High Heat

by Carl Deuker

As the star closer for his high school baseball team, Shane Hunter is untouchable. Firing fastballs at ninety miles per hour, he loves being a winner. But when his father is accused of a crime, Shane's charmed world is turned upside down. Nothing is the way it once was, and Shane's not sure he wants to -- or even can -- pitch ever again. But like baseball, life sometimes throws you curves, and Shane discovers it's how you play the game that counts most of all.

Genres: Sports, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Baseball, Novels, Family

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 21, 2003

Reviews

[Sarah]

Why are all the baseball books about pitchers? I want one about catchers!!!

[Mason Dick]

My book was really interesting just to see Shanes struggles from his fathers death and how it translated to his pitching. We get to see how he dealt with it and how it ruined his life for a mojority of the book. He then resorted to stealing which got him in trouble and the only way to stay out of it was to help fill holes in the field for a couple weeks and his officer said he had to play for the baseball team.

[Dan Mohr]

In my opinion, I think that this book was very well thought out. For anyone that is a fan of sports, you will love this title. Shane's struggles to bring himself back to the way he was before his father died kept my attention. It showed that even though Shane achieved his dream of playing college baseball, he didn't become the same person he was before the tragedy, he had changed a lot, and had a lot more empathy for others. Shane became friends with many people he didn't think that he would ever become friends with, and he changed into a much more complete person, with better intentions for himself and everyone around him.

[Jacob Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shane Hunter has everything he ever wanted until one day at his little league baseball game when a few cops roll in and arrest his dad for money laundering. His dad goes to jail but then is bailed out. At this point Shane doesn't know if he wants to play baseball because his dad commits suicide. Shortly after this his mom is forced to sell the big house and move to a not so good apartment. Then his friend Reese Robertson buys his old house. Shane then hits him in the head with a baseball during his little league game putting him in the hospital.

[Conley Pinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

High Heat by Carl Deuker is a top 3 book in my opinion. The way he writes the book in a first person point of view of a high school student named Shane is amazing. How Mr. Deuker came up with the idea how Shane's life would be changed forever when his father kills himself is great and I would've never came up with that. I'm a baseball fan so when I picked this book up from the library I thought it would be mostly about sports. I was wrong, but I'm glad I'm wrong.
Shane's life was perfect. Straight A's, star pitcher, a lot of friends, loving family. Everything was great, or so he thought. During a baseball game his father is sitting in the stands when 2 men approach him and tell him to put his hands up and come down slowly. His father resists and then gets detained. Shane feels weird and confused. When his coach takes him home he sees multiple police cars at his his house. Skip tp next week and after Shane's team gets the win the coach takes him home again. Only to see an ambulance at his house this time. His father had shot himself. Shane felt a deep feeling in his chest. He knew that this would change everything.

[Kaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

High Heat is another of my favorite sportsbooks. I also love the way Carl Deuker puts his books together like it is a mystery book. There is a very valuable lesson in this book. That is that no matter how much the Earth is weighing you down you can lift it up. This means that you should have faith in yourself, just like the boy in this book did with himself. Let's say you play a sport(soccer), no matter how many people insult you you should prove them wrong, and you should work as hard as you can to do it.

[Sam Nadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shane Hunter was a closer. So any distraction to his pitching could cost him and his team the game. And Shane had more than enough distractions. Bad grades, a new school, and worst of all, his absent dad. Shane lost a lot of games that season
This book was a very good motivational story, the things Shane has to overcome give a nod to the fact that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. However there were also aspects that reinforced negative ideas such as stealing, and having a bad attitude towards authority.
This book was very good by itself as well as when compared to similar books, in many other books the main conflict is something of a non issue that will go away in a couple of years. Such as a championship or a girl. But this book gives an example of something that had to be overcome and a life was better because of it

[Aleksandr D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book because my favorite sport is baseball and this book is all about baseball. The reason I rated it as a 4 is because it was really good but there wasn't enough action in this book all it did was kind of drag on sometimes but I still really liked it.


This book takes place in Whitman High School in Seattle, Washington. It mostly takes place in the baseball fields and at Shane's (main character) house.


The conflict of this story is that Shane's father dies and he has to recover from that and he makes some bad choices.
The resolution is that he wins a championship game and gets accepted to a good college to play baseball .

