Product Description
Excerpt:
All the other partners did the same with other students. With such a series of pickets out around the school none of the student body got through without buying pennies, except Fred Ripley and Clara Deane. They were not asked to buy.
Meanwhile, up in the great assembly room a scene was going on that was worth looking at.
Abner Cantwell had seated himself at his desk. Before him lay a printed copy of the roll of the student body. It was the new principal's intention to check off each name as a boy or girl paid for the music. Knowing that he would have a good deal of currency to handle, the principal had brought along a satchel for this morning.
First of all, Harper came tripping into the room. He went to his desk with his books, then turned and marched to the principal's desk.
"I've brought the money for the music, Mr. Cantwell."
"That's right, Mr. Harper," nodded the principal.
The little freshman carefully deposited his fifteen pennies on the desk. They were out of the roll. ... Read more

Product Description
From the woods of Northwest New Jersey comes an engaging story about a bear and baseball. Jack Graybill's Compleet Bear follows the Bruedocks, a tightly knit family who adopt Compleet after learning of his mother's tragic death. Compleet becomes part of the family, but they soon learn that Compleet is no ordinary bear--he understands English! Everyone knows that bears don't talk, but after thirteen-year-old Ronny Bruedock teaches his new friend sign language and the rudiments of baseball, Compleet is quickly on his way to becoming a world-class baseball star. Compleet Bear is a story for animal lovers, sports enthusiasts, and romantics. Children and young adults will love following Compleet in his search for friendship, trust, and acceptance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Addition to Bear Literature
This heartwarming story is about a bear, yes a real bear, who through hard work, determination, and an uncanny talent for sign languagewins a spot on a big league baseball team. It is especially for pre-teens who enjoy sports and who have an appreciationfor fantastical situations.Follow the bear's exploits as he battles prejudice from those who just don't understand his drive to succeed and his love for the family that adopted him. ... Read more

Product Description
This books picks up our story as Keith and Larry realize that two girls from their class want to be their girl friends.Judy and Beverly become a part of the group and Larry and Keith decide to make both Beverly and Judy their plan wives,The relationship gets morecomplicated when and older friend gets killed in an auto accident.Read how people and these two young boys react to death and grief and what they do to get their lives back into the normal routine. ... Read more

Product Description
Excerpt:
"There's just one thing that I keep thinking about on a day like
this," Dave Darrin sighed contentedly.
"What's that?" Tom Reade wanted to know. "Supper?"
Darrin turned, favoring Reade with a flash of disgust from his
large, dark eyes.
"I'm still waiting for the information," insisted Tom after a
short pause.
"You may as well wait," retorted Dave. "You wouldn't understand
what I feel, anyway. Any fellow who can keep his mind on supper,
on a grand June day like this-----"
"I imagine that you'll keep your mind on the meal when you reach
the table," predicted Tom, grinning.
''That'll be time enough," Dave rejoined. "But I'm not going to
profane the woods, on a perfect June day, by thinking of kitchen
odors."
"Say, aren't you feeling well?" asked Tom gravely.
"That's just the point, I guess," broke in Dick Prescott, with
a light laugh. "Dave is feeling so extremely well and happy-----"
"Now, you're shouting," Darrin assented. "But it's no use for
poor Reade to ponder over the glories of nature. All he can think
of is the region bounded by his belt." ... Read more

Product Description
Rounding Third is the story of Rob Wardell, a seventeen-year old who feels like he doesn't quite fit in anywhere--not at home, not at school and not on the baseball field. The small, shy boy stays on the high school baseball team only to please his father since he knows he will never get to play. He’s living his life alone until he finds himself drawn into a friendship with the team’s new star pitcher, Josh Schlagel. The two boys hit it off instantly; maybe it's because Josh isn't exactly welcomed by the team either. But as Rob and Josh grow closer and start spending more time together away from the field, Rob realizes that his friend is hiding something. The bruises on Josh's body and his reluctance to let Rob know about certain parts of his life have Rob suspicious. When Josh's secrets are finally revealed and become life threatening, Rob and his family must step up to the plate.

Rounding Third is a page turner and I couldn't put it down once I started reading.You findyourself deeply caring for the fate of the characters and moved by their struggle to find themselves and each other.A unique, well written and wonderful novel."--David Mixner, author of“Stranger Among Friends”

“Meyer weaves a brilliant story of jock culture with pertinent social issues of the day and has captured an important time in our country.Set in contemporary rural America, his novel highlights the way American society is changing. His characters will have you cheering and crying in empathy, and his story is sure to interrupt your sleep.” --Eric Anderson, PhD, author of “Trailblazing” and “In the Game”


“From the opening sentence, “Rounding Third” resonates with readers – all will find something to relate to, and learn from, in this compelling and important story.”-- Dan Woog, author of the “Jocks” series

"I found myself rooting for these young men, wishing that I could enter the book and save them.Their journey is filled with hope, sorrow, joy--first love was never tackled like this." –Noël Alumit, Lambda Literary Awarding winning author of "Letters to Montgomery Clift"
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Rounding Third hits home!
Rounding Third made me laugh and cry, but more importantly, it reminded me of my own childhood and the painful experiences of hiding my sexual orientation. Walter bravely shared much of his own lived experience with grace and passion. This books is very important for people of all ages but especially for young folks who feel isolated and alone. Outstanding book that I could not put down. It should be on film...

Ronni Sanlo, author

A must read for anyone has or knows of someone who has dealt with coming out of the closet.
Once I started "Rounding Third" I could not put it down.If you are a gay man and have experienced discrimination, fear, self loathing, the coming out process or know of someone who is or has, this is a must read.However, whatever your background, life experiences or sexual orientation, this book is a story that needs to be told over and over again.Every living soul has to one degree or another faced the challenges of youth, feeling different and sense of not belonging anywhere.The characters were very easy to identify with and I could see this being a play or movie.

Rounding Third Review
The first time I read this book, I finished it in a matter of days (and it would have been sooner had it not been for life's other callings).Meyer's gift for storytelling and his attention to detail immediately pull the reader into the world that is Rounding Third; his vibrant and precise writing brings the characters to life.As such, the characters in this story are very relatable.

The second time I read this book, it took me a little longer because I read it more carefully.As a sociology instructor, I can see myself using this book in a course to explore issues of masculinity, sexuality, and family structure among others.Rounding Third is an unfortunate timeless story in many regards.This book is important because it brings to light the untold experiences of many adolescents in the U.S.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read, and to anyone interested in issues of masculinity and sexuality.

Powerful, Real & Well-Written
"Rounding Third" is definitely a page-turner. It gripped my heart with its profound expression of young love, gay love, family life in both its grotesquely abusive and ultimately supportive forms. After getting to know Rob and Josh, the awful irony of love leading to hate crimes just because its between two boys cannot be lost on the reader.I've already given the book to a gay teacher in Ohio, who's been dealing in-vivo with all these issues for decades. I'd like all my family and friends to read this book. And everyone else I can think of! It's a great read and very important work. Thanks to Walter Meyer for so truly and powerfully telling this story, on so many levels, of so many.

A Fantastic Read
Rounding Third's power comes from subverting your expectations.On the surface, this is a story about baseball and the coming of age of the main character, Rob Wardell.The twists and turns of the story keep the reader on their toes, always surprised by how characters react to situations.Every character has fully developed motivations, regardless of role played, and that eye for detail is evident throughout the story.Meyer makes Rob's story relatable to every reader, and the ending leaves us wanting to know what happens to Rob and Josh - both characters make hard decisions that differentiate this from a "fairy tale ending."A rousing success. ... Read more

Product Description

Colt's perfect life crumbles when his girlfriend breaks up with him and looming academic ineligibility threatens his baseball career. For a guy who gets by on his good looks and talent with a bat, Colt knows that he could be facing his toughest challenge ever.

