Henry Heckelbeck Takes a Swing

by Wanda Coven, Priscilla Burris (Illustrator)

Overview

In this seventeenth Henry Heckelbeck adventure, Henry steps up to the plate!

Henry Heckelbeck is so excited to join the Brewster Batters for his first baseball game! But soon he discovers that playing baseball isn’t quite as easy as he thought it would be. Can a little spark of magic help him, or is he doomed to strike out?

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Henry Heckelbeck chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665962933
Publisher:	Little Simon
Publication date:	01/14/2025
Series:	Henry Heckelbeck Series , #17
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 5.50(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

Wanda Coven has always loved magic. When she was little, she used to make secret potions from smooshed shells and acorns. Then she would pretend to transport herself and her friends to enchanted places. Now she visits other worlds through writing. Wanda lives with her husband and son in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They have three cats: Hilda, Agnes, and Claw-dia.

Priscilla Burris is the illustrator and author-illustrator of many books for children. She attributes her love of children’s books and library visits to the East Los Angeles Library. Priscilla loves her role of creating characters and stories for readers everywhere. She lives in sunny Arizona, where she finds the sunrises and sunsets awe-inspiring.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1 NICE CATCH!

 

  “READY?” Henry Heckelbeck called. He threw a baseball into the air.

  Whap! Dudley Day caught it in his glove and took two steps back, away from Henry.

  Dudley threw the ball to Max Maplethorpe, who sandwiched the ball in her glove. Then she took two steps back.

  The three best friends were playing catch at the park. Each time one of them caught the ball, they took two steps back.

   

  Max threw to Henry. Henry slid across the grass with his glove wide open.

  Plop! The ball fell right in, and his friends cheered.

  “What a catch!” shouted Max.

  “We’re getting good at this!” Dudley agreed.

   

   

  Henry got up and took two steps back. Now they were really far apart.

  Henry gave the next ball a little too much power. The ball soared right over Dudley and rolled across the ground.

   

  Sam Sterling caught the ball and walked over.

  Sam was one of their classmates, and he was wearing a baseball uniform.

  “Are you joining the Brewster Batters?” Sam asked.

  He pointed to the baseball field on the other side of the park. “Our first practice starts in fifteen minutes.”

  “Not me,” said Max. “I promised my mom I’d be home soon.”

  Henry and Dudley looked at each other.

   

  “Well, we can!” said Henry.

  The boys waved goodbye to Max and followed Sam to the baseball field.

  Sam’s baseball jersey had a big 8 and STERLING printed on the back.

   

  Henry wanted a jersey with HECKELBECK printed on it.

  Joining the baseball team was going to be a total blast!