To start off, Shane's father dies and his family loses all the money that they have so they have to move to a smaller house. His mom then gets a job, leaving Shane and his sister Marian home alone. One night Shane gets bored and decides to take a walk outside and meets a kid named Lenny. They decide to rob a store and drink alcohol. They do this almost every single night. So one night the cops catch them. Shane is let off the hook since this is his first time. He then has to do community service for Coach Grandison. Once he is done a person named Kraybill meets up with Shane an tells him he needs to see a psychologist. He refuses and says he wants to play baseball. Kraybill tells him that he can play baseball but he must attend everything or else he will have to attend a detention center. Do you think he can succeed at this sport? Read to find out.


Characters:
Shane Hunter: Main character. Has to play baseball and deal with the passing of his father or else he will get in trouble.
Marian Hunter: Shane's sister. Has to deal with her fathers death and constantly left alone and has many nightmares.
Shane's Mom: has to deal with death of husband. Has a job at a café and is always working.
Shane's Dad: apparently a drug dealer and he is arrested. He then has too much stress so he shoots himself.
Reese Robertson: Person that moves into Shane's old house and is hit in the eye with a baseball by Shane.
Coach Levine: Shane's old coach.
Coach Grandison: Shane's coach. Helps Shane get to and from practice.
Coach Dravus: Coach of college that wants Shane but he has to perform very good.

[Colin Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally liked reading this book because I'm a pitcher in baseball, which makes this story very relatable. Other than the baseball part of the story, I also loved reading about how the main character, Shane, copes with all of the people and problems in his everyday life. The story starts off with his father getting arrested for being accused of being involved in a money laundering scheme. After this, his whole family was being spoken about by everyone around them. His father eventually killed himself with a gun, the exact reason being unknown. Then Shane, his mother, and his sister move to city housing closer to Seattle, where Shane met a kid named Lonnie. They hung out and started drinking and smoking. One time they get caught, and Shane has to do community service. The supervisor of Shane's work, Mr. Grandison, encourages him to play baseball, which he does. But when he pitched for his new team, he couldn't pitch nearly as well. Something I disliked about this book was that when he was playing in his games, he used a lot of phrases and terms that apply to baseball that some people might not understand. Something that I enjoyed in this book was that it was very interesting to read about what is going through his mind when he is pitching in games. Especially because he is dealing with many things in his life at the moment. I would rate this book four stars out of five because I enjoyed reading about his games and life.

[Adam Krause · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book "High Heat" by Carl Deuker was a great read. Shane Hunter had it all: he was a talented baseball pitcher, had supportive and wealthy parents, and a private education. However, after his father faced legal problems, he took his own life. Shane was forced to leave these luxuries after his father's death and downsized to a much different life. He was a struggling baseball player, poor status, small apartment, and the difficulty of making positive friends in a new public school. With a completely new life, Shane struggles to make the right choices, both with the friends and decisions he makes.

Shane is the main character throughout the book. He has many friends in the beginning of the book but soon loses them after his father dies. Shane is a hard working kid who has to make some bold choices that will change the way he lives forever.

The book takes place in the setting of a modern, wealthy neighborhood. After his father dies, Shane and his mother move to a more middle class lifestyle in the city. The time is a near the 2000's.

This book is a great option to teach kids how to persevere. The main character faces many hardships, but finds ways to fight against his mistakes to better his life.

This book would probably be preferred with someone who loves baseball, but the themes that come out of this book can impact many different readers.

[Tommy Cermak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shane attends a high school of Shorelake. Everything is going well for him in baseball as their team won the championship. Everything is gone when his father commits suicide. Everything goes downhill from there.

This was one of my favorite books I have read so far. It really relates to me in many different ways. I had things growing up they made my baseball career stop for some time just like Shane. The author really described how Shane was feeling in each chapter. Also the key word in the book was anger, it has caused most of everything in this book to happen. If anger wasn't involved none of these thing would've happened. I think the author could've made the better ending come earlier because it almost seemed dragged out to me. The author tried to show all readers that even though terrible things happen, there is always a positive in the end no matter the case.

