DINged

Book Trailers 

About the Author

TOMMY GREENWALD is the author of Game Changer, Rivals, and Dinged, among many other books for children. Greenwald is also the author of the Charlie Joe Jackson series and Crimebiters! series. Day job–wise, Tommy is the cofounder of Spotco Advertising, a theatrical and entertainment advertising agency in New York City, and the lyricist and co-bookwriter (with Andrew Lippa) of John & Jen, an off-Broadway musical that has been produced around the country and internationally. To read woefully outdated information about him, visit tommygreenwald.com. (from author’s website)


About the Book

A star football player watches his father deteriorate from injuries he suffered playing the very same sport.


Caleb Springer is the up-and-coming star freshman quarterback on the high school football team, which isn’t a surprise considering his dad, Sammy Springer, was an NFL superstar and is now the town celebrity. College scouts are already snooping around Caleb, and his future seems set.


But just as Caleb’s glory days begin, his dad starts to change. He’s forgetting things and getting angry at random times. Caleb is forced to confront a bleak possibility: The sport that gives him so much status and self-worth might be the cause of his dad’s strange behavior. Will Caleb keep playing the sport of his dreams, even if he knows how dangerous it can be? (from author’s website)


Praise for Dinged:

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


Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection


Other books by Tommy Greenwald

Game Changer

YALSA Top Ten Pick for Reluctant Readers

Amazon Best Book of The Month

Junior Library Guild Gold Premiere selection

winner of the Connecticut, Kentucky and Rhode Island Middle School Reading Awards


Rivals

Amazon Best Book of The Month

Junior Library Guild Selection





Resources/Teaching Ideas

How to Get Recruited for Football When Most Interest is On the Top 200 Players (ncsasports.org article) 


Head to Head: The National Football League & Brain Injury  NYU Langone’s High School Bioethics Project developed this primer so students may understand the basics of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and tau protein, as well as trends in biomedical research involving CTE and the National Football League (NFL). It also allows students to explore ethical questions related to safety, risk, and health policy.


NFL Concussion Protocol & Return-to-Participation Protocol: Overview nfl.com article


CTE in nearly 92% of former NFL players analyzed, study finds: CBS News video (4:43 min)


What parents of young athletes with repeated head injuries wish they had known earlier: PBS NewsHour video (7:36 min)


Books and Ice Cream with Tommy Greenwald YouTube RJ Julia Booksellers (42 seconds)


Where Westport Meets the World: Tommy Greenwald 1 May 2023 YouTube The Westport Library (30:36 min)


Author Tommy Greenwald on The Van Show YouTube Austin Public Library (7:31 min)


Audiobook preview YouTube Google Play Books (31:51 min)

Social Media

Author's Website


Facebook tom.greenwald


X  @tommygreenwald