Throwing Smoke

by Bruce Brooks

Whiz loves playing baseball, but his team, the Breadhurst Newts, just isn't up to snuff. Something has to change, especially after they lose a game to the Mudcats, the worst team around. That's when Whiz gets an idea. It's far-fetched, its wild -- but it just might get the team what it needs. Why not create a character in the dark, dusty print shop where he works after school? Letter by letter, Whiz drops the metal type into place, then inks the press, lays down the parchment, and rolls the press. The next day Whiz heads for practice early, before anyone else is there -- yet he senses he is not alone.... Children's Pick of the List 2000 (ABA)

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade

144 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Bruce Brooks (born September 23, 1950) is an American author of young adult and children's literature. He was born in Washington D.C., but spent most of his time growing up in North Carolina as a result of parents' being divorced. Although divorce is never easy for a child, Brooks credits moving around a lot between the two locations with making him a keen observer of social situations. Switching schools often and having to make new friends evolved his ability to tell good stories. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1980. Before earning a living as a writer, Brooks had worked as a letterpress operator and a journalist for magazines and newspapers. Brooks has reported a very diverse list of influences, like Charles Dickens, Henry James, P.G. Wodehouse and Raymond Chandler. Brooks has three sons: Alex, 23, Spencer, 15, and Drake, 1. He lives with his wife Ginee Seo in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Alyssa Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book about playing baseball where the main character is tired of losing; as a way of making himself feel better, he creates a baseball card with an imaginary player for his team and is surprised to see that person show up for practice the next day. It makes him set his mind to winning, no matter what the cost to the actual players on the team.

The overall message is a good one: winning isn’t everything. I do wish this book focused a bit more on the friendships and the characters–I feel like it focused too much on the skills of the imaginary players to have a solid lesson/message. The idea itself is interesting, and it’s a fast read. I can see this winning over kids who are really into baseball, but there’s not much substance on the whole for it to be an amazing story.

Also posted on Purple People Readers.

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Throwing Smoke is a highly unusual allegorical tale about a mediocre middle-school baseball team struggling to confirm its group identity and figure out why they really play the game. It's fantasy mixed with large doses of reality in a style that only Bruce Brooks would dare to attempt; the story itself is innately strange in the way that it blurs the lines between the real and the imagined, but it's strange in a way that will breed curiosity in readers to discover how everything turns out by the end.

The Breadhurst Newts are a school baseball team made up of rejects from the official team. All of the players have at least one promising skill that would make a good coach hesitate to cut them from their team, but without a wide enough range of overall baseball abilities to make keeping them around worth it in the context of a team game. The Newts formed themselves through a natural sort of "runoff" effect from the tryouts for the real Breadhurst team, but they had little success together in the season before this book begins, going winless and being soundly drubbed by opposing squads on a routine basis.

Fooling around making vanity baseball cards in the basement of the print shop where he holds a job after school, Whiz, the team captain of the Newts, accidentally creates a new species of super-talented ballplayer for his team when he begins making baseball cards of players who don't exist; at least, they don't exist until he concocts them. Now, the Newts have the chance to become a great team; but will the introduction of these fabricated all-stars change the team dynamic and make it more of a curse than a blessing to play for the Newts? Like everyone else from the team that was originally comprised purely of castoffs, Whiz has to figure out why he really plays baseball, and whether or not winning is worth the disappointment of being continually relegated to the bench by an interloping group of made-up superstars whose baseball skills hold no apparent flaws.

I'm still scratching my head over Throwing Smoke, not fully comprehending its deeper meaning. Still, there are some worthy thoughts to consider in these pages, so I would probably give the book one and a half stars.

[Josh Akins · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book because it was about baseball. If you like baseball this will be a good book for you. The team sucks at first but then they get this kid who throws gas and then they get pretty good. They where about to quit baseball but the Whiz persuaded them to keep going. Whiz works at a printing shop, and loves it there.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lousy ending
Bad premise
This from a Newberry honor author?
Very disappointed!