I thought this book was well written for a sports book. This book was different in a good way because it explained about the players life and not just the sport. I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 because this book really relates to me. If you like sport type books or sports themselves, you will enjoy reading this book.

[Olivia Frank]

High Heat was about a baseball player that has a privileged life until his father gets into some trouble. His father made a lot of money but illegally. He got caught but instead of going to jail he went a different direction. After his fathers death, Shane had to move schools and houses. His mom didn't make enough money to provide for him and his sister. They moved schools while he was there he made some not so good friends that got him in some deep trouble. Him and his friends stole beer from a gas station almost everyday. The police finally caught them. Shane had to have a investigator follow him around to make sure he wasn't falling back to his old ways. He had to join the baseball team to keep a good record. He made the team and was a closing pitcher. He started off the season strong but ends the season hitting one of the player in the head sending them to the hospital. He had trouble throwing inside pitches for awhile but got better. His last year playing he got a scholarship.

[Kourt Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting in a way that had me anticipating what was going to happen next! It was about a High School baseball player named Shane and that was a pitcher for his High School. One day at an ordinary baseball game the FBI arrest his dad accusing him of sailing items to criminals. So that in and out of itself really messed up Shane. His concentration during his games were completely off and in the classroom. But later in the book he finds a way to channel all his frustration and anger by playing ALL OUT and using it to motivate him to be better athletically and academically. So overall I really liked this book and recommend you purchase it for yourself... I promise you'll enjoy!!

[Danny S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book really showed how sports and life really collided and how when you're playing sports, what happening to you outside of sports can really effect your performance. In this instance, Shane's baseball performance was being effected by his dad killing himself and hitting one of his former teammates that he disliked. This led to his emotions and feelings getting to him when he played and couldn't concentrate due to these distractions. Overall, this was very well written book that included lots of details on how the main character felt when he was playing baseball.

[Michael Morabito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good and it was about sports and I really like sports so this was a good book for me. I liked this book because it connected baseball and the main character's life as he struggles after his dad's suicide.This book was awesome and I would recommend this book to other people.

[Kael Blauwet · Rating 4 out of 5]

High Heat by Carl Deuker is an interesting book about how life throws you curveballs. I think the author does many things well. One of those things being the order in which the book takes place. The next thing he does well in this book is the characterization, and making sure we understand each character in the book.
In High Heat, the order of the book is a little unique compared to the other Carl Deuker books I’ve read. In his other books, there tends to be a little bit of background and setting setter right away for 100 pages or so before the conflict or problem occurs. The opposite goes for this book. Within the first few chapters and 50 pages, the conflict was already introduced and in full effect. That means there was no evidence leading to it and it takes the reader by total shock, which I personally liked. With the conflict being introduced right away, it kept me engaged throughout the whole book…let me explain. Shane Hunter is the sophomore closer for his varsity baseball team and he is a solid, league-leading pitcher at the time. Shane’s dad then gets caught by the authorities in a money laundering scheme involved with illegal drugs. He then gets arrested, but comes home shortly after while being investigated and tried more. Things start to not look good so he takes his life right in his office inside the home while Shane is away. Shane then decides he can’t play baseball anymore because he’s starting to lose focus and not perform well. He gets into the wrong crowd and ends up getting caught stealing from a gas station. He serves community service and does his time. He then has to transfer to public school because he can’t afford the rich private school they were going to. When asked to play for the team he claimed, “I’m never playing baseball again. Everything has gone bad since dad died, and I’m not going to keep putting myself through this every spring.” After a while, he proceeds to eventually go out and succeed on the team until something happened…a double conflict. He pitched high and inside and knocked a guy out leading him to be scared to pitch again that season. Shane gets over the hump and succeeds his senior season to earn himself a full-scholarship to play college baseball. That is why I liked High Heat’s order and “double conflict.”
The second reason I liked this book is because of the characterization; mostly on the main character, Shane. In the book Carl Deuker describes Shane through every problem in the book. One of those examples is when his father dies. Shane claims multiples times how he didn’t know or understand what to think. Another time is a year after his fathers death. He describes it as, “it’s like I forgot he existed. I couldn’t go an hour without forgetting he was gone a few months ago, and now it feels like I barely remember him around.” Showing the different emotions of Shane is another reason why I liked High Heat.
This book, High Heat, is a good read for high school readers who are interested in sports, likes understanding characters, and has different types of conflict throughout a book. I suggest this book and will definitely keep reading more written by Carl Deuker.

