It

Glossary

About the Author

About the Illustrator

Explore More

Copyright

Back Cover

Cover

Title Page

Table of Contents

Start of Content

Main Body

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back cover

GRIDIRON LINEUP

▩ ▩ CHAPTER 1 ▩ ▩

UNSTOPPABLE

The crowd cheered as quarterback Iako Tsantir unleashed a rocket of a pass. The football spun in a perfect spiral over the red-helmeted defenders, whistling toward the end zone.

There’s no way this play will work, he thought, just before a West Virginia Warrior defensive end got to him. Iako held his breath as the two opposing cornerbacks were all over his receiver.

Come on, Iako said to himself. Come on.

As the ball got closer, the receiver jumped up, caught the ball, and juked to his left. The cornerbacks whiffed and slammed into each other. Iako’s receiver ran the remaining five yards into the end zone.

Touchdown! Iako shouted in his bedroom, raising his game controller in the air. Sitting nearby, his best friend Darnell