How would you feel if your parents had died in a car crash and your uncle was being chased by the mob? You and your brother then had to be protected by the FBI. On top of all that, you’re playing in a chamionship football game against one of your biggest rivals! If you want to read a book with action, mystery, and sports all in one, Deep Zone, by Tim Green, is the book you need to read. If you don’t read this book, you are missing out!
Troy White can predict a football play before it happens. Star quarterback on his state football team, Troy’s a natural for the Seven-on-Seven tournament that’s being held at the Super Bowl in Miami. With any luck, his “Football Genius” will also be working for Atlanta Falcons on that big day!
Ty Lewis is a wide receiver with exceptional speed. His brother Thane who plays for the Jets, urges Ty to get on a Seven-on-Seven team, saying his running prowess will make him a winner.
From the moment the two football champs cross paths, Troy and Ty begin to size one another up. Troy is suspicious of Ty’s interest in his friend, Tate, while Ty worries his speed will never be a match for Troy’s game smarts. But when the two rivals find themselves somehow tangled in the same dangerous web of deceit, they discover that they have more in common than their love of football—and that their pasts are more entwined than either could ever have imagined.
Eric and Izaiah….The thing that really make this book so great is when the author makes Thane get injured. This makes everything so much more interesting. If his brother was okay then he would never have been in the hospital and Ty would have had someone to protect him and he wouldn’t have been as scared of being attack by the mob.
Eric….One other thing that I really liked was the ending of this book. It was very exciting, and it kept you wanting to know what would happen. If you’re one of those people who love exciting endings, Deep Zone is the book you need to read. Do you base your charecters on your own life or people you know?
We were super excited to be able to interview Tim Green! Here’s what we asked him…
Do you base your characters on your own life or people you know?
I BASE MANY OF MY CHARACTERS ON REAL LIFE CHARACTERS, BUT NOT ALL. I USE MY KIDS AS CHARACTERS, TROY, TATE, TESSA, THANE AND TY AND A COUPLE OF THEIR FRIENDS: BENJI AND NATHAN. JOSH IN BASEBALL GREAT IS KIND OF BASED ON ME. OTHERS, LIKE SETH HALLOWAY, ARE JUST MADE UP, BUT REPRESENT CHARACTERISTICS OF MANY NFL PLAYERS.
Why did you start a series with all the same characters?
I REALLY ENJOY USING MY KIDS AS THE CHARACTERS. IT MAKES IT FUN FOR THEM TOO, AND THEY HELP ME WITH THESE STORIES. ALSO, I FIND THAT READERS REALLY LOVE SERIES. I DO, HOWEVER, HAVE SEVERAL BOOKS THAT STAND ALONE: PINCH HIT AND TWO BOOKS OUT SOON: UNSTOPPABLE AND FORCE OUT.
Do you have favorite characters from your Football Genius books?
WELL, TROY IS KIND OF THE GUY WHO STARTED THIS WHOLE THING OFF, SO I HAVE A SOFT SPOT IN MY HEART FOR HIM, BUT I LOVE ALL THE CHARACTERS NAMED AFTER MY KIDS IN A SPECIAL WAY. ALSO, I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF NATHAN, REAL AND FICTIONAL.
We know you used to play in the NFL, what made you stop and become an author?
I STOPPED PLAYING BECAUSE OF FOUR REASONS: I WAS GETTING OLD AND INJURIES WERE PILING UP, I WAS GRADUATING FROM LAW SCHOOL, I WAS OFFERED A JOB BROADCASTING NFL GAMES FOR FOX, AND MY WRITING CAREER WAS JUST TAKING OFF. I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN AUTHOR, SINCE I WAS A KID AND LOVED TO READ.
Were you injured as bad as Thane?
YES, I TORE THE LIGAMENTS IN BOTH MY KNEES AND HAD THE CARTILAGE REMOVED FROM ONE OF THEM. I ALSO HAD MY KNEE DRAINED THE WAY HE DID BEFORE THE GAME.
Do you have a favorite YA novel or author?
I HAVE A LOT, BUT I GUESS MY TOP STORIES ARE “MANIAC MCGEE”, “BUD NOT BUDDY”, “ELLA ENCHANTED”, “HOLES”, “MRS. FRISBEE AND THE RATS OF NIHM” AND “CRISPIN”
Did you like to read when you were our age?
I BEGAN READING AT THE AGE OF 8 AND HAVE BEEN READING EVER SINCE. THERE WASN’T A TIME I DIDN’T HAVE A BOOK WITH ME, THE LUNCH ROOM, STUDY HALL, THE BUS, IN THE LOCKER ROOM BEFORE PRACTICE, I WAS READING ALL THE TIME AND LOVED THE WAY A GOOD BOOK WOULD TAKE ME AWAY TO ANOTHER TIME AND PLACE. THAT’S WHAT I TRY TO DO WITH MY BOOKS FOR MY READERS.
What are you working on next?
AS I SAID, UNSTOPPABLE AND FORCE OUT ARE DONE AND WILL BE OUT WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR. I AM NOW WORKING ON “UNDEFEATED” WHICH WILL CONTINUE THE FOOTBALL GENIUS SERIES, PICKING UP WHERE DEEP ZONE LEFT OFF WITH BOTH TROY AND TY TOGETHER.
Keep reading!
Tim
A huge thank you to Tim Green for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit with us!
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In this book deep zone by tim green, the most interesting thing in this story is that troy and tys parents are dead from a car crash. With this depressing loss they can still manage make it, even when thane is injured and life for the heart of football for troy and his brother ty is broken.