00013345

I would recommend this to a friend if they were interested in baseball. I would tell them that it was a book that touched the feelings of what real batter face. 4Q3P The cover art is awesome and I'd recommend this to middle school students. I chose to read this book because I love baseball. JosephL

A story about a young boy named Jack Mogens and is very good at baseball until one day he can't bat as well anymore. He strikes out and doesn't want to get back into the game. The crowd goes is happy when he walks back onto the field.
Sports, overcoming fear

4-6 ( )

From April 2012 SLJ
Gr 4-7:—Well-developed characters and a strong narrative voice make this novel about much more than baseball. Jack Mogens is ready for his sixth season of Little League. He has a good arm, he's a decent hitter, and he thinks he has a shot at being the starting left fielder for the Tall Pines Braves. But when he gets hit during the first game and ends up being treated for a mild concussion, his lack of confidence about inside pitches turns into real trepidation. Nightmares about being frozen in place as the ball comes toward his head don't help matters, and he finds himself trying to hide his fear of batting from the rest of the team. Things only get worse after a vindictive teammate drills him in the ribs during practice, and suddenly Jack is making excuses to his coach, his parents, and his friends about why he can't play. He seriously considers quitting the team, even though it has been an integral part of his life and his friendships over the years. Throughout the story, as he relates events during the school day and outside of the practices and games, his self-effacing humor is pitch-perfect for a sixth grader. But it is during his soul-searching about whether he can move beyond his fears that the adolescent poignancy and lack of confidence really come through. The dialogue is fresh, the pace moves nicely, and readers will enjoy seeing how Jack finally manages to get his head and his heart back into the game.— ( )

Pure baseball on and off the field. ( )