Baseball Great

Baseball Great #1

by Tim Green

Josh feels like he's starting to make it big! Jaden, the school reporter, says he's going to take the baseball team to number one. Then his dad pulls him off the field and signs him up with Coach Rocky Valentine's youth championship team, the Titans. He says Josh has what it takes to be a baseball great—and the Titans will help him get there.

Now Josh is gulping down Rocky's "Super Stax" milkshakes to build muscle and trying to fit in with his new teammates—older, tougher kids who can suddenly become violent. All Josh really wants to do is play ball, but as he gets in deeper with the Titans, there are questions he's just got to ask. As Josh and his new friend Jaden investigate their suspicions, they find themselves in a dangerous struggle with a desperate man who doesn't want them to expose the nasty secrets they uncover.

Pulsing with action, baseball great offers a baseball story attuned to today's headlines, a totally involving, character-driven, sports-centered thriller.

Genres: Sports, Baseball, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adventure

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 29, 2000

About the author

Tim Green, for many years a star defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons, is a man of many talents. He's the author of such gripping books for adults as the New York Times bestselling The Dark Side of the Game and a dozen suspense novels, including Exact Revenge and Kingdom Come. Tim graduated covaledictorian from Syracuse University and was a first-round NFL draft pick. He later earned his law degree with honors. Tim has worked as an NFL analyst for FOX Sports and as an NFL commentator for National Public Radio, among other broadcast experience. He lives with his wife, Illyssa, and their five children in upstate New York. Football Genius is his first novel for young readers. For more updates, visit www.facebook.com/authortimgreen

Reviews

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it combined my love of baseball,mystery, and action into one book.The main boy,Josh, is this "baseball great" and his dad was one too. To reach his full potential, Josh's dad makes him play for an intense traveling team instead of his school team that all of his friends play for. Meanwhile, Josh's dad lost his job playing for a minor league team and needs the job with Rocky;s baseball team that his son is playing for. Josh has trouble making friends with his new teammates until one day a school bully approaches Josh in a bathroom outside where the team is eating. The team helps beat up the bully and Josh earns the friendship. Later that day, Josh meets up with a buddy of his on the team and he hands Josh some pills that Rocky, their coach, gave him. Josh gets curious and asks his friend to ask her doctor dad if they are legal. To find out if the pills are illegal and if the team gets destroyed because of it, read Baseball Great by Tim Green.

[Matt B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like it it keeps you interested one high point to the next.

[Kaimani · Rating 4 out of 5]

baseball great is a good book its kind of about bullying and being a good baseball player his dad is a pro baseball player and plays for red sox and josh is getting big in baseball and the school reporter is writing about josh and saying he is a "medical" to the baseball league.I like this book because I like baseball and I like how one day he wants to be a pro baseball player

[Jaden Onaca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very interesting book because it teaches you that sometimes you need to make hard decisions that will make your life better. This book is about a young man named Josh who wants his team to be number one in the country. He needs to make a decision whether to have his team succeed, or go to a better team that is already ranked number one. I truly reccomend this book to everyone that is interested in sports.

[Xavier.F · Rating 4 out of 5]

