Take a photo of a barcode or cover
joykirr's review against another edition
2.0
One of our department heads suggested this as our summer read. First thought - why am I reading about a bully who is in high school and who smokes? Next, I noticed it’s not about him, but about a twelve-year old. This one is very predictable. It’s got a couple of characters I could do without (the bully & his supposed 8th grade girlfriend), and a character for comic relief, but we each plot element led me to know what would happen next, and I like good writing that surprises me. Obviously Tim Green knows his baseball, but I’d rather read Gym Candy than this one geared towards younger readers. One book for all 6-8th graders? I don’t know if this one fits the bill.
aomalley's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting story of a young athlete willing to put in the work to be a great baseball player. The book highlights ethical dilemmas that current student athletes come across with weight training at an early age and being offered gym candy. I wish the main character spoke to a trusted adult about his concerns instead of putting himself in danger.
mrslenzreads's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not a sports book person and I'm still not a sports book person. But at least the bad guy got caught for giving steroids to kids. Plotline seemed far-fetched.
hoosjon's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed the baseball parts of this a lot! The sleuthing on their own got a little silly, but a fun silly and the book had some good lessons for young athletes.
oneangrylibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very fun and accessible book! I have not read many "sports" books because I didn't think I would enjoy them very much. I always feared that they would be too focused in the minutia of the game and that I would be left behind scratching my head and wondering what exactly happened. This book was written to be enjoyed by anyone. The themes in the book go beyond just "sports" and focus on what it is like to build lasting friendships, deal with issues at home, and weight even our own parents can place on our shoulders. This book was a quick read and at times felt a bit rushed, but given the targeted audience (3-5), it felt right on point. I will be happy to recommend this book to any fans of realistic fiction.
jomarch436's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this because it wasn't JUST about baseball, so you could understand what was going on. I think the climax was kind of anti-climatic funnily enough. It could have been a little more excited, but I understand that this is made for kids.
aundie27's review against another edition
3.0
This was too similar to John Feinstein's sports mystery series but with less likeable characters. I wasn't terribly interested in this story, but liked that I can use it in sports and mystery genres to booktalk.