Mike Wilson is a good kid. He gets good grades, works at the farm of a family friend to help his single mother make ends meet, and even tolerates his obnoxious little sister. His father died a hero in Afghanistan seven years ago, and as Mike's fifteenth birthday approaches, he has begun receiving letters from his dad, delivered by an anonymous member of his father's unit. All Mike wants to do is play football, and when the first piece of his father's serialized advice encourages him to embrace the glory days of high school, he forges his mother's signature and joins the team. What follows is hazing from a bully on the team, a complicated relationship with a Muslim girl on the social sidelines, and guilt and confusion about his interwoven secrets. Many readers will anticipate a revelation about a hidden identity, but that won't stop them from enjoying this literary, nuanced, respectful treatment of military themes, sports dynamics, and small-town life.

Since his father died in Afghanistan, Mike has become a model citizen: getting good grades; working after school; and taking care of his fragile, overprotective mother. Right before Mike turns sixteen, a series of letters comes from his father, written before he died and outlining the horrors of war. The advice-filled letters add a didactic tone to this coming-of-age story.

Gr 6-8 Mike Wilson is an ordinary teenager, more responsible, perhaps, than most. His father died in Afghanistan when he was eight. Suddenly, he is getting posthumous advice from his father in the form of letters, the sender of which is a mystery. This is a good premise, if not a particularly original concept. Reedy misses the opportunity to grip his readers by doing the obvious. For example, Mike follows dad's advicego out for footballonly to discover that he's a star player. Mike's relationship with his overly protective mother provides some drama, and the developing friendship with his classmate, Isma Rafee, of Persian descent, will appeal to many teens, as will the revelation of the identity of the mysterious letter sender. Although predictable and cliche-ridden, If You're Reading This will appeal to reluctant readers.— Nina Sachs, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME

As in his earlier books, Words in the Dust (Scholastic, 2011) and Divided We Fall (Scholastic, 2014), Reedy uses his National Guard service in Afghanistan as a source for a story. This time, it is a bittersweet one, as Mike Wilson gets to know the father he lost when he was eight, thanks to a batch of letters and videos his father made during his tour. Should he be killed, his father arranged to have one of his Guard buddies mail them one at a time in the months before his son's sixteenth birthday. Like Daniel from Divided, his mother is often overwhelmed by mental problems, and in spite of her anxieties, Mike loves football and is determined to play on the team. Dad's letters conveniently support his decisions, urge him to enjoy the best years of his life, make fast friends, kiss a girl, and solve problems through living by a code Dad coins, "the Cowboy Way."The letters get a little sappy, but the pieces fit together and build toward a more interesting and compelling climax as the identity of the secret messenger and the circumstances of his father's death are revealed. Though it lacks the thematic heft of Reedy's two earlier books with roots in the war, If You're Reading This will work for readers who like well-written sports, play-by-play, and are willing to put up with a little barbershop men-to-boys advice in order to have the gridiron action.Donna L Phillips.