stick threw it

[Anthony B · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Lets go,” the umpire said to Josh.
Josh nodded and stepped up to the plate. He glanced at the loaded bases then at the two outs up on the scoreboard. The pitcher reared back and jerked sideways. His arm whipped around and came Josh’s way. Most people would see it like they’d see a snake flick its tongue, but Josh saw more. The ball left the pitcher’s hand with a perfect spin, a fastball to the outside edge of the plate.
Josh swung big, and connected with a crack.
The ball took off.”
This is only one of many spectacular scenes in the book Baseball Great by Tim Green. If I had to rate this book I would rate it a 5 out of 5 stars because it was very suspenseful, it was very inspiring and it showed that you should stand up for what’s right even if it hurts.
First, I would rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars because it was so suspenseful in parts like on page 227 it says:
“Josh saw the text that had been sent to his phone number, even though it wasn’t possible. He punched the menu on his phone and brought up his sent items. The mailbox was empty.”
In this part of the story it was very exciting for me because Josh then realizes that his baseball coach Rocky had took his phone out of his locker and sent his best friend Jaden a message that said to meet him at the school at 8:30pm. Josh then realizes that he wants Jaden’s phone because Josh and Jaden had caught him dealing steroids and caught him. They took a picture of him with the drugs. Rocky meets Jaden at the school and steals the phone but doesn’t go far with four flat tires and is caught by the cops. This scene was the most suspenseful scene in the book from my point of view.
Next this book deserved 5 out of 5 stars because it was very inspiring. It was inspiring because Josh is only 12 years old and he wants to be a baseball great. Josh is playing with 14 year olds who are much bigger and stronger that he is, the 14 year olds are also using steroids to get better and Josh doesn’t. A the end of the book on page 149 a Nike sponsor comes up to him and wants to sponsor him and his team he says:
“I want to talk to you,” he said “and your team.”
Joshes dad nodded.
“We want to sign up your team. Sponsor the whole thing. The full package, just like we were going to do with Rocky. Coach salary, all that.”
Later on he tells Josh that he wants to sponsor him individually and start earlier like Tiger Woods did. He also says that Josh is on his way to being a Baseball Great. This part in the book was really inspiring because josh could finally say that he made it and he did what he wanted to do and that was be great at baseball. The last reason this book is a 5 out of 5 star book was because this book showed that you should do the right thing even if it hurts. Josh did the right thing by telling the police about Rocky even though that his dad a former MLB 1st round draft pick works for Rocky now. At first Josh doesn’t know what to do but in the end he does the right thing and tells the police everything that happened. On page 135 they have a meeting with everyone’s parents and all of the police, they tell them what happen and the whole story. In conclusion this book is defiantly one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life I recommend you read it. So want do you think happened in the end? Will Josh ever become a baseball great? Well read it to find out.

[Joseph Goncalves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a “goodread”. It involved great imagery. It felt like I was irght there and in the moment of what was actually occurring in the story. The author did a great job with this book, a must re-read!

[Charlie Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

It all started when Josh opened the school’s newspaper to see the headline “Baseball Great: Grant Middle’s best hope for its first-ever citywide championship, Josh LeBlanc,” which was written by Jaden Neidermyer. Jaden is Josh’s new friend who will always help Josh and sits with him at lunch.

During the tryout for the school team Josh’s dad, who is a “‘Star player for the Chiefs-twelve years as a pro and a first round draft pick right out of high school’” but never made it out of the minors, came over and took him to a new championship team called the Titans coached by Rocky Valentine. The team was a 14u team and Josh was only 12! Josh needs to keep up with 14 year olds and get stronger by eating “Super Stax,” a powder to put in milk to build more muscle.

In my opinion Baseball Great is a great book to read because it is very suspenseful and always making you want to keep turning the pages. I couldn’t say what my favorite part of the book was due to spoilers, but let's just say that coach Rocky didn’t always play by the rules…

Do you think that Josh has what it takes to stay on the team while doing the right thing? Then read Baseball Great By Tim Green to find out.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book "Baseball Great" by Tim Green, the main character Josh is a huge baseball fan and player. He loves the game. His dad (31 years old) played all throughout his childhood but can't make it past the triple A's. Early in the book he got told he is being cut from the team. His dream of making it to the big leagues then transfers down to his son Josh. Josh is forced to quit the school team and try out for a team that is filled with kids only 14 years old while he is only 12 years old. Not only does he have to work himself to the breaking point, but he has to deal with the bullying that is being put on him from the other players. Not to mention, him leaving the school baseball team really made the kids from his school not happy with him. I really recommend this to people who love football and to ages 11-14.

[Ivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this book but my 9-year-old baseball-obsessed son did and he asked me to read it. Not enough baseball in it—it was mostly about the illegal shenanigans that a toxic travel team manager gets into. But my son assures me that the next three books in the series are better so, for him, I'll continue with them.

[Ethan]

It was good

[Deonne Monfre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Lots of ups and downs! cool book😎 and love baseball⚾ so it's great for you baseball lovers. Also this is the first book of the series Baseball Great. The rest are also good.😀⚾😎⬆⬇.