Just as she did in her acclaimed novel Damage, author A. M. Jenkins strikes to the heart of an outwardly confident teenager to expose surprising sensitivity, uncertainty, and humor within.

o Jenkins successfully tackles such common young adultthemes as peer pressure and self esteem by addressing them through an inquisitive and likeable character to whom teens will easily relate.

o Out Of Order will resonate with girls and boys, reluctant and avid readers.

Ages 12 +

Customer Reviews (9)

My thoughts
I think that this book was really very good. The characters kept me interested in reading more because they didn't seem fictional at all. I'm not much of a reader, but I read this book so fast because I could relate to almost everything that was going on. Understanding what the characters actions is so easy because you can see exactly what they are going through.

for reluctant teen male readers
Although I own 5 copies of this book, I haven't read it yet. Why? Because the boys in my 9th grade English class keep it checked out of my classroom constantly. As soon as a boy returns a copy, the next young man on the waiting list checks it out. I have never seen teenage boys respond to a book like this. Back in August when school started, I only had one copy, but I have purchased 4 additional copies since then. During SSR time, a boy started reading it because I insisted he read something. He would have preferred to put his head down on his desk - absolutely not allowed. He said, "But, Miss, I HATE to read!" I told him that's OK, just stare at the book until the bell rings. That way if the principal had dropped in to make sure we were doing SSR, I wouldn't get in trouble. When the bell rang 15 minutes later, the young man begged me to let him take the book home to finish it. He returned it the next morning and started to recommend it to others. Not one boy has yet to read the first 2 pages and not finish the book. Most of my students have read the book in no more than 2 days. Some said that they stayed up all night to finish it because it was so good.No female students have expressed any interest in the book...maybe because the cover has a picture of a baseball on it.As far as I'm concerned, this book works magic on boys. Every boy who has read it in my classes has gone on to read several more books. What more could a teacher ask for? (FYI - My school is in a low socio-economic area, high poverty rate, almost every student is on free/reduced lunch, gang related crime, urban area, etc.)

A Gem
I love this book. The main character, Colton Trammel, is written with wonderful depth. The author shows him with all his faults-- not too bright, sometimes cocky and insensitive-- but he's written as such a real, heartfelt character that I grew to care about him almost as if he were a real person. The female characters are also presented in full dimension-- the horrible Grace who doesn't realize she's horrible; sad Dori; and Corinne, who is more like Colton than either of them realize.

Besides the terrific voice and characterizations, there is great humor and a gripping pace to this novel. I can't wait to read more books by A.M. Jenkins.

Out of Order
I absolutely loved this book. It was your everyday life as a teenager in your typical high school. It includes all of the negative things that go on in high school too, so that makes the book a little restrictive for kids younger than 8th grade. But I still liked it. It covered everything from relationships to falling into peer pressure to constantly harassing people. Colt, the main character, is very rude, and really sucks at school work. He is really only good at baseball. But that makes him a bully to everyone around him that he considers, "lower than him". But as he starts to get a taste of what he's been dealing out to everyone when a new girl moves to their school and doesn't take any crap from him. She just sends it right back his way. What made the book so good was when he finally realized how mean he really was to everyone, and he matures. It is kind of eye opening though, because I know there are probably people like that in my school, and I realized that the situations in this book really do happen. But I give you this warning... there are many cuss words, and bad conversations. But it makes up for all of that in the end, I think.

OUT OF ORDER is a realistic book.
Colt Trammel is trying to make sense of his high school world. His classes are like gibberish, his girlfriend Grace freaks after he tells her he loves her, and his lab partner is a new girl with green hair, for Pete's sake. The only time Colt knows what's going on is when he's playing baseball.

A.M. Jenkins is a master at drawing readers right into the characters. Colt is not a simple jock stereotype. His love for Grace makes him vulnerable, and the failures he experiences in his classes make him feel perpetually stupid.

Colt's struggle with the romantic poets from his English class becomes crucial when his grades drop below what is acceptable for playing athletes. He finds a tutor in Chloe, formerly of the green hair. Jenkins writes their tutoring sessions with humor. Anyone who has struggled to understand classic poems will especially enjoy these parts of the books.

It is also nice to see in a book the boy's side of a painful dating relationship. Readers will sympathize with this supposed tough guy as he pines for Grace, who doesn't treat him well.

Jenkins gives us a three-dimensional character in Colt, who is likable despite some bad choices that will have the reader cringing. OUT OF ORDER is a realistic book, and readers will want to see more of what happens to Colt.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio
... Read more

Product Description
Danny Gurkin believes in his heart that the Sluggers are the best team in baseball. There's just the small matter of breaking a century-old curse involving a pretzel, a bubble-gum tycoon, and a missing shortstop. Danny also believes that the outcome of Sluggers' games depends on him and hot dogs. Because eating two hot dogs with everything before each game is the best kind of luck a fan can give his team. Danny Ghurkin has a date with baseball destiny; he just doesn't know it. Yet.


From the Trade Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Grand Slam
This is the best book that I have ever read.The words, the people, and the book are the best.If there were a rating chart that would go from 1-20 if 20 is the best, than I would give it a 100.That is real.I can not stop saying how fantastic this book really is.I read it in 3rd grade and I want to read it over and over again.This is the best kind of book for a baseball fan and feel like some fantasy in it.I would keep talking about it, but I don't want to give it away.BUY THE BOOK IT WON'T BE A WASTE OF MONEY AT ALL.GO, GET IT.

Two Hot Dogs and the Ultimate Baseball Fan
My 10 year old son LOVED this fantastic tale of being the ultimate baseball fan.We read this book together and were absolutely taken in!The story jumps back and forth between present day and long years past, which might be a bit confusing for younger readers.Overall the book is a great desciptive adventure of a true believer in his hometown team.

Sixteen Games Out
Though this book is for kids they were giving it away at our local hot dog place on the corner of 12th and Howard on condition that you buy--you guessed it--two hot dogs with everything.I asked if I could still get the book if I left out the sauerkraut and at first they didn't want to, but after consultation with the manager the barista agreed.I sat down with a new book and two hot dogs, with slightly everything, and began to read.To my surprise this baseball legend was well worth reading, though it seems awfully long for kids.It is like the Lord of the Rings of ballpark sagas, but I'm sure that if I were 9 or 10 this book would be like manna from heaven.

It's a little silly but bssically a real page turner concerning ÿoung Danny Gutkin, who like every other kid in town believes that the Sluggers'one hundred year blump can be cured if only they believe!It's not just about keeping the same pair of underwear on day after day, it's about eating two hot dogs with everything.Author Paul Haven remembers exactly what it's like to be a fan rooting for a losing organization, and he loads his story with layer upon layer of delicious, sometimes mordant whimsy.Danny's two friends (one boy, one "honorary boy"called Molly) are well drawn and their escapades seem real, even when the plot goes over the top.

Which it does right away, since Danny gets the mystical power to help the Sluggers win games when he starts chewing 100 year old bubble gum (don't even ask, there's a big story behind this development) and when word of his accomplishment leaks, he becomes a hero to every fan and every player.

It's almost as if Paul Haven has spies among children, or else he has a photographic memory.He writes like James Thurber--and that's a plus, just listen: "Any kid facing the Grand Canyon of punishments will tell you that you should never sneak up on a potentially dangerous parent without first getting a good read on his or her mood.Parents can be unpredictable, and caution is key."

To sum it up, if you like baseball, hot dogs or bubble gum, or winning, this book is for you--or more properly speaking your kids!

another winner
My eight year old baseball nut of a grandson read this cover to cover yesterday as he traveled with his family to Arizona for camping and a couple of spring training games.Given its length, his parents thought it would keep him busy for a couple of days.Not so.

