I will be honest, the cover of this book is such a deterrent to reading it, I felt it was my duty as a librarian to prove the proverb correct- don't judge a book by its cover.
Mike is just about to turn 16. His father was killed in Afghanistan 7 years prior, but made provisions by having someone mail advice letters to Mike in case he didn't survive the combat. In the meantime, his sister is the quintessential pre-teen brat. His mother is working two jobs, and they are constantly struggling for money. Mike wants to join the football team, and he wants to date a Muslim, neither of which is supported by his Mom.
On the whole, the book was good. It too preachy at times, especially through his wanna be girlfriend's voice as she hates the whole concept of sports. And th characters could have been taken from a setting from Footloose (different sorry obviously), so nothing unique on that front. Despite that, there was enough to pull me through to the end to see what happens, so yeah. Book cover report? It did better than the cover would lead you to believe.