WEST WINFIELD, N.Y. (WKTV) - A former football star, lawyer and best-selling author was in town Monday to encourage kids to read for fun.

Tim Green graduated from Syracuse University as an English major, and now he writes novels for middle school students.

On Monday, September 29, 2009, he made a stop at Mount Markham Central School to talk to kids about the importance of reading and finishing school. This is the 161st school he's visited since he began writing for kids.

Deborah Mowers, an English teacher at Mount Markham heard him speak a year ago, and said she knew she had to have him come to West Winfield.

"He was just amazing," Mowers said. "He is just so charismatic and his message is so important for adolescents to hear - that education and reading are of the utmost importance for them to succeed in life."

Middle school students at Mount Markham are now reading Green's hit novel - "Football Champ."

"As a writer...whether it's a novel for grown-ups or a novel for kids, my first objective is to have a lot of action, short chapters...keep it fast paced...keep It moving," Green said. "Good characters, good descriptions...but entertainment at the forefront. so doing that for adults and kids - there's a lot of similarities."