A Great Book From A Great Author!
I knew the author, Paul Haven, as a teenager in NY, so when I saw this book I had to pick it up and read it.This book had me smiling the whole way through.I enjoyed every page.I am eager to pass it along to my pre-teen nephews who play baseball for their town.I will certainly save a copy for my son when he is old enough to read it.Reading this book brought back memories of listening to the author and friends discussing baseball in Central Park 20 years ago.Some passions never die!Great book, Paul.I can't wait to read your next one! -LS ... Read more

Product Description

Each summer, on the fields of glorious Cape Marlin, off theNew England coast, the nation's best college players gatherto play the most important baseball of their lives.

Jack Faber is a young hotshot pitcher with an unhittable slider and a rocket for a fastball. He plays for the fabled Seapuit Seawolves and dreams of making the Big Show. But a new coach, the scowling Bruno Riazzi, a former pro catcher, resents the kid's celebrity status and decides to knock him down a peg or two. And he stops at nothing to make it happen.

Humiliated, Jack loses his lifelong art, and with it his passion for the game, as well as, mysteriously, his ability to throw. A devastated Jack Faber is released from the St. Charles College roster. But the Seawolves coaches won't give up on him. They bring Jack back to Cape Marlin, determined to help him rediscover his lost talent. He finds himself again under the summer sun, coaches and old friends standing by him. But in the end it will be up to Jack.

Based on a true story, Slider celebrates the national pastime, a game that can break grown men's hearts -- as well as make them whole again.

Customer Reviews (12)

Very good
The book arrived quickly and was as described by the seller.It was in good condition.

This slider is out of the strike zone
I was at my local library the other day and, since spring training had just started, I thought a baseball book woould be just the thing. But this is a bad book -- clichéd from beginning to end.

First of all, the reader doesn't get any real sense of place. The baseball league on the cape is just a stage set. It must be wonderful to play on the cape, by the beach, in the sunshine and salt air, in the balmy summer breezes, babes all over the place. You wouldn't know it to read this book. It has only the sketchiest sense of place.

The characters are cardboard through and through. The main character's baseball crisis is right out of a cartoon strip and not particularly believable. He shows no self awareness. So what if his coach is a jerk. So what if the coach says he's late when he's not. He's the coach. Don't contradict him. What an idiot. If coach wants to call your pitches, then throw what he calls. Get over it. The coach wants him to learn a slurve? Learn it. Wouldn't it be great to have another pitch. Ho doesn't have to abandon his slider.

The main character keeps calling his slider his "bread and butter" pitch during the conflict with his coach. I saw no evidence of that until the end of the book. He continually worried about it during his first season on the cape. If you can't throw your bread and butter pitch when you need it with 100% confidence in it, then maybe it's not your bread and butter pitch. The main character is the only character in the book who is fleshed out at all, and his loss of confidence is simply one among many plot devices and none of them is made to make much sense as anything else.

The laudatory quotes on the back were misleading. I saw them and thought I had a book worth reading. I should have looked closer -- from baseball players. Have you ever seen them interviewed? Until they retire and go on TV, nothing but clichés, just like this book. Book reviews? Only if they're by Moe Berg.

There are many smaller problems, too. Just as one example: the author takes the 'Wolves bus on a tour of Manhattan before the big game. There's a big crowd cheering for them at the "stop sign" at 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue. Stop sign? Put a stop sign there and midtown Manhattan will be gridlocked in fifteen minutes. Try stop light.

As another example: the Bombers owner shuts down the team after they lose. Who shuts down a major league team during the season? In fact, who shuts down a major league team, ever? Nobody's done that for over a hundred years. You sell the team. A team with a great stadium in Brooklyn ought to fetch a very nice price. Or you finally get good, knowledgeablebaseball people working for you. You work to build teams. You work on a good minor league system. If you've overpaid for talent you suck it up or get rid of them and don't re-sign them. You sign some kids. If you're going to lose you might as well do it cheaply. You finish badly and you get good draft choices. You make some smart trades. You build from the ground up. What owner doesn't know this. Especially a self-made billionaire. Give us a break.

Maybe some of this is supposed to be funny. If so, Robinson missed any humor by a mile. He missed writing a good book by more than that.

Enjoyable novel about baseball
Patrick Robinson is known for his Submarine books, including 'The Shark Mutiny' and 'HMS Unseen' and I presumed that 'Slider' would be another of these. However I was rather surprised to discover it's actually a novel about baseball. Being English I know almost nothing about Baseball except that it evolved from our game Rounders and that it's hugely popular in America. I decided to read the book and see if there was enough of a story in the pages to overcome the fact that I'm not a Baseball fan.

The answer was yes, with some reservations. Firstly I found that it wasn't always easy to work out what was going on. For someone who hasn't grown up in a Baseball environment there are a lot of things about the game that are difficult to get a handle on. There were vast amounts of names of former baseball players in this story which of course meant nothing to me. The cast of characters is necessarily very wide but there is also continual reference to the Baseball 'greats' of former years - I imagine baseball fans would know these but the average reader possibly not. It was often hard to keep track of who was who whilst following the story. I also found Patrick Robinson's penchant for making political and tub-thumpingly nationalistic comments throughout his writing as annoying as ever.

The story follows Jack Faber who is accepted to Seapuit baseball camp for 10 weeks of the summer, along with Tony Garcia, as they hope to attract the scouts for the main teams whilst they play there. Jack's father has brought him up with his love of the game and is hugely supportive of his son; Tony's mother Natalie wants Tony to get a law degree and sees baseball as a dangerous distraction from his studies and one that might cost the family dearly financially. I found myself rather siding with Tony's mum originally - the whole concept of a baseball scholarship to a university is alien to Brits (our scholarships are only ever academic) and the importance placed on the game by all the people around them seemed rather overmuch. However, comparing this with football in the UK, I could see the similarities and how it could become so all-encompassing.

The novel is in three sections, the first being the initial summer camp at Seapuit, the second section being the return to Seapuit (after Jack has lost his pitching abilities) and the third section a pure fantasy on behalf of the author where the Seawolves (the Seapuit team) play against one of the major teams. The second half of the book also had another fantasy element where Jack's father becomes suddenly rich and the worries of the first half of the book, when they had no money, are all over. This felt rather like cheating to me, story-wise, as the amount of money Ben Faber received was so enormous.

There's a thread throughout the novel of Ben and Natalie's romance, a plot element about Jack losing his ability to pitch, but most of the actual story is describing different games that the Seawolves play, often in intricate detail. The dialogue between the Coach and his team and the young men themselves often felt very stilted and unrealistic to me and the characters themselves seemed rather cardboard cut-out to me. However, despite all this, and despite the huge amount of baseball in this book, I did enjoy reading it. I felt the ending was far too unrealistic and pure wish-fulfilment for the author but it was a reasonable read, even for someone who knows nothing about baseball (although who now knows a great deal more!) Whether this book lives up to the hype on its cover, "you won't read a better novel about baseball. Ever." is debatable, whether its portrayal of the game is accurate and realistic has been challenged, but it's still a reasonable read.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, www.curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2007

NOT FOR FANS
It's difficult to believe anyone could write this badly. To fail to hold the reader's interest in a sports book, particuliarly a baseball book, is almost impossible. Sports have a built-in dramatic shape. Plus you are usually singing to the choir. Robinson, however, has through maudlin sentimentality, grandiose hyperpole and ponderous repetition, drained the life out of this story.
The descriptions of baseball's skills and techniques are so sadly inaccurate only someone who has has never thrown a ball or swung a bat could have written them.

the best book ever
i totally agree with jeff reardon when he says "this is the best book about baseball...ever!"

i have never read anything better than this book and i 100% reccommend it ... Read more

Product Description
The last place Ryan Walsh should be this afternoon is on a train heading to Wrigley Field. She should be in class, enduring yet another miserable day of her first year of high school. But for once, Ryan isn't thinking about what she should be doing. She's not worried about her lack of friends, or her suffering math grade, or how it's been five whole years since the last time she was really and truly happy. Because she's finally returning to the place that her father loved, where the two of them spent so many afternoons cheering on their team. And on this -- the fifth anniversary of his death -- it feels like there's nowhere else in the world she should be.

