Book Reviews and More: Heavy Artillery I Was Junior Seau - Gordon Korman

Heavy Artillery I was Junior Seau

Monday Night Football Club Book 4

Hyperion Books for Children

ISBN 9780786812592

ISBN 0786812591

Heavy Artillery I Was Junior Seau - Gordon Korman - Monday Night Football Club Book 4

This book was originally published in 1997, with four different editions publishing that year under a variety of imprints. It is the fourth in a series of 6 volumes. I was really surprised by the volumes in this series and have been greatly enjoying the four I have read to date. This was the hardest of Korman’s works to track down. It was the last I was able to lay my hands on from the 109 titles he has released. A very enthusiastic Korman fan sent me an extra copy of this volume to complete my set. I set the goal of reading all his books about 2020. I am down to 22 of his books after finishing this volume. I have completed all the stand alone books and at least 2 in each 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 some like this book and series are just great fun. 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 Hilary, Hilary, Heavy Artillery "borrows" her brother Nick's ancient football jersey, she has no idea what's in store. She'd only intended to avenge Nick's theft of her baby pictures from the family photo album, but instead she ended up inside the body of one of the roughest, toughest players in football-Junior Seau. Back home, Nick has no idea that his sister is really a linebacker in disguise, and he, Elliot, and Coleman can't figure out why the magic jersey has run out of magic. It looks like Hilary's vacation may have come with a one-way ticket.”

The inside cover of the book has a letter from Jenior Seau:

“Welcome to the Monday Night Football Club!

I came a long way to play in the NFL- all the way from an island in the Pacific Ocean called Samoa. But it's been a great trip.

In this book, Hilary, the big sister of Monday Night Football Club member Nick Lighter, takes a pretty great trip, too. Her trip is also to a Pacific island- Hawaii. Wearing a magic football jersey, she turns into me, and has some amazing NFL experiences.

Hilary has a great time in the NFL. But making it to the NFL isn't as easy as putting on a magic jersey. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication. As a player with the San Diego Chargers, I've played in Super Bowl XXIX and in six Pro Bowls. But I still try my hardest in every game. I give 100 percent on every play, whether it's during the prescason, practice, or the playoffs.

Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't a lot of fun! I can't imagine doing anything else.

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

Go Chargers!”

The chapters in this volume are:

This Means War

Sploosh!

A Sweater to Sweat in

This Isn't Me

How Come There's Popcorn All over the floor?

Dear Mr. Seau

A Busload of Legends

The Pizza-Box Wall

Linebackers Don't Take Bubble Baths

Crunchtime

A Piece of Cake

Half Running, Half Flying

Call an Ambulance

Your Loving Sister

At the end of the book are some bonus sections:

The Official Monday Night Football Club Story of Jenior Seau, San Diego Superstar

Junior’s Honours

Seau by the Numbers

The Jenior Seau Foundation

Score an NFL Fan Packet Today!

NFL/Monday Night Football Club Fantasy Sweepstakes Official Rules

I only highlighted one passage while reading this volume it is:

“It was the sweater! Grandpa's ugly, scratchy, miserable old football jersey had some kind of magic! Whoever wore it would trade places with a football star! One of those Get-a-Life Clubbers must have switched himself with John Elway. That's how Elway had ended up in the middle of Monday Night Club.

It all made sense! No wonder Grandpa had given the shirt to his lawyers to lock in a vault. That moth-eaten old rag had supernatural powers! There probably wasn't anything like it in the whole world!”

I said it in my first review and state it again, 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. Though reading the first 4 in this was like a throwback to conversations in high school about the games the night before.

This was another really fun story. And the departure from the first one, with the double swap made it extra interesting, but in this one things go sideways because of it is not one of the club that swaps. It is Hillary, Hillary, Heavy Artillery, Nick’s older meaner sister. The three friends and their crazy football plays, though in this one there is only 1, and even it gets spoiled by Hillary, and the premise a kid playing in a NFL game, but not just any game in the Pro Bowl, it’s a great story. The magical football jersey that somehow transports Hillary into the body of Junior Seau; and Junior Seau wakes up on a bench in a Karate class with a bunch of 8th grade girls, oh and let’s not forget the surprise birthday party. It is sort of a sports themed Freaky Friday. Yet again I could hardly put it down.

It’s a great pity this book and series are out of print! I really enjoyed this volume, and the previous three and look forward to reading the rest of the series.

A great read from Korman’s masterful pen.

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)

The Jokes on Us (1995)