Free Baseball - Softcover

Corbett, Sue

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0142410802 ISBN 13: 9780142410806

Publisher: Puffin Books, 2008

Synopsis

Felix knows his dad was a famous baseball player in Cuba—and that his father risked everything to send Felix to America. But his mom won’t reveal anything else. When a baseball team with Cuban players comes to town, Felix wonders if they knew his dad and sneaks into their locker room to ask. That’s when the players mistake him for their new batboy. Determined to uncover the truth about his mysterious father, Felix plays along, going as far as running away from home to become the team’s batboy. His bittersweet adventure glows with the friendship of a miraculous dog, the warmth of a mother’s love, and the magic of baseball.

About this title

About the Author:

Sue Corbett is the daughter of Irish immigrants and grew up in a Long Island neighborhood very similar to the one depicted in 12 Again. Ms. Corbett has worked as a journalist for fifteen years in Missouri, South Carolina, Florida and, now, Virginia, where she lives with her husband and their three young children. As anyone who knows her will tell you, she really is half-Looney. However, she has only been twelve once. (So far.)

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-7–An engaging, well-written story with a satisfying ending. As the son of a Cuban superstar, 11-year-old Felix Piloto has baseball in his blood. He would give anything to be like his father, or know more about him, but his mother wont reveal anything beyond the fact that he risked his life and career to get his wife and baby to America. While attending a local Florida league game, the visiting team mistakes Felix for its batboy. He jumps at the chance to hang out with real ballplayers and hopes to discover more information about his dad. Corbetts love of the game serves her well. The story has an authentic feel, not just in relation to the game, but to the game as it is played in the minor-league ballparks of Florida, where careers are hatched or buried. Felixs journey to discovery is sensitively portrayed, particularly as it conflicts with his mothers efforts to provide the life his father envisioned. The supporting characters are a mixed bag of those who aid Felix and those who get in the way. Baseball terms and Spanish words are seamlessly woven into the text and defined in glossaries. This book will predominantly appeal to fans of the sport, even though it is about so much more.–Kara Schaff Dean, Needham Public Library, MA
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About this edition

• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0142410802
• ISBN 13: 9780142410806
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160