Ryan is once again filled with hope as she makes her way to the game. Good luck is often hard to come by at a place like Wrigley Field, but it's on this day that she meets Nick, the new kid from her school, who seems to love the Cubs nearly as much as she does. But Nick carries with him a secret that makes Ryan wonder if anyone can ever really escape their past, or believe in the promise of those reassuring words: "Wait till next year." Is it too much for Ryan to hope that this year, this season, might be her comeback season? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Not Just For Young Adults
I read this last summer and fell in love with it. It's not just for Young Adults. Every parent should buy it, read it, give it to their daughter or son and then they can talk about it together. It's a simple story of love, friendship, family and baseball. Jennifer Smith has a gift for story telling. She captures the feelings of young adults to a tee. You will not regret reading this! I can't wait for Jennifer's next book.

A Wonderful Read
Ms. Smith has written a YA novel that doesn't talk down to her readers.She tells a good story with themes of friendship, loss, family relationships and social insecurities. Ryan Walsh is a sympathetic protagonist that readers will identify with as she deals with lonliness and sorrow as well as optimism for a winning season for the Cubs and a budding friendship with the popular new kid, Nick. Facts, lore, and history of the Cubs is cleverly woven throughout the story.Ms. Smith's affection for the team shines throughout the book as parallels are drawn between hope and acceptance for the Cubs's chances for winning and the events happening in her own life.
I recommend this book without reservation for any young adult reader as well as their parents.The story was told with honesty, and it made me cry without resorting to sentimentality.I hated to put it down.Hard to believe this is Ms. Smith's first novel.I look forward to more.

From Reading Keeps You Sane
Title: The Comeback Season
Author: Jennifer E. Smith
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: March 2008
Pages: 256

Rating: B+
Plot - 16/20
Characters - 19/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 16/20
Entertainment - 9/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 88/100

Summary:
The last place Ryan Walsh should be this afternoon is on a train heading to Wrigley Field. She should be in class, enduring yet another miserable day of her first year of high school. But for once, Ryan isn't thinking about what she should be doing. She's not worried about her lack of friends, or her suffering math grade, or how it's been five whole years since the last time she was really and truly happy. Because she's finally returning to the place that her father loved, where the two of them spent so many afternoons cheering on their team. And on this -- the fifth anniversary of his death -- it feels like there's nowhere else in the world she should be.
Ryan is once again filled with hope as she makes her way to the game. Good luck is often hard to come by at a place like Wrigley Field, but it's on this day that she meets Nick, the new kid from her school, who seems to love the Cubs nearly as much as she does. But Nick carries with him a secret that makes Ryan wonder if anyone can ever really escape their past, or believe in the promise of those reassuring words: "Wait till next year." Is it too much for Ryan to hope that this year, this season, might be her comeback season?

Review:
I had heard so many great things about this novel, and I had high expectations. And they were filled to the brim. Smith crafted a calm, heartwarming and moving novel that will take your breath away. With Smith's composed writing style and touching characters, this book will grip tight and not let go. I read it on Sunday in one sitting, I could not part ways with it.

Ryan is a brilliant and delicate in her beautiful way. Her character is truly a unique character. All the characters Smith fashioned were all well defined. Her story was strictly a stunning story of loss, love, and most of all hope. Hope for the Cubs and for Nick both.

The fact that Smith added baseball as a common interest between Ryan and her dad and also for Ryan and Nick, and with out having it labeled as a 'baseball' read was fantastic. It's not about baseball, it's about the Cubs, as Ryan says, but also, like I said above, loss, love, and hope.

Jennifer E. Smith created a wonderfully enjoyable and highly recommend novel that I am sure anybody would love, because what's not to love about this novel?

Terrific book for teens
As a public librarian, I review a lot of books, particularly young adult titles so I can make useful suggestions to patrons. This is one of the best I've read in the past three years. The author blended angst, loss, grief, blended families, changing friendships, illness, the love of a baseball team and secrets to create a seamless story that grabbed me on page one and didn't let me free until the following evening when I finished it with a sigh. It has an ending that, unlike many books, is a bit ambiguous, just like real life. This is one I will really push to my YA summer readers as a great book that will both captivate and provoke feelings.

Comeback for More
When their father passed away in an accident, Ryan was only nine years old and her sister Emily was a toddler. Now a freshman in high school, Ryan is pretty much just treading water, her head and heart firmly planted in the past as she watches everyone else move on. Her old friends aren't really in touch with her. Her mother has remarried and is expecting another child. Her sister adores her stepfather and knows him better than she ever knew her father. Ryan feels as though she's the only one who honors his memory anymore.

On the fifth anniversary of her father's death, Ryan leaves school early to attend the first game of the season at Wrigley Field. It's more of an impromptu decision than a rebellious moment. She loved going to the games with her father. Because he supported the Cubs, so does she, even if they aren't the winningest team. They went to the games more out of love for the team than for love of the game itself. Ryan doesn't play baseball herself, nor does she have interest in any other teams or sports.

While at the opening game, she bumps into a kid from school. They start talking, and she is instantly at ease with him. His name is Nick, and his presence will change her life. Without looking for loyalty, love, or friendship, all three have found her. Nick has his own reasons for being guarded, yet he remains optimistic about the future.

Ryan's relationship with Nick teaches her to have hope. From their first encounter and throughout the book, their silences say as much as their dialogue. After feeling lonely for so long, Ryan finally connects with someone, someone who makes her want to move forward instead of backward. Shortly after she takes that first step forward, life presents her with a series of new challenges. Again scared and unsure, she stumbles into the bargaining phase of grief.

Jennifer E. Smith's debut novel is poignant and memorable. The premise will grab sports fans, but the story is for everyone. You needn't be a baseball enthusiast to enjoy this book. It's far more about loss, hope, and trust than about pitches and innings. The Comeback Season will appeal not only to fans of the Cubs, but also to fans of Sarah Dessen and Nicholas Sparks. ... Read more

Product Description
This autobiography follows a boy’s experience growing up on Chicago’s Southside in the 1950s.

"Southside Kid" is an autobiography that begins in the 1940s and tells of one boy’s experience growing up on Chicago’s Southside. L. Curt Erler pays homage to a simpler time when families worked hard, stuck together and made their own fun. From the Big Band days and matinees at the Avalon Theater to dancing and drag racing on the Eastside this book shares one man’s experience with the American dream.

L. Curt Erler comes from a large, hardworking family and in his autobiography, Southside Kid; he pays homage to strong family values, to a simpler time at the tail end of WWII. The author recalls his childhood growing up on Chicago’s Southside during the 1950s with baseball, matinees at the Avalon Theatre, young love and Friday night dances with the St. Felicitas kids. Moving into the mid-50’s you find yourself surrounded by Rock and Roll and the sounds of Chicago’s jazz joints.

"Southside Kid’s" narrator is the only non-Catholic attending a Catholic school. Young Curt was fortunate and clever enough to make the best of this rather trying opportunity. He tells of his Yankee adventures in the South and a few altercations on Chicago’s Southside streets. This book is a wonderful and wildly fun journey down a memory lane filled with laughter and high jinks that leaves its reader with a sense of longing. Everyone should have a childhood that is this much fun and a life that is this rich.

Welcome to Chicago’s Southside.

