Home Run

by Paula Boock

New city, new school-- and Byrony finds herself in a new kind of game, where all the rules have changed. Explores the widening gap between rich and poor, and how two young teens battle to bridge it with friendship.

115 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

About the author

Paula Boock began writing when she was seven. 'There was this story of four brothers who were surprisingly like my four brothers... I illustrated the book as well — the characters looked sort of like the Beatles.'

'I've always been affected by books. As the youngest in a large, boisterous family, I developed early the ability to work — write even — amidst a racket. The library — school and public — was where I found most of my books. I went through all the crazes: Secret Seven, Famous Five, horsey books, detective novels, sci-fi... you name it.'

Paula began by writing plays and short stories, but it wasn't until she began working in publishing that she thought of writing a young adult novel. Her first novel, Out Walked Mel, won the AIM Best First Book Award and was a finalist for the Esther Glen Medal, a library award she won two years later for her novel Sasscat to Win. She was the 1994 Writer in Residence at the Dunedin College of Education where she wrote her third book, Home Run, a finalist in the 1996 AIM Senior Fiction Award, and began Dare Truth or Promise. This last novel sold worldwide, won the 1998 NZ Post Children's Book of the Year award, and was shortlisted for a Lambda Award in the United States.

Paula's recent work includes an adult novel, scriptwriting 'The Strip' and more young adult fiction titles. She enjoys the film and television genre, but finds that teenage characters 'still tend to sneak into my work and take over.' Paula lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand.

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this to consider it for teaching. Nope, absolutely not. Although the author makes an attempt to highlight the societal issues at play, she also falls victim to invoking those same prejudices in the setting and characters. I work at a decile 2 school. This is not it bruh

[Maja Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a very entertaining book, and I enjoyed it because it was set in New Zealand, so I understood it better.

[Tania]

This is a teens book that from my perspective captures peer pressure well. I wouldn't want to be a teen again.

[SBC · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. It was spot on for the time about how success in academics and sport was received differently at high school. I was fascinated by what she did to get accepted, BUT didn't like her so much anymore as she turned into not-a-nice person. But then her father did tell her to do what was necessary to fit in! I was interested that such behaviour continued at her new school, as I thought she was smart enough to realise it didn't mean the same there, but obviously not. An interesting read.