Product Description

As the star closer for his high school baseball team, Shane Hunter is untouchable. Firing fastballs at ninety miles per hour, he loves being a winner. But when his father is accused of a crime, Shane's charmed world is turned upside down. Nothing is the way it once was, and Shane's not sure he wants to -- or even can -- pitch ever again. But like baseball, life sometimes throws you curves, and Shane discovers it's how you play the game that counts most of all.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #709565 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-03
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .98" h x 4.26" w x 6.74" l, .37 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-Shane Hunter's life of privilege disintegrates when his dad is arrested for money laundering and commits suicide. The teen, his mother, and his younger sister are forced to move out of their palatial home and into subsidized housing in a tough part of Seattle. Shane has a difficult time adjusting, and is eventually arrested for stealing beer from a convenience store. As part of his probation, he must help repair a local baseball diamond. There, he meets the coach of his public school's baseball team, who encourages him to try out. A crucial moment comes when Shane, a relief pitcher with a blazing fastball, faces the team from his old private school. His anger rises to the surface, and he delivers a fastball directly at the head of Reese Robertson, the kid whose family bought Shane's house. Reese is hospitalized, and although Shane affects a lack of concern, he is so rattled that his pitching skills deteriorate. The rest of the novel follows his attempts to get both his arm and his life back on track, and the uneasy bond he forms with Reese. Deuker avoids easy answers in the book's ambiguous but truthful conclusion. Non-sports fans may find too many game descriptions to hold their interest, but devotees will be rewarded with a story that delivers baseball action along with a rich psychological portrait, told through a compelling first-person narration.
Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Time and baseball work to ease a teenager's hurt in this intense, narrowly focused novel. Shane attends exclusive Shorelake High and enjoys his role as fireballing short reliever on the school's championship baseball team. All of that is swept away when his father commits suicide. Suddenly, Shane is living in public housing, and he takes a brief hiatus from baseball before trying out for his new school's ragtag team. Then, facing Shorelake, Shane throws a vicious beanball that puts star player Reese in the hospital. Shane insists (until almost the end) that it was accidental but is dismayed to discover that he's lost his fastball. Reese, too, has lost his prowess, and the two become wary allies, dedicated to helping each other come back. Shane's inner recovery is mirrored in his gradual return to form on the mound amid a welter of blowouts, close games, and sudden reversals of fortune that propel his team into the state playoffs. Readers who prefer their Hollywood endings unalloyed may be disappointed that Reese experiences no parallel recovery, but there's enough taut sports action here to satisfy the most avid fan. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Carl Deuker is described as “a rising young star in psychological sports fiction” by Jim Trelease in The Read-Aloud Handbook. He is the author of three sports novels, On the Devil's Court, Heart of a Champion, and Painting the Black, all of which were selected as ALA Best Books for Young Adults.