In Southside Kid, L. Curt Erler recalls a time when missing children found sleeping in laundry baskets made headlines. From weekly air raid sirens and gathering around Mom’s Philco radio listening to Glenn Miller and Frankie Laine to dancing and drag racing on the East Side, this Southside kid reminds us that where we come from is the greatest place in the world.

A place where sewer covers become first, third and home plate and second base is someone’s cap. When you aren’t playing baseball your afternoon might include a matinee at the local theater or riding your bike for some penny candy at Julie’s Candy Store and there are always the Friday night dances with the St. Felicitas gang. Moving into the mid-50’s you find yourself surrounded by Rock and Roll and the sounds of Chicago’s jazz joints.

Everyone should have a childhood that is this much fun and a life that is this rich. In fact, for L. Curt Erler it isn’t a life, it is a celebration and it is what makes this memoir alternately so touching and so hilarious.

Author Biography

L. Curt Erler was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. As an adventurer and business executive, he has traveled extensively. He is the proud father of three grown daughters and resides with his wife of 46 years in San Diego County, California...
... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

An American Life
First of all, what this is not. It is not a weepy, sniffling "good old days" lament. Nor is it a "things were much better back then" dirge. It is an extraordinarily detailed day-by-day account of a boy growing into manhood on Chicago's Southside. All the joy, nonsense and tomfoolery of adolescence are here, and so are the pain, tears, dejection and heartbreak. These emotions are universal to all teenagers, whether they were part of a middle-class clan, dirt-poor, or filthy rich.

The reader is left marveling at Erler's resilience in the face of the adversity and misery he brought on himself, as teenagers will. But he always bounced back, and each bounce brought him higher and higher. This Southside Kid is now a retired successful business man, with a happy marriage and a loving family.

Southside Kid will take you on a fascinating journey through the days of wars, snack foods, automobiles, sports, race relations, and the birth of rock n' roll. Music always played a big part in Erler's life, and he provides an unparalleled written soundtrack that is bound to provoke happy memories.

There is much here for readers of all ages. More than a memoir, this is a portrait of real life in America. Write on, Curt! Let's hear the rest of the story.

Southside Kid Get's This Bristol Kid Dreamin'
Before I start my review i'd like to say i'm just under 30 years of age and live far away from Da Southside, in fact i'm right across the pond in dear ol' blighty - the North East of England! (Tho I was born and still am a Bristol Kid!)
The music I love and adore with all my heart is the music Curt shares with us in Southside Kid. I just about dig anything that came out on the Sun label. Rockabilly, Blues, R'n'R, R'n'B, Country, Jazz....Man just about anything that's got a beat, especially if it was recorded between the 40's and early 60's.
So I grew up in an era where these mighty tough sounds are hard to find on the radio, TV ect. I spend my life daydreaming about what it would've been like living in such a time.
Southside Kid has taken me to such places I have dreamt about, a time when the world and the folks had different values to the world today.
If you dig Baseball look no further, Curt might share with you a few secrets about pitchin'!
Personally I love the stories about the road trips, the jazz joints (Count Basie!) and traditional family values.
This is a heartwarming read, plenty of laughter(Curt's got great humor), and a very loving family.
If every household shared the same faith and love the world would be a better place.
It's truly a fascinating read, I felt many emotions whilst reading this book, "Southside Kid" will touch your soul.
Thanks Curt for being a real gentleman and sharing your wonderful memories with me. I now have a better understanding of that rockin' era!
My best wishes always
Your UK Buddy
"The Castleside Cat" Dave K

P.S Don't delay...buy Southside Kid today!

A time machine
Surely we all have dreamed of having that mythical time machine that would take us maybe to the future, but who wants to go there??? I'm going in reverse to those happy days of the fifties. I thought I remembered them but found many more in reading Southside KId, the baseball games with little real quality equipment,who cared-or knew! the wonderful funky cars Curt describes especially the ones he owned, but wait !! don't listen to me, Curt is patiently waiting at the curb in his Merc, the door is open and you're invited-hang on tight ! you're not going to believe it,hurry up cause I know he wants to hit the Blue Note tonight, Basie is in town.

Lost In Nostalgia
While wrapped in the warmth of sweet childhood memories and exciting adventure as well, I could NOT put this book down.The author describes his wonderful, youthful years with such writing ability that I felt that I was there in the neighborhood, or experiencing the same emotions, and hearing and smelling and tasting the same things.I was lost in nostalgia while reading this book.Now, I wish that I had grown up in the 40's and 50's in middle class, Southside Chicago.There was never a boring moment in the Southside Kid's life ... OR IN THE BOOK!

Take a deep dive into the memory pool of Southside Chicago
Long after you have finished this book, you will remember pieces and parts of 'the way it was'.It sticks with you because it is so real without ever being violent.It is an honest, straight-across-the-board rebirth of memories in detail of growing up after WWII into the '60's.

Lots of little things make this book great.The names and places on Southside Chicago live suddenly in rebirth.The items we bought, the prices we paid, the kind of clothes we wore, the language we talked--it's all there.
SOUTHSIDE KID is a new genre--part history, part biography, but all reality.

It's a fun book to read.It's a happy book about an unconfusing time in history in a very special place--the SOUTHSIDE OF CHICAGO.Every Chicagoan ought to read it--and maybe, even, write one of his or her own.

It's worth it!Georgia Hedrick, Reno, NVRetired teacher
(who went to school with Curt Erler) ... Read more

Product Description
The whole town has turned out to watch the Green Lawn women challenge the men—and to see Mr. Pocket’s prized baseball collection. But sometime during the game, the balls are stolen! The police suspect the umpire of foul play. Can Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose prove he’s innocent, or is it strike three for the Green Lawn ump?


From the Trade Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Children's Mystery Series
My daughter is working her way through all of these.They flow well, have a great storyline, and yet leave some clues for the kids to solve at the end.I don't know what she will read when she gets to Z.

tHE BEST review
i didn't buy this book. i got it at the libray. i have read every book in the series!

Awesome!
This is one of the best books I have ever read!This series is about three kids who like to solve mysteries.In this book one of Ruth Rose, Dink, and Josh's friends autographed baseballs are stolen and they need to find out who stole them.If you love mysteries read this series!Ages 6-9. ... Read more

Product Description
Welcome to Moundville, where it’s been raining for longer than Roy McGuire has been alive. Most people say the town is cursed—right in the middle of their big baseball game against rival town Sinister Bend, black clouds crept across the sky and it started to rain. That was 22 years ago . . . and it’s still pouring.

Baseball camp is over, and Roy knows he’s in for a dreary, soggy summer. But when he returns home, he finds a foster kid named Sturgis sprawled out on his couch. As if this isn’t weird enough, just a few days after Sturgis’s arrival, the sun comes out. No one can explain why the rain has finally stopped, but as far as Roy’s concerned, it’s time to play some baseball. It’s time to get a Moundville team together and finish what was started 22 years ago. It’s time for a rematch.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

mudville
I bought this for a reluctant reader in my 6th grade class.He loves it.It is the first book he was been willing to read on his own.

Awesome!
What an awesome book! And I don't even like baseball. The book has a great mix of humor, tension, and warmth. I'd totally recommend it to any kid.

Scaletta Crafts A True Discussion With Debut Novel
Take is from someone who knows very little about sports, anyone and everyone should take a serious look at Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta. The book is told from a first-person perspective that is endearing and allows us to see the world from an angle that is not totally mired in created disasters. It is a real story friendships formed, families pulling together through hard times and even a not-so-subtle message that just because you like sports doesn't mean you can't like anything else. Hats off to the author for giving families something they can sit around the table and enjoy together: a satisfying read.

A classic baseball book
I really liked this book, but then, this is a really easy book to like. First of all, it's a baseball book, and many of the elements that make baseball such an enduring, endearing American sport are also at work in Mudville. There's community, tradition, the balance between the individual and the team--and did I mention action and fun?