[Kate J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book High Heat by Carl Deuker. Shane Hunter is untouchable. He's the closer of his high school baseball team.(Pitcher) His father died from suicide it left Shane heartbroken. His family lost everything: their house, their money, their jobs. Then when Shane's mother got a job, that left Shane and his younger sister Marian alone. Shane goes out with a friend that he made named Lenny. They go and drink alcohol and get arrested for it. Since this was his first crime he got stuck with community service. During the season Shane hits Reese Robinson in the head with a pitch that sends him to the hospital. Shane is scared. Coach Grandison eventually convinces Shane to go out for baseball that year he ends up getting a college scholarship by winning the District Tournament for his team. This book is meant for grades 7-9.
In my book Shane says “ …there'd been three times when everybody had surrounded me on the mound, shake my hand and tell me what a fantastic job I had done. There is no better feeling in the world.”(pg”:1) I feel like this piece of textual evidence really speaks to me about my character because I play a sport where I am the pitcher and I really know what that feeling feels like. It tells me that he's dedicated to the sport because when he does something good it means something to him. When Shane's father died I feel like it propelled action by impacting his love for the game, Shane didn't want to play the next season because it reminded him of his dad. But now I think that Coach Grandison is probably representing a father figure in Shane’s life.
Overall high heat is probably one of the best books that I have read because I like that Sports, Action, genre. The ending was very common. The character has a problem or something that really impacted their life and it ends with a great resolution or you could say a happy ending. Shane's father died but that persuaded/pushed him into a college scholarship. This book was reasonably easy to read but I liked how descriptive the action scenes are. It actually lets me picture the game in my head. The author's way of writing is third person. It's like a movie where you can see what's going on but you're not actually there. You stay with Shane. There's no other characters that you can see though it's just Shane’s. I would recommend this book to any athlete that's in middle school like high schoolers can read it but it's more of like a middle school setting.

[Luke Buckendahl]

High Heat By Carl Deuker
High Heat is a book about a sophomore in high school who is a very good relief pitcher for his school but his father gets into some trouble and is taken to jail. Shane (the pitcher) and his family start to worry about their father and what trouble he got into and it changes the entire family. After their father is released the whole mood in the family is completely different and it starts to knock Shane off his game. He isn’t pitching as well as he used to and he feels like he’s letting the team down because they’re starting to lose and might miss playoffs even though his team is there to support him through all of this. He asked his dad if he can stop coming to the games because he is distracting him and he thinks he is the reason he isn’t playing well. The next game he was back to his normal self pitching like usual and later that week something crazy happened.... He came home after school and noticed his dad had committed suicide. The family had a lot to deal with after finding that out and they were never the same. Shane even got bullied at school by his friends that were on the baseball team. After all this happened he found himself in a gang and soon after that he is put in community service and has to clean a baseball field when he rediscovers his love for pitching and gets out of the rest if his community service to rejoin the baseball team by the end of the story is getting scouted by portland college.
My favorite character was Shane because I was always interested in what he would do next and how he would overcome all the things that were going on in his life. The characters seem realistic like your average high school kids and they can turn on you very quickly. The story kept me guessing throughout the whole thing I was always curious with what would happen. When I would get the book out and start reading I would want to read at least twenty pages every time because I was interested in it and I wanted to read at least twenty pages everytime I read.
I liked the book as a whole but something that was frustrating was in the beginning of the book when the author didn’t really say much about Shane’s father getting arrested and just didn’t give much information. I would recommend this book to someone that doesn’t like reading that much because it’s easy to read and understand especially if you enjoy sports.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