[Blake Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baseball great is a book about a preteen boy named Josh. Josh is very good at baseball and plays shortstop and is a really good batter. Josh's best friend names are Benji and Jaden Jaden is new to the school and she writes the paper she wrote an article about josh saying ow good he was. There are three conflicts in the story. The 1st one is Josh's dad a first round draft pick for pro ball got cut and he wants josh to go to a team of 14 year olds and hes 12. His friends are not happy with him because he left the school team and hes the best player. But his friends get more mad when Rocky Josh's coach starts a 12u team and they take the best pitcher from the school team but josh had no idea and everybody is mad at him. He solves it by telling people that its not true he didn't know now he has friends back. Another conflict is a bully that josh could beat up but does not want to because he doesn't want the trouble the bully keeps trying to pick fights with josh because the bullies girl friend flirts with josh and she likes him so the bully always tries to start fights with josh. The way he deals with it is when he is at the mall Josh has to use the restroom and the bully is in there to josh's teammate comes in the restroom and beats the kid up. The last problem is that josh's coach Rocky is giving steroids to his team so he can win. one of josh's teammates tries to give him steroids but josh's didn't know what they were and went to Jaden's house because her dad is a doctor and has a book of every drug and pill. He finds out that it actually is steroids and has to stop Rocky. Josh and Jaden make a plan to stop rocky and this is how there going to solve the problem. there going to go to the hospital and take a picture of rocky during the deal and threaten him to stop or they'll tell the police. When they do take the picture they meat up at the baseball field and call Rocky and tell him. Rocky tells them that he will. At practice Rocky gets on josh's phone and texts Jaden to meat him at the school she thinks its josh but its Rocky. Josh follows him and Bengi lets out the air in his tires. Rocky gets in trouble with the cops and goes to jail. I recommend this book to anybody who likes baseball!

[Brendan Shader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading the book, Baseball Great, by Tim Green. To understand my review, you need to understand a little about the book. In Baseball Great, its about this big 12 year old named Josh who plays baseball and trys out for the school team but then his father realizes the talent he has and pulls him out and brings him to this try out for a elite 14u team. Throughout his journey, he has to face challenges in school and with friends and secrets his coach hides from him and the rest of his baseball team.

Me personally, I give this book a 5 out of 5 satars. This book always kept me guessing on what was going to happen next. There was always an event or a scenario that always entertained me and never bored me and wanted to stop reading. At the end of most of the chapters, it always left you with a cliffhanger on what was going to happen next that left me wanting to read more. Throughout this book, there was a lot of metaphors and similes used and the author was describing every action in depth. "Sheila looked at him with pale blue eyes as cool and as motionless as the ones in the glass cat his mother kept on a shelf besides the kitchen. They reflected the light like jewels,or tiny shards of broken mirror".This is only one small part in the book but based on this, you can tell how the authors style of writing is and how descriptive it is. From this, you can tell exactly how the person's eyes were from the descriptin given, how they looked exactly and how the light reflected off of them.

The reason I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars was because it was about a topic I could relate to and I loved how it always kept me guessing what was going to happen. When reading this book, I didn't want to put it down at ny moment. I recommend this book for those lover of baseball out there and those who love a bit of suspense in their novels.

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baseball great is a great story written by Tim Green. The main character is named josh and he is a twelve year old normal kid who is great at baseball. His dad just got done with playing baseball in the minors and just got a job with an elite baseball program with some of the best teams in the country of all ages. Josh tries out and makes the fourteen year old team and his coach is the owner named rocky. He hired joshs dad to put a twelve year old team together and is taking all the players from his school team. Rocky gives the team a protein thing he makes.

I thought the author did a great job about not making it only about baseball. He made him and jaden make a good connection of liking each other. He also was good at describing how josh felt and I felt like i was in his shoes. I did not like how at sometimes there was not a lot of action. Sometimes a whole chapter would go by without all too much happening. I thought he could have made it better by doing that. I thought the theme of the book was to be with people who will stay with you no matter what. Like Josh lost some friends but Jaden and Benji would always help Josh. They helped him with school and other things and getting to the bottom of what Rocky was giving the kids when they find out that they actually were not just drinking protein.

