Book Reviews and More: Quarterback Exchange I Was John Elway - Gordon Korman

Quarterback Exchange I Was John Elway

Monday Night Football Club Book 1

Hyperion Books for Children

ISBN 9780786812363

ISBN 0786812362

Quarterback Exchange I Was John Elway - Gordon Korman - Monday Night Football Club Book 1

This book was originally published in 1997, with six different editions publishing that year under a variety of imprints. It is the first in a series of 6 volumes. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then I have read 68 of his books including this volume, a few of them more than once. I set the goal of reading all his books about 2020. I am over half way thorough his canon, and have completed all the stand alone books and am now just working my way through the remaining series. Not counting omnibus editions I believe that as of the summer of 2025 Korman has published 109 books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged, and I am always entertained. My son, who is 17 often, reads these books to me or with me, and he still loves them.

The description of this volume states:

“When Nicholas Farrel Lighter (N.F.L.) receives an old, itchy football jersey from his grandfather, his first inclination is to throw it away, but he soon discovers that the jersey allows him to switch places with John Elway during a Monday Night Football game. Original."”

The description on the back of the edition I read states:

“FREAKY MONDAY

When Nicholas Farrel Lighter receives the world's itchiest (and most ancient) football jersey as a legacy from his grandfather, his first inclination is to throw it away. But then he starts to hear voices in his head—voices that call out football plays. I'm dreaming, Nick tells himself. But the dreams become more and more real. And then Nick finds himself in a locker room with the Broncos, and they're calling him . . . John Elway?”

The inside cover of the book has a letter from John Elway:

“Welcome to the Monday Night Football Club!

What's your favorite dream? When I was a kid, my dream was to star in the NFL. Fortunately, my dream came true, and I've had a wonderful career with the Denver Broncos.

In this book, Nick Lighter's dream comes true. Nick is a member of the Monday Night Football Club. Wearing a magic jersey, he gets to experience what it's like to be a real NFL player. In fact, he turns into me!

But really making it to the NFL doesn't take magic … it takes hard work and lots of practice. You may not know it, but studying and reading are a big part of what I do every day. There are plays to learn, opponents to study, and game plans to memorize.

Of course, that doesn't mean that it's not a lot of fun! It's just as much fun today as when I was a kid.

Enjoy this NFL adventure with Nick and the Monday Night Football Club. Maybe someday, this book will be about you, when you're a star in the NFL!

Go Broncos!”

The chapters in this volume are:

1 The Monday Night Football dub

2 Hilary, Hilary, Heavy Artillery

3 Are You Ready for Some Football?

4 How Ya Feeling, John?

5 Fifty-Three Bob, Odd Six, on One

6 The Weisbaum Broken-Held Lateral Tree Punt

7 Kings of the Castle

8 I'm John Elway

9 The Bug House

10 John Elway Blows His Hose

11 The Nearest Thing to Flying

12 One Final Desperation Drive

13 The Wigwam Slide-Launcher Crutch Ball

At the end of the book are some bonus sections:

The Official Monday Night Football Club Story of Comeback King John Elway

The Elway Foundation

NFL/Monday Night Football Club Fantasy Sweepstakes Official Rules

I highlighted a few passages that were particularly interesting, some of them are:

“It had been Nick's idea to form the Monday Night Football Club in the first place. The organization had one purpose: to make sure none of its three members missed Monday Night Football on TV.

Nick, Elliot, and Coleman knew that Monday Night Football was the biggest and most exciting game of the week. But their parents complained that the broadcasts sometimes went on until midnight, or even later. A compromise had to be reached, and the Monday Night Football Club was born.”

“It hit Nick like a ton of bricks. He'd always thought John Elway was so great that he didn't have to work hard. The truth was that Elway was great because he worked hard!”

I will be honest I am a much bigger fan of the CFL than the NFL, I could never really get into the four downs and smaller field and balls. But I follow sports enough to know the names and personalities; I just wish Korman had done a book in this series on Warren Moon, which could have had a CFL crossover element.

This was a really fun story. From the three friends and their crazy football plays. To one of them receiving a magical football jersey that somehow transports him into the body of John Elway; sort of a sports themed Freaky Friday. Once I got going I could hardly put it down.

It’s a great pity this one is out of print! I really enjoyed this volume and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Another excellent volume from Korman.

Books by Gordon Korman:

MacDonald Hall Series:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall (1978)

Go Jump in the Pool (1979)

Beware the Fish! (1980)

The Wizzle War (1982)

(formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)

The Zucchini Warriors (1988)

Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)

(aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)