Scaletta's deep knowledge of both the game and his characters results in dozens of perfect little moments. Roy McGuire is the main character and the narrator, so of course he's the team catcher, the guy who controls the action by involving others. It's a seamless, subtle bit of casting, and just one of many.

The main plot point: the 22-year rain delay(!) is another example. As you're following the story, you find yourself waiting for the clouds to part and the game to start. Scaletta replicates the exact feel--that anxious, electric expectation--of a real rain delay within the book.And, thankfully, he doesn't make us wait *too* long!

In the end, Mudville has a classic feel to it. It's not that it feels like it was written a long time ago. Instead, it feels like a book that will weave its spell just as well a long time from now.

A New Baseball Classic
Life is full of defining moments, and baseball is no exception. From Walt Dropo's 15-hit run, to the immortal plays of Tinker to Evers to Chance to learning how to eat a hotdog (mustard and NO KETCHUP!), Mudville breathes new life into baseball legends and tells a great story along the way.

It's all about the percentages. There's a one in a billion chance that it will rain 8,030 consecutive days in a little town in the Dakotas, but with more than a billion towns that have existed on the earth, Moundville is the town that gets drenched. And it's proof-positive of percentages that the rain started just in time to cause a rain-delay in the bottom of the fourth inning of the big game between Sinister Bend and Moundville. It has nothing to do with an old Indian curse or even the long-standing rivalry between the settlers and the natives, at least that's what Roy McGuire would like to think.

So when Roy comes home from baseball camp to find his room invaded by his new foster brother, a descendant of the now-flooded town of Sinister Bend, Roy puts forth a worthy effort to make room in his life for Sturgis. But Sturgis doesn't make himself easy to love or even like. While the boys finally connect with Sturgis playing pitcher to Roy's catcher, there is still the issue of the unfinished game and Sturgis' past standing between them.

Roy McGuire is my new favorite catcher--sorry, A.J. You know I will always love the 2005 White Sox, but I've got to make room in my heart for the up-and-coming players--and Moundville is my new field of dreams. Full of humor, great plays and characters that jump off the pages, Kurtis Scaletta has created a defining moment in baseball literature. And you don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy the romance of the game and feel a connection to the players that you hope both win and lose the big game.

(And you know this book is good when a White Sox fan gives it five stars even though the Cubs win the Cross Town Classic that Roy watches. Although Scaletta assures me the Cubs did in fact win that game in real life, I'm still not sure this isn't just a fantasy novel.) ... Read more

Product Description

Mike has his junior year well under control. He's got a solid group of friends. He's dating Lori, one of the hottest girls in school. And Coach Cody has all but given him the starting spot as the Ridgedale Rangers' varsity center fielder. And then Oscar Ramirez shows up. Oscar is an amazing ballplayer, as talented at the plate as he is in center field, and it's not long before Mike loses control. He's on the bench, he's getting into fights, and he finds himself in weekend detention with Katherine Herold, the most mysterious, abrasive, alluring girl in school. Mike is lost, confused, and looking to Coach Cody to help him get back on track. But the coach has his own set of rules for Mike to play by, and the decisions Mike makes are going to impact more than just the starting lineup.

Robert Lipsyte, one of the most celebrated writers in young adult literature, has crafted a subtly intense tale of adolescent struggle, a sports story about much more than sports—one that shows us how the moves one makes off the field matter even more than the moves one has on it.

Customer Reviews (3)

The work of a skilled and passionate writer
As the star pitcher of Ridgedale High's baseball team, Mike Semak is infatuated with the game. He believes in success at any cost, but pressures on and off the field are becoming too exacting. After instigating a fight with a "puke" from the cyber club, Mike is punished with community service. His subsequent experiences help him discover a world that is bigger than his own view of center field.

Baseball is a true passion of Mike's, his lifetime idol being a pro player who led his team to the World Series. Being in center field gives Mike a certain rush, a kind of peace that comes only from being empowered and in the place he understands. But the arrival of a new player during his junior year interrupts this peace. Oscar Ramirez has just made the team and is quite possibly more athletic and a better pitcher than Mike. Most team members don't welcome him openly as some are racist and Oscar is out to take Mike's position. Being outmatched is something Mike simply isn't used to, so the pressures of winning really start to get to him.

As a jock, Mike is in a hallowed position at Ridgedale, in a group who are smug about their status and pretty much keeps to themselves. The baseball team is prestigious enough that players are entitled to their pick of the girls, and Mike and his friend Ryan are going out with beautiful blonde cheerleaders. Yet Mike has found lately that he isn't really as interested in Lori as he was. They have a great time partying together, and she's sweet and entirely open to him physically and an identical twin (a scenario many guys wouldn't dream of passing up), but there's just something missing in their intellectual and emotional connection. Mike has recently begun fantasizing about an athletic girl who is also a member of the cyber club, Katherine Herold. His teammates would say that Kat is beneath his interest and have nicknamed her "tiberbitch" --- she's tough to the core and unapproachable, at least to jocks.

Zack Berger is a friend of Kat's and, as the head of the cyber club, inherently has opposite views from Mike's. Mike looks at Zack as self-important, a "puke" nerd who thinks everyone should devote their entire life to his latest cause, whether that be going green or helping with world hunger or community outreach programs. Zach constantly pressures all students to get involved and isn't quiet about his views of jocks as self-important thugs. And with Mike in his current frustrated state of mind, it takes only one comment to set him off. Mike does something he normally wouldn't: starts a fight with a much smaller guy who has little hope of defending himself. Zach is flattened by a single punch, and Mike winds up in the office, agreeing to make amends with community service in order to avoid suspension.

Mike's service involves helping the cyber club on Saturdays, alongside Zach and "tigerbitch". His coach wants him to spy on the cyber club while he's there, and Mike is generally unenthusiastic about the deal until he realizes he'll see Kat. But after a time or two, the actual service begins to strike a chord in him. The club helps elderly citizens learn to use computers, hauling in (and out) the equipment each and every week. After the physical labor is done, students help older people send emails and pictures to their families --- quite a cool thing for all of them but especially for Mike. He ends up befriending an older lady who is also a dedicated baseball fan and reminisces with her about his deeply-felt passion for the sport. This allows both the cyber club and Kat to see a totally different side of Mike, and Kat begins to take more of a personal interest in him and in his quiet thoughtfulness and unusual strength of will.

Author Robert Lipsyte is a sportswriter for both The New York Times and USA Today, and in reading CENTER FIELD, you can sense the work of a skilled and passionate writer. The novel will connect well with adolescent guys, especially as it is written from the male point of view and is heavily laden with sports. Play-by-plays of the games are excellent and bring baseball vividly to life; it's much like an announcer speaking during a particularly invigorating game, yet equal attention is given to the off-time as to actual games. High school life is also dealt with as it really is, without shying away from the inherent social divisions, romantic troubles, partying, labeling, and the daily pressures to measure up. Athleticism and intellectualism are both approached positively, and anyone who reads the book will benefit from the inspirations and insights offered.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Mike Semak's dream is to play center field. His idol is Yankee centerfielder Billy Budd. He lives and breathes any advice he can find from the great Billy Budd.

Mike's focus is directed at playing his best, which means clearing his mind of anything that is not baseball. He tries to steer clear of too-serious relationships with girls. He avoids involvement in his parents' latest project - opening a new floor covering store - and he pushes the problems of his sister, a single young mother living in New York, and his older brother, a championship cello player, to the back of his mind.

Unfortunately, Mike comes up against several distractions that may threaten the intense focus on his goal. One obstacle standing in his way is a new player named Oscar. He is a new kid from the Dominican Republic who shows up and looks to be a challenge for the center field position. Coach Cody lets them both know they will have to prove themselves to earn the position.

