Lost Boy - Hardcover

Green, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062317083 ISBN 13: 9780062317087

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2015

Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Tim Green comes a captivating baseball story about one brave boy’s search for a miracle. Perfect for fans of Mike Lupica.

Ever since Ryder could remember, it's always been just Ryder and his mom. But in one day, everything changes. Ryder's mom is in the hospital fighting for her life after being struck by a truck while crossing the street. When he learns that his mom will need an expensive operation to survive, he steps up to the plate.

Ryder finds in his mother's closet a letter and a baseball signed by a Major League Baseball player, and he's sure the signature is his father's. So with this clue and the help of his next door neighbor and a New York City firefighter, Ryder goes on an epic quest to find his father and get the support he needs to save his mom. But will everything fall into place in time, or will Ryder become a lost boy forever?

 

About this title

About the Author

Tim Green, for many years a star defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons, is a man of many talents. He's the author of such gripping books for adults as the New York Times bestselling The Dark Side of the Game and American Outrage. Tim graduated covaledictorian from Syracuse University and was a first-round draft pick. He later earned his law degree with honors, and he has also worked as an NFL commentator for FOX Sports and NPR.

His first book for young readers, Football Genius, inspired in part by his players and his own kids, became a New York Times bestseller and was followed by Football Hero, Football Champ, The Big Time, and Deep Zone. He drew on his experiences playing and coaching Little League for Rivals and Pinch Hit and two more New York Times bestsellers: Baseball Great and Best of the Best.

Bestselling author Jon Scieszka called Tim Green's Unstoppable, a book about a boy's struggle with cancer that debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, "Absolutely heroic. And something every guy should read.”

Tim Green lives with his wife, Illyssa, and their five children in upstate New York.

From the Back Cover

It's always been just Ryder and his mom—ever since Ryder can remember. And they make a strong pair, relying on each other through thick and thin. But one day, on the way home from Ryder's baseball team practice, everything changes.

Fast-forward hours later, and Ryder's mom is in the hospital fighting for her life. She's been hit by a truck while trying to cross the street, and Ryder knows it's all his fault. If he hadn't pulled away from her at that moment, his mom would never have stumbled into the street. So when the doctor's diagnosis comes and Ryder learns that his mom will need an expensive operation to survive, his world stops completely.

He is now utterly alone, but he knows what he has to do.

He finds in his mother's closet a letter and a baseball signed by a Major League Baseball player. After what his mother has told him about this ball, he's sure the ball contains his father's signature. With this clue, and the help of his next-door neighbor and a New York City firefighter, Ryder goes on the search of his life, to find his father and get the support he needs to save his mom. But will everything fall into place in time to save her, or will Ryder become a lost boy forever?

New York Times bestselling author Tim Green knocks this one out of the park, combining heart and baseball to create a story that readers will never forget.

Reviews

Gr 6–9—Twelve-year-old Ryder lives with his mom, Ruby, in Manhattan. They have no family or friends except for their across-the-hall neighbor, Stephen Starr, who is homebound in a wheelchair. Ruby works hard cleaning hotel rooms, and Ryder has the best batting average in Little League. One day after a game, Ryder has a minor spat with Ruby, and in a freak accident, she falls off the curb directly into the path of large truck. She is rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors sadly predict that she will not survive given that her injuries have exacerbated an underlying heart condition. Ryder is alone with nowhere to go until Doyle McDonald, the fireman who was at the scene of the accident, feels sorry for the petrified boy and volunteers to find someone to care for him. That someone ends up being the grouchy Mr. Starr who can barely take care of himself. United by a desire to raise money for his mother's operation, Doyle, Mr. Starr, and Ryder devise a scheme to reunite Ryder with Travis Trent, a professional baseball player who may be his father. The quest is a rough one, taking Ryder from the belly of Yankee Stadium to a long journey with Mr. Starr to Turner Field in Atlanta, where they fail in repeated attempts to reach Travis Trent. Can they get to him in time to save Ryder's mother? The plot moves along swiftly with short chapters ending in cliffhanger sentences that nudge the reader to the next adventure. Green, a former linebacker and sports commentator, gives readers a behind-the-scenes view of professional playing fields. Ryder and Mr. Starr are the best developed characters in the story, and that's all young sports enthusiasts will need to root for this unlikely team who defy defeat and keep on trying no matter what the odds.—Anne Jung-Mathews, Plymouth State University, NH

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062317083
• ISBN 13: 9780062317087
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304