When under pressure and stress how do you act? In the book “High Heat,” written by Carl Deuker, Shane Hunter, a 16-year old boy, loves baseball. He’s grew up from a wealthy family and plays baseball for one of the nicest and most expensive schools in Seattle. But one day his dad gets arrested. It embarrasses him in front of his whole baseball team. He didn't go to school for the next couple of days because he didn’t want to get made fun of. He then goes back to school and everyone was real nice to him. Then he wins a couple more baseball games over the next couple of days. But, he was concerned because his parents always go to his games but they weren’t there for his last one. After his game his dad also didn’t pick him up, so his coach offered him a ride home and he took it. He got home and there was cop cars, firetrucks, and ambulances in the front of his house. His runs past all the cops and finds his mom crying. He dad shot himself and passed away. This part was also a bit surprising to me and Shane and his mom went to a hotel for the next couple of days.
This book is trying to tell you “Not everyone is going to always be there, so be thankful when they are.” The author shows this by having Shane and his dad not get along. Then at the end, Shanes dad kills himself and he isn’t there for Shane any more. It just shows the readers that you need to be thankful for what or who is in your life at the moment, because they could be gone sooner than you know it.
This book was a good one to read and it kept you into the story. I never really felt like it got boring, but I also like baseball. Yes, this book did affect me as a reader because I am the same age as Shane and we both like baseball. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes sports. It keeps you entertained and wanting to know more. All in all, this book leaves a positive message, and if you are into sports, give it a try.

[Lorenzo Bojorquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Baseball, for many is America’s game and game like no other. The players go under a lot of pressure and somehow, through the pounding of your heart in head, and as the adrenaline rushes through your body, you can become the hero or the disappointment. The author Carl Dueker is a very good author who can input the suspense, greatness, and ways of the games but also input realistic problems. The author goes into great detail about the feel in the game of baseball, and also includes literary elements such as suspense, conflict and plot. Carl Dueker presents you the high school baseball career of Shane Hunter a closer for an advanced high called Shorelake. As the story progresses sudden conflict begins and the suspense and emotions starts to come. I felt incredibly sad and felt bad for Shane when he was playing a baseball game and his father got arrested and as the story progressed his father kept getting in more trouble. For most a father figure is very important in life and can have a huge effect on the person. This is exactly what happened when Shane’s father committed suicide, “It was my home and my family, but I sat and watched as he went up to a uniformed policeman standing in front of my house. I saw Levine’s shoulders slump, his body sag. Levine opened the door and slid into the driver’s seat. Finally he turned in seat and looked me in the eye, “Your father is dead. He shot himself”(pg. 35). As I read this passage I felt incredibly sorry for Shane and ever since that happened Shane did not handle it well. He started to turn to bad habits and i got worse and worse as he incredibly missed his father. Carl goes into deep detail on Shane’s huge problem of not having a father figure but still pulls through. I recommend this book for those who love the game of baseball and love books with conflict and suspense.”

[Ethan L · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book that I read was High Heat by Carl Deuker. It doesn’t say what the lexile is in the book . Shane Hunter is the "closer" for his high school baseball team. the treasured pitcher whose job is to take to the mound in the crucial final innings of a game. Baseball is Shane's world. But the sophomore's world is shaken when his father, who owns a car dealership, is arrested for money laundering while he is watching one of Shane's games. In a rapid spiral of events, Shane loses his father, his upscale home, his entire world. Suddenly poverty-stricken, he and his mother and sister move into a tiny run-down apartment, and the kids must attend public school for the first time. Perhaps worst of all, he loses his love for baseball. In a pivotal moment of darkness, Shane intentionally hits a batter, putting him in the hospital. But as the story progresses, he and the injured boy work out their demons together, through the game that has meant so much to them both.
I think the theme of the book don’t take things for granted and things can change in the snap of a finger. Because at the beginning he was the best and he was living life to the fullest but then when his dad got arrested shane and his family loose everything they have to move to a rundown house and then they have to go to a public school for the first time ever in shanes life. At the beginning of the book he said "I focus on home plate, the catcher's glove, and the ball in my hand. When that's my whole world, I'm in control.” I think that shows that if you put your mind to something you can do it.
I think that somebody else should read this book if they like to read about sports and that things can change in the snap of a finger. The book did not seem that confusing to me. I don’t think the book was to predictable there was times where it just caught me off guard like when shanes dad was arrested.

