Free Baseball

by Sue Corbett

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440631740
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/31/2008
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
Lexile:	730L (what's this?)
File size:	742 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

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.)

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Corbett remains carefully true to Felix’s view and interpretation of events and deftly weaves a moving coming-of-age story with a sweet, satisfying conclusion."—Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Felix and his mother escaped from Cuba when he was a baby. He now lives in hope that his father, a star baseball player, will join them someday. But his mother is strangely reticent when he asks for more information about his father. Life in Florida is difficult; his mother works long hours while attending school, leaving him feeling neglected, resentful and lonely. His one solace is baseball. Circumstance, impulse and a little strategy lead to a job as a batboy for a local minor-league baseball team. He finds friends among the players and a mentor in the team's owner. He finally learns his father's real story and comes to understand and appreciate his mother's sacrifices and strength. Corbett remains carefully true to Felix's view and interpretation of events and deftly weaves a moving coming-of-age story with a sweet, satisfying conclusion. (afterword, glossary) (Fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews

"Corbett remains carefully true to Felix’s view and interpretation of events and deftly weaves a moving coming-of-age story with a sweet, satisfying conclusion."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher