"It is

hard for an adult to get on the level of a student so he had a good idea

to come to us. He is very easy to talk to. I think we all felt comfortable

in telling him what we liked and didn't like about what he was writing,"

said Adam Worsham, who also is a senior this year.

The book, titled

"Players," centers on a football player and his girlfriend.

In the first person, the football player tells about events and relationships

that shaped his senior year of school. He also talks about how he hates

school, teachers and especially books. To him everything is a game, from

school and playing football to his relationships with his friends.

"In this

book everyone is some type of social player. That's why I chose the title,"

said Taylor.

The book incorporates

elements that today's teenagers deal with in their daily lives such as

stress, school shootings, suicide and relationship problems. Throughout

the book there are underlying motifs that teachers can use as teaching

tools. The book also has a surprise ending.

Taylor wrote

the book one chapter at a time. His students read each chapter as he wrote

it and provided feedback. Taylor had planned to finish the book in a six-month

time period but ended up completing it in four weeks.

To date, 300

students have read "Players." Taylor has used the book in his

classroom and so have two other teachers at Sandy Creek. Students report

that the book is so interesting that they have a difficult time pulling

themselves away from it.

"I hated

to read but this book is so interesting that you can't wait to see what

happens next. It is hard to find books that relate to you. I am stuck

on the idea of this book and I strive to find others that meet its quality.

There need to be more books like 'Players,'" said McLeod.

Taylor is currently

trying to find a publisher to print his book so that students can use

it in other school systems. If he cannot find a publisher, he says he

has plans to self-publish. Appropriately, Taylor has dedicated his book

to the senior class of 2002 because they were the students who served

as his sounding board while he was writing it last year.

"If this

book never makes it out of Sandy Creek, I am satisfied because there are

some kids who hated to read and this book has changed their attitudes,"

he said. "I told my students that if by chance this book should sell

one million copies, the dedication will remain the same because they are

the success behind all of it."