[Gregory Wilkinson]

The book High Heat by Carl Deuker details the struggles of a young baseball players career. Originally, the main character Shane goes to Shorelake high school. He is the teams closer he is pitching very well and has everything going for him until his dad gets arrested. I found this book in the Fowlerville school library I picked it up because I thought it looked interesting and I also play baseball.
The story begins when Shane’s dad is arrested at one of his baseball games early in the high school season, he is accused of laundering money for criminals. Then out of grief Shane’s dad takes his own life in their house while Shane is at one of his away games. Shane’s dad was the family’s only source of income so Shane and his family have to move into city housing and he has to attend and play baseball for an entirely new school. This is where Shane begins committing crimes of his own like stealing beer and he hits a player on his former team right in the head sending him to the hospital.
While on parole Shane plays on his new high schools team and begins very well until he hits the kid in the heat. For a while Shane has trouble pitching at all giving up runs in the last inning and costing his team a couple of games. He continues to throw the ball in the dirt a lot and struggles. Pitching inside is very difficult for him. Gradually Shane turns things around and finds more success on the mound. Shane becomes a better person at the end of the novel and receives attention from a college program.
I personally enjoyed this book and found it very interesting Shane found a way to battle through his struggles and succeed. You will like this book if you play or enjoy sports, especially baseball, it describes the game with great detail and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Tizy97 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davvero molto bello, avrei messo cinque stelle se non fosse stato per alcune cose. Innanzitutto le scene si svolgevano in maniera troppo veloce, in solo mezza pagine dalla scoperta del suicidio del padre, Shane e la famiglia si trovavano già in hotel. In pochi paragrafi succedevano tante cose e questo velocizzava troppo la lettura facendo difficile godermi la scena. Altro punto sono state le relazioni con i personaggi. Avrei preferito che si sviluppasse di più l’amicizia tra Shane e altri personaggi, si sentisse. C’è, per carità, ma molto superficiale. E avrei preferito che si instaurasse anche una bella amicizia con Reese, che a un certo punto sembra stia succedendo, ma poi improvvisamente si stronca. E il finale con Reese ha lasciato l’amaro in bocca, avrei voluto vedere il suo personaggio superare il trauma visto che anche lui è diventato un personaggio importante della storia.
Oltre questo, ciò che mi è molto piaciuto sono stati i temi trattati: suicidio, lutto, depressione, furto, ecc… temi che anche in un libro “per adolescenti/giovani adulti” è stato bello vedere. Viviamo in un certo senso questa porzione di vita di Shane che viene stravolta e vediamo come lui esce da questo buco. Forse troppo incentrato su di lui, ci mancava una seconda figura stabile, ma vabbè, mio personale punto di vista. È stato comunque un bel libro e sicuramente leggerò qualcos’altro di questo autore 🌸

[Brett Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

High Heat was such an excellent book. It was the best book that I have read in a while. It is based off of a high school pitcher that plays for his high school team, named Shorelake High School. His dad is a wealthy car dealer and his family lives in a fancy and rich neighborhood surrounded by gates. The pitcher's name is Shane Hunter. The main plot of the story begin's at one of Shane's baseball games. The police arrest his dad from the stands and everyone is shocked and is wondering what is going on. Shane later finds out that his dad has been dealing with druglords from Mexico and he was doing illegal things with money. His dad was in big trouble and he knew he was not going to get out of it. So one day after one of Shane's games, he comes home to find his house surrounded by police and fire trucks. Shane wonders what is going on so he asks the police, and they told him that his father had killed himself. He had shot himself in the head. Shane could not believe this, so he lives his life after this mostly being depressed, struggling to find the motivation to play baseball again. He struggles in pitching after his father killed himself. With his dad gone, Shane and his family struggle financially so they have to move to a small duplex in the city. This book is a good book for anyone who is interested in baseball and drama.

