Free Baseball (review)
2006; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 59; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2006.0101
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Sports Analytics and Performance
ResumoReviewed by: Avalon High Deborah Stevenson Cabot, Meg Avalon High. HarperCollins, 2006 [304p] Library ed. ISBN 0-06-075587-3$17.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-075586-5$16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 6-10 Eleven-year-old Felix Piloto has a famous Cuban baseball-star father whom he hasn't seen since he was a baby, but who has nonetheless instilled in him a love for baseball. Though his father was unable to escape Cuba when he and his mother fled, Felix dreams that someday they will be reunited in the U.S., his father will play for a major-league team, and they will all live happily after. When Felix wins tickets to go see the local minor-league team play, his overworked mother sends him to the game with a babysitter; he grows angry and sneaks away, poses as the opposing team's ball boy, then ends up on the team bus heading out of town. The ensuing adventure brings realizations about his childhood and father, many new friends, and a happy ending whereby he becomes a permanent ball boy and his mother finds a new job and her dream house. This is an enjoyable baseball fairy tale with enough charm to make plausible Felix's considerable good luck; readers will cheer him on and wish that their baseball fantasies could also come true. Many details, especially about Felix's father (has Felix had any contact with his father? How has he avoided hearing anything about him in the press?), are left rather hazy, but these elements are not really the point. Baseball is the central focus, and there is plenty of up-close action here—from locker room chitchat to baseball lingo, to on-the-field play and looks behind the scenes of managing a ballpark—and readers will be swept up in the energy and allure of this fast-paced read. Stock this on your shelves just in time for spring training season. An author's note is included, along with brief glossaries of baseball terms and Spanish words and phrases. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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