All the pressure Mike is feeling about baseball comes to a head in a silly incident with a notorious school geek named Zack. In a moment of lost control, Mike shoves Zack and ends up regretting it when, as punishment, he finds himself helping the Cyber Club provide Saturday computer instruction at the local senior center. Having the little computer nerd boss him around is almost more than he can take. The only highlight about the community service becomes another distraction for Mike's center field dreams - Katherine Herold.

Kat is a track athlete with an interest in photography and filming. Her membership in the Cyber Club surprises Mike, but he's glad to have a chance to get to know her. As people notice them together, word gets back to his cheerleader girlfriend, but Mike never thought of their relationship as particularly exclusive and his fascination with Kat seems worth the price he might pay with Lori.

Complicating matters even further is Coach Cody. Mike has always looked up to Coach, so when the man approaches Mike with a request, it is natural that Mike wants to help. Cody wants Mike to infiltrate the Cyber Club in an effort to bust them for hacking into the school computer system. Problems arise when Mike begins to suspect that Coach is using him in exchange for the center field position. Even more suspicious is the fact that as Mike begins to become friends with Zack, he learns that Coach Cody might not be exactly who he says he is.

Robert Lipsyte has filled CENTER FIELD with more than just baseball action. Mike's performance on the field is illustrated in excellent play-by-play narrative, but there is much more to this novel. There is intrigue as Coach Cody uses Mike to investigate the possible computer hackers, and additional suspense comes from new member of the team, Oscar, as well as the not-so-perfect Kat and her intoxicating power over Mike. CENTER FIELD has a little something for everyone. Readers who are not sports enthusiasts should not shy away from the title or cover art. It is definitely an entertaining read.

Reviewed by:Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Flamingnet.com Teen Book Reviews Top Choice Book-loved every part of this book
This book is a mystery, and a romance, and a adventure all
in one. I really like this book because of the way the
author told the story. I recommend this to mature teens into
sports.

This book is called Center Field by Robert Lipsyte. I
think the author did achieve his purpose, which was to tell
the reader a little more about baseball. The plot of the
story caught my attention very well. Actually, I am into
sports and I always wanted to try out baseball. And as soon
as I read this book, I fell in love with it. This book to me
was very moving, because Robert Lipsyte wasn't afraid to
make the book his own and create a teen story. And I also
felt moved that I'm not the only one who feels that way
about sports, and how Mike was relating to kids at his
school. This book is about Mike Semak, a regular guy in high
school, who is living the dream being on a baseball field
like he is on the top of the world. I really liked the
ending of the story because, Mike gets the girl he was
dreaming to have. Though his friends tease him for it,he
thinks, maybe it doesn't matter what they say. Mike sticks
up for himself, and shows everyone who is boss. I actually
loved every part of this book. It had me ripping through the
pages to see what Mike was going to do next. I think anyone
who reads this will love it, but I know young sports fanatics
will die to read it.


Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer
Flamingnet Book Reviews
Teen books reviewed by teen reviewers ... Read more

Product Description

Willie Weaver used to be a hero.
Now he's nothing.

Willie is a top athlete, the star of the legendary game against Crazy Horse Electric. Then a freak accident robs him of his once-amazing physical talents.

Betrayed by his family, his girlfriend, and his own body, Willie's on the run, penniless and terrified on the streets, where he must fight to rebuild both his body and his life.

Customer Reviews (30)

MOre good guy stories
What can I say about Crutch.I have not finished this book yet, but already my interest is being held with his compelling and real life characters.I am wondering what will happen and what hidden stories will bubble out of this one.

Realistic and gripping...
One of the best books I've ever read. Crutcher expands on "real-life" issues, emotions, and situations that young adults experience. The reader is provided with the viewpoints of a wide variety of characters- teenager, mother, father, friend, girlfriend, counselor, small-town living, inner-city life... as well as the pressure and stress that each individual has to cope with in order to continue living. Excellent, excellent book!

Redefining Self
Willie is a high school kid, the star of his baseball team and a town hero.His life is great and everyone is proud of him and his athletic abilities.Then he is in a water-skiing accident, an accident that leaves him partially paralyzed.He walks with a limp and can't play sports anymore.His parents are fighting and their marriage is falling apart because Willie's dad can't deal with his son's new disability.So Willie runs away.

After some bad times and a few dangerous situations, Willie ends up at a California high school full of kids who dropped out or were thrown out of regular high schools.The people at the school are kind to Willie and they help him get himself back together again.This story is about him coming to terms with his new identity and figuring out that his life will not always be perfect.

I liked the secondary characters, and I liked the way Chris Crutcher showed Willie's progress both pysically and mentally.I thought it was pretty weak that Willie would run away from his parents like he did, but without that part of the plot he would not have been able to go on this journey of self-discovery.

QH
this book is really interesting and gets you hooked as early as the first page and doesnt let you go till the very end. i love baseball and this book has a lot of baseball content and action scenes. i hard about this book from my friend and he told me that it was just ok, but i think that its great, anybook with baseball and gangsters is good for me. i would recomend this book to anyone who likes an action based fast moving book with some baseball scenes.

Crazy Horse Electric Game
Page turning! The Crazy Horse Electric Game, by Chris Crutcher is a great book that teaches the reader a life long lesson: you may only get one chance to do something and if you fail to fulfill that opportunity, it may be gone forever. If you let that chance pass by you may regret it because you could have let something keep you from going through with it.
When seventeen year old Willie Weaver, gets injured in a water skiing accident, he begins to have problems physically, with his friends, family, and also with his emotions. Willie's was an average boy, who was also the all-star baseball champion back at his hometown in Coho. Willie thinks that all of his problems would become non- existent if he runs away, so decides to do just that, but when he returns his problems are still there but in a different twist.
Chris Crutcher writes The Crazy Horse Electric Game so that the reader can easily understand the whole morale of the story, and it is attention drawing and is able to keep you interested from beginning to end.The language and book itself, is more for seventh to tenth grade students, because of the character, language and it's also something they can easily relate to.I think that this book will attract this age group to stay intoned with The Crazy Horse Electric Game, easily understand the morale, and will keep reading until the book is finished because they will want to know everything that happens from beginning to end.
... Read more

Product Description
A behind-the-scenes mystery at the World Series from bestseller John Feinstein.

Bestselling author, journalist, and Edgar Award winner John Feinstein is back withanother high-stakes sports mystery. Teen reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan CarolAnderson are covering baseball's World Series, and during the course of an interviewwith a new hot pitcher, they discover more than a few contradictions in his lifestory. What's he hiding? An embarrassing secret? A possible crime? Let the investigationbegin!


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

CHANGE-UP serves up a couple of curves
Norbert Doyle is a pitcher who has toiled for years in the minor leagues before being brought up to pitch in the majors at the end of the baseball season. Doyle's rise from obscurity to appearing in the World Series and his tragic personal story propel him and his two teenage children, David and Morra, into the media spotlight. The now-famous athlete is sought out for interviews and pursued by agents promising lucrative corporate sponsorships and movie deals. But does Doyle have a secret that could jeopardize his promising future?

After 14-year-old reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson score an interview with Doyle and his kids, they stumble across inconsistencies in reports about his wife's tragic death. Following the interview, Susan Carol meets privately with David, and she begins hiding things from Stevie.

As the World Series plays out on the field, Stevie continues his investigation. The deeper he digs into Doyle's past, the more he discovers that things are not as they seem with the pitcher and his family. The closer Stevie gets to the truth of what happened on the night Doyle's wife died, the more he is pressured to back off and keep quiet.

John Feinstein's passion for sports, his play-by-play narrative of events on the field, and his behind-the-scenes knowledge of journalism are evident. CHANGE-UP gives a realistic portrayal of perseverance, the pressures of writing under deadline, adhering to journalistic ethics, competition among reporters and photographers, and the exacting process of digging for information and verifying facts. Also woven into the story is a reporter's dilemma of the public's right to know versus the individual's right to privacy.