[Drew Stasuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good kid, athletic, smart, and just an overall decent character. Shane was talented. He was surrounded by all the right people, friends, family, and even his teachers. His parents were extremely supportive to him. How could something going so well for a boy turn around and crash? Shane Hunter would experience a tragedy in his life that would change his life.
High heat is written from the perspective of Shayne, who as I said, has a pretty good life and things are going well for him. That was until, anyway, he began to see a change in relation with his father. Now, Shane was the closer for his high school baseball team and nobody could hit off of him. He threw about high 80s low 90s consistently. This boy was a freak athlete and had so much support with so many fans. An event that involves Shane's father, one of his biggest supporters, would steer everything this young athlete has worked for in the wrong direction. What happened, You’ll have to read to find out.
This book would be great for someone to read if they like sports especially baseball or real anyone that wants to pick up a book and read something with a good story line.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carl Deuker an author I did not know about before reading this book, High Heat is a very talented author. Carl shows the life of a troubled family through three main characters. He really puts you in their shoes the characters are, Shane, Marian, and their mom.
Shane is the star pitcher for his high school baseball team, he can’t seem to lose his touch. Suddenly at one of his games Rausch the local policeman appears at one of his games, Shane finds this very strange. Rausch approaches Shane’s dad, Shane couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Shane’s dad was arrested at that game and put in jail for that night for “money Laundering. Shane’s dad’s arrest put their family through very hard times it also put his dad through hard times which leads him to do something in the 5th chapter that changes all their lives...forever. After this event Shane can no longer through as hard or accurate as he used to.
If you enjoy sports, especially baseball you will love this book. This book is filled with plot twists but also involves sports. This book gives you the point of view as if were a teenage boy going through tough times and dealing with sports and school on top of that.

[Nick Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shane Hunter’s life was going just right for him, then his dad suddenly commits suicide and turns his life around, making him question whether he should continue to play baseball. At first, I wasn’t too sure about reading this book, but after getting through the first couple chapters I found that it was very cool and I loved the way he wrote the play by play action of the actual baseball plays because I was able to visualize them happening with myself as Shane Hunter. Carl Deuker is a great sports fiction writer, throughout this book he kept me engaged with a bunch of small cliffhangers throughout the book that wanted me to keep reading. For example, when Shane had finished his junior year season he thought to himself,” I knew that I’d played my last game” (Deuker 156). When he thought that, it was the last paragraph of the second out of three parts, which wanted me to finish the rest of the book to see if he would give up or give it another try. Overall, it was a great book and I would recommend it to all of my baseball teammates to read in their free time to understand how other people get over adversity on and off the baseball field.

[Nolan Devejian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting baseball novel about a high school player who faces unimaginable adversity. Shane Hunter, the protagonist, is met with an unthinkable loss that turns his life upside-down. He is forced to give up his higher-end life for a lower-class one and he struggles to find friendship and purpose. Shane also succumbs to alcohol and drug use, which lands him in trouble with the authorities. Shane even loses his passion for the game he loves most. Just when it seems that it is all over for Shane, he crosses paths with the respected baseball coach for his new school's team. Although he initially has no interest in playing again, Shane gradually becomes more and more determined to play again. Baseball proves to be a medicine for even the greatest wounds, and through the game, Shane is able to find the purpose in his life that had been vacant for such a long time. I would recommend this book to any baseball player, fan, and really anyone because of its powerful messages that are relevant to everyone.

[Ryan Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shane is a High school student who goes through a lot in the span of 3 years. He starts out with his father committing suicide after he was accused of money laundering and dealing with drug lords. After this, his life seems to go downhill. He moves into city housing and has to transfer schools since his mother can't afford the house the owned or the school he used to go to. He begins playing baseball at his new school his junior year and isn't very good but he does very well in his senior year. There are many more details from the book but I'd rather leave them unsaid. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was easily my favorite book to read so far this year. The twists and turns throughout the book make you want to keep reading. In the future, I would like to read more books by Carl Deuker. He specializes in the sports genre, which really interests me. I may read his football book next.

[Samuel Yancey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overcoming Hardships

Shane is the closer for his high school baseball team. He was a great pitcher but then falls off as tragic events happen. Soon he gains his thunder back. This Sports Fiction would target any teenager with any love for sports.

Shane’s father owns a car dealership and gets in a little trouble with the police for working with some bad people. The family is forced to sell their lovely house and move to a run down area. Shane becomes depressed and starts doing things he doesn’t normally do until he gets help and gets back on the baseball field.

Shane overcoming his dads incident and more becomes a long journey to get through, but him pushing through keeps readers intrigued.

This book overall could keep readers who don’t like to read interested. People can relate to this book easily because everyone has things they have to overcome in their lives. High Heat is a great book for teens that love sports and more.