[Johnny Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throwing Smoke by Bruce Brooks is an intriguing read that seems to target late elementary and middle school students. However, it struggles to fully connect with its intended demographic. While the book is framed around baseball, with plenty of related terms and lingo, the explanations can be frustrating for those already familiar with the sport. The characters lack depth, making it difficult for readers to fully engage with them.

The plot and framework of the story are creative and interesting, which is the primary redeeming factor of the book. The concept of an imaginary star pitcher, Ace Jones, coming to life is unique and offers potential for an entertaining story. This book could easily be adapted into an after-school movie—either a good one or a terrible one, depending on the execution.

Despite its shortcomings, the book is short enough that anyone with a vague interest in the premise should give it a try. However, it is unlikely to be loved by many due to its inability to fit neatly into a specific niche. It is too niche to have broad appeal and too broad to be fully appreciated within a specific audience. Overall, Throwing Smoke is an interesting but flawed book that is more of a balk than a home run.

[Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its ok needs to be longer

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

With little baseball experience, I didn't fully understand the lingo. This would be a great book for a baseball enthusiast who is 9+ years old.

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first Bruce Brooks book I've read that did not knock it out of the park. Pretty big letdown.

[Brogan · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I saw this book I thought it was going to be something way other than what it was. I thought it was going to be about a really fast throwing pitch growing up. But all it was was a book about a failing baseball program becoming great. Also, the book seemed to wander off into mini-stories that were completely unnecessary and that why I gave this book 2 stars.

[Thadd Myrlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like baseball? If so this is the perfect book for you. This is the story if the Bredhurst Newts, a struggling baseball team that is in desperate need of some talent. They have no good players not even any decent ones. They have no one with multiple skills to play at multiple positions. In the years past it has not been pretty.
They have never had a winning season. Last year they didn't even win a game!
They lost lost to the worst team last year the mud cats by more than ten points.
The main character named Whiz is the best player on the team and is also the captain and pitcher. He is a very caring because he wants each and everyone of his teammates to improve. He volunteers every day to stay after practice to individually help each person out at their position but that seems to not be working out at all. He comes very close to just giving up and quitting. Then just as all hope was gone one morning as Whiz was arriving early to practice he saw a boy pitching against the backstop. He was throwing it harder than Whiz had ever seen someone throw. Which leads us to the other main character is Ace who shows up right before the season begins. He is a very good pitcher and can throw the ball very hard. He is confident that he can help out the newts and improve their season. The first game vs the mud cats he nearly has a perfect game. Will the the Newts make a huge comeback this season and make history? Read this great book and find out yourself.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about a kid name Whiz who is on a terrible team in middle school. Yet one year Whiz goes to a printing press that he works at and creates these cards of dream players that he would want on his team. Then they start to magically appear. This book was very short. I am a huge baseball fan. I loved how the author used nicknames for the characters. Like Whiz or E6. I did not like the lack of details and real good dialog. This book could of been a lot longer and would of been a really amazing book. It was just way to short. I wish it told what happen next as it just ended with no conclusion. I do not suggest it to others unless they are a baseball fan that is looking for a quick read.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book 3 stars because I like baseball and its kind of like a real team just in a book. Throwing smoke is like people just playing baseball for the game, kind of like people do in real life. They just want to have fun like me playing and enjoying the time they got. I like Whiz cause hes kind of like me. He likes baseball but lets better people go ahead.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't especially thrilled with this book. I kept waiting for the message in this book to surface - you know "it's best to be yourself, whether it's good or bad" - but I didn't really get it. And I hated that Whiz' best friend was named E6.

[Rene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pitcher on a terrible baseball team creates "perfect" players with a printing press. Learns that winning isn't everything.

[Cam T · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good baseball book. The team is a good team and they play a lot of games. They win a lot of there games and there team is called the Newts.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

More baseball!!!! Of course

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still a little confused as to what went on in this story but I enjoyed reading it.