CHANGE-UP serves up a couple of curves --- some mostly mild swearing, a few tame romantic scenes, some pushing and shoving, and one slapping incident. Young sports fans, especially those who love reading about baseball with a behind-the-dugout mystery, or readers who are curious about the field of journalism, should enjoy this latest sports novel from the Edgar Award winner of LAST SHOT.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

Reveals some dangerous truths from behind the scenes
John Feinstein's CHANGE-UP: MYSTERY AT THE WORLD SERIES tells of one Norbert, a late call-up for an underdog team in the World Series who is a success. Teen reporters Stevie and Susan have scored their first in-depth interview with him - and find themselves charmed by Doyle. When the conflicting stories begin their interview becomes an investigation into the World Series events that reveals some dangerous truths from behind the scenes.

Feinstein's Passion for Sports is Evident
Norbert Doyle is a pitcher who has toiled for years in the minor leagues before being brought up to pitch in the majors at the end of the baseball season. Doyle's rise from obscurity to appearing in the World Series and his tragic personal story propel him and his two teenage children, David and Morra, into the media spotlight. The now-famous athlete is sought out for interviews and pursued by agents promising lucrative corporate sponsorships and movie deals. But does Doyle have a secret that could jeopardize his promising future?

After 14-year-old reporters Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson score an interview with Doyle and his kids, they stumble across inconsistencies in reports about his wife's tragic death. Following the interview, Susan Carol meets privately with David, and she begins hiding things from Stevie.

As the World Series plays out on the field, Stevie continues his investigation. The deeper he digs into Doyle's past, the more he discovers that things are not as they seem with the pitcher and his family. The closer Stevie gets to the truth of what happened on the night Doyle's wife died, the more he is pressured to back off and keep quiet.

John Feinstein's passion for sports, his play-by-play narrative of events on the field, and his behind-the-scenes knowledge of journalism are evident. CHANGE-UP gives a realistic portrayal of perseverance, the pressures of writing under deadline, adhering to journalistic ethics, competition among reporters and photographers, and the exacting process of digging for information and verifying facts. Also woven into the story is a reporter's dilemma of the public's right to know versus the individual's right to privacy.

CHANGE-UP serves up a couple of curves --- some mostly mild swearing, a few tame romantic scenes, some pushing and shoving, and one slapping incident. Young sports fans, especially those who love reading about baseball with a behind-the-dugout mystery, or readers who are curious about the field of journalism, should enjoy this latest sports novel from the Edgar Award winner of LAST SHOT.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt ... Read more

Product Description

Recipient of a 1993 Newbery Honor, this novel is an achingly beautiful, powerfully rendered journey through childhood that is not to be missed, now available in a new edition with a striking new cover.

“From an outstandingly perceptive writer, a moving portrait of a boy, observed at four revealing turning points.” -- Pointer Review/Kirkus Reviews

“Combines fast, exciting action with an astonishing ending that proves the power of the individual imagination.” -- Starred Review/ALA Booklist

Customer Reviews (17)

Tough Divorced Family
When Asa was seven years old, he came home from first grade, ready to impress his mother and father with what he had done on the last day of school.Instead of finding them inside and ready to listen, his mother was outside with a suitcase and their house was cleaned out.She explained that she and his father were getting a divorce and he was leaving with her that day.They flew to meet up with her high school sweetheart, who immediately disliked Asa.Asa, for his part, immediately disliked his future stepfather, too.

At nine, Asa was experienced at changing schools and making friends.Most of his classmates liked him, but he joined the class partway through the year when everyone was already matched up with partners or groups for the talent show to be presented to the rest of the school and the students' parents.One boy, Joel, offers to let Asa recite a poem with him, but when Asa reads the poem he hates it and convinces Joel to do another poem with him.The problem is that Joel is not very smart and can't seem to be able to memorize the new poem.

When he is eleven, Asa discovers baseball and finally is able to have something that connects him to his stepfather, who is suspicious of Asa's love of reading and the amount of time he spends by himself.

At twelve, Asa realizes he is in love with a girl in his class and he struggles with how to let her know how he feels.At the same time, he watches his mother struggle with depression.Will Asa's family ever be normal like it was when he was a child?

I liked the snippets of important times in Asa's life instead of focusing on one year or another more limited time frame.Asa was a very interesting character, because he was so bright and able to get along with other kids so well, but he was unable to win over his stepfather.I liked, though, that Asa was always true to himself, despite the consequences.

I couldn't believe that any mother would let her new husband be so consistently mean to her child for so long.I also didn't like that Asa's real father was never mentioned.I thought he should have had at least a little impact on Asa's life, whether it was because he was in Asa's life or because he wasn't.

The BestBook In The World!!!!
I love this book!!! It was a little sad though. When he graduated the first grade he was so happy but whenever he told someone about it they did not seem to care. Then he moved ten times before he was eleven. His stepfather was so mean to him!!! Especially when he hit him with the baseball when they were practicing! My favorite part was when the love of his life gave him to candy hearts that said "I love you".

review by ChanilShanghai
This is Chan Il's book review not mine

This is a book about a boy named Asa. It is written by Bruce Brooks. This book doesn't seem to be one of the best books that Bruce Brooks wrote, though most of his books got at least 4-stars from readers.
I thought this book was about sports, which was what the librarian said, but sports wasn't the main thing in the book. There are many characters like his mother, father, and his stepfather but it mainly draws his life from his first grade to his fifth grade.
Asa's parents get divorced when he was in his first grade and his mother marries a man from her university, called Dave. Asa doesn't really like his mother going out with another man but he couldn't do anything about it. As the time goes, Asa seems to get along quite well with Dave but I still think that Asa didn't like Dave from the start.
One of the other things that this book deals with is Asa's first love. As this boy goes to school, he starts to like a pretty and brainy girl named Jean in his school. In the middle of the book, Asa says to her that he likes her but she doesn't answer. But at the Valentine Day, Jean gives Asa a candy saying `I love you I love you' on the candy wrapper.
This book manages to talk about his parents and his first love at the same time which really makes this a 5star book to me. I want to recommend this book to anyone who has the opportunity to do so.

review by ChanilShanghai
This is a book about a boy named Asa. It is written by Bruce Brooks. This book doesn't seem to be one of the best books that Bruce Brooks wrote, though most of his books got at least 4-stars from readers.
I thought this book was about sports, which was what the librarian said, but sports wasn't the main thing in the book. There are many characters like his mother, father, and his stepfather but it mainly draws his life from his first grade to his fifth grade.
Asa's parents get divorced when he was in his first grade and his mother marries a man from her university, called Dave. Asa doesn't really like his mother going out with another man but he couldn't do anything about it. As the time goes, Asa seems to get along quite well with Dave but I still think that Asa didn't like Dave from the start.
One of the other things that this book deals with is Asa's first love. As this boy goes to school, he starts to like a pretty and brainy girl named Jean in his school. In the middle of the book, Asa says to her that he likes her but she doesn't answer. But at the Valentine Day, Jean gives Asa a candy saying `I love you I love you' on the candy wrapper.
This book manages to talk about his parents and his first love at the same time which really makes this a 5star book to me. I want to recommend this book to anyone who has the opportunity to do so.

what hearts
This book is about a boy named Asa who is in 1st grade and this book is full of excitment and adventure.He has all straight A's on his report card unlike me.His mom is having a devorse with his dad and he doesn't want that to happen. His mom is going out with someone and Asa doesn't like that. This book was great because it had lots of things to think about. What kind of things you might go through in your younger ages with divorses and other crises in life. In conclusion this was a good book and their is no other book like it. ... Read more