Plunked

Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

“[A] kid-smart novel . . . Northrop, a former reporter and editor at SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS, knows baseball and kids. He weaves an entertaining story about how the games we play can be mental as well as physical.” --USA TODAY

“A well-crafted story and fun read. The sharp dialogue, the characters and, yes, maybe even a little bit of [Jack's] anxiety will resonate with young readers.” --Tom Verducci, senior writer, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

“PLUNKED gives a marvelous degree of attention to the second-to-second details of youth baseball. Any kid who has ever loved a sport to the point of obsession will feel the fastball screaming into Jack's batting helmet.” --Gordon Korman, author of SWINDLE

“Well-developed characters and a strong narrative voice make this novel about much more than baseball. . . . Pitch-perfect.” --SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

“Well-written . . . An uncommonly thoughtful baseball novel.” --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“Readers will appreciate this down-to-earth sports story that stays within its game, offering . . . a realistic story rooted in the writer's knowledge of the game and what it means to its young players.” --KIRKUS REVIEWS

“What Northrop does particularly well here is to dig into the deep, complex psychology of an at-bat, where there's so much more going on than a simple meeting or missing of a ball and bat.” --BOOKLIST

“A well-crafted story and fun read. The sharp dialogue, the characters and, yes, maybe even a little bit of [Jack’s] anxiety will resonate with young readers.” —Tom Verducci, senior writer, Sports Illustrated

“Plunked gives a marvelous degree of attention to the second-to-second details of youth baseball. Any kid who has ever loved a sport to the point of obsession will feel the fastball screaming into Jack’s batting helmet.” —Gordon Korman, author of Swindle

“Well-developed characters and a strong narrative voice make this novel about much more than baseball. . . . Pitch-perfect.” —School Library Journal

“Well-written . . . An uncommonly thoughtful baseball novel.” —Publishers Weekly

“Readers will appreciate this down-to-earth sports story that stays within its game, offering . . . a realistic story rooted in the writer’s knowledge of the game and what it means to its young players.” —Kirkus Reviews

“What Northrop does particularly well here is to dig into the deep, complex psychology of an at-bat, where there’s so much more going on than a simple meeting or missing of a ball and bat.” —Booklist

VOYA - Sharon Blumberg

Kirkus Reviews

School Library Journal