Overall I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I would not give it all stars because at some times it did get very boring and the conflict was not that big. But I did enjoy it because it was about a sport I like and when there was action I really enjoyed reading it and could not put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone. Especially those who play baseball or softball and have to go through very hard workouts because they would be able to relate.

[Campbell Matz]

In the book "Baseball Great" by Tim Green, the main character Josh is a huge baseball fan and player. He loves the game. His dad (31 years old) played all throughout his childhood but can't make it past the triple a's. Early in the book he got told he is being cut from the team. His dream of making it to the big leagues then transfers down to his son Josh. Josh is forced to quit the school team and try out for a team that is filled with kids only 14 years old while he is only 12 years old. Not only does he have to work himself to the breaking point, but he has to deal with the bullying that is being put on him from the other players. Not to mention, him leaving the school baseball team really made the kids from his school not happy with him. "Every other muscle in his body shrieked with pain." says Josh on page 79. It shows how he is pushing himself much harder than he should be.
What Josh needs to figure out is if he can handle the hate from his school friends and his teammates just to be able to play on a good baseball team.

[Omar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh feels like he's starting to make it big! Jaden, the school reporter, says he's going to take the baseball team to number one. Then his dad pulls him off the field and signs him up with Coach Rocky Valentine's youth championship team, the Titans. He says Josh has what it takes to be a baseball great and the Titans will help him get there.

I liked this book because it had hard working players that try to get to the championships. Josh is a very brave man and loves playing baseball. he believesin winning the championship and so does the reader.Just of looking at the book and reading it, I say Tim Green loves sports.

I recommend this book to baseball players from 10 to 15 year old players. Ive never played baseball but I think its a really fun sports to play. I might even play this sport when im big but just for fun. I really do think baseball players should read this book because it might change their sportmanship behavior and their attitude.

[Mr. Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this was a good story - definitely reader-friendly (especially for boys) and perhaps even worth four stars...except for one baseball scene, which is based on such an inaccuracy that I cannot get past it.

The batter is a switch-hitter. He is facing a left-handed pitcher whose best pitch is a curveball. He has his batting glove on his right hand (which means he is planning to bat lefty) and his coach stops him on his way to the plate to MAKE SURE he bats lefty to "take away" the curveball. How does batting lefty take away a left-hander's the curveball?! It makes it harder to hit!

Assuming from the rest of the baseball scenes and the author's background as a professional athlete that he really knows baseball, the only thing I can think of is that it is a misprint and the pitcher is supposed to be right-handed. Either way, I can't get past it!! Aaargh!

[Brandon Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh and his friend Benji both love and play baseball. During school ball, Josh's dad picked him up and took him to play for a new team, a U14 in a separate league. After his first practice, seeing his team doesnt like him, he makes the team. He later on goes to there first team and wins, with a walk-off single. At practice the next day, they went to a laser tag place, and met one of the bullies in school, named Bart. Just as he's about to get beaten up, Jones swoops in and saves Josh from a beat down. Next week, Jones gives him a medacine, but is really steroids. Josh doesnt take them, but finds the coach who has been getting them, takes his photo with the roids, and sends it to the police, showing that the team has been cheating all along.

[Nick]

In this book there is I kid how was on the middle school baseball team. He was going take this team to be number one but his dad took him to play for other team. He wants to play for the middle team dad will mot let him he goes play for other team. He wants to play for his middle school team. He is in the 7 grade. He is really good at baseball the team he ganna to be playing for has great talent. I didn't like this book. Josh is 7 grade boy he is really good at football. If you liked this book you will also like football hero.

[Rainier Birco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was good because it kept me reading and reading. Also it kinda showed a moral lesson in this book like "it doesn't matter if youre not good at it matters when youre having fun playing it " because Josh was put on a #1 ranked baseball team and he didnt even want that he wanted to be playing with his friends so he can have fun and enjoy himself, but insteaad his dad of course wanted to see more potential on his son by putting him in a better team. So it doesn't really matter what sport you play if your good or bad the important thing is if youre having fun playing it.

[Gregory Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was a well balanced story with the classic baseball kind of story and the edge of your seat suspense . If you don't enjoy slow pace baseball books then you will definitely enjoy this book.The hole story is about a kid named josh who is welcomed to the town with a article about him title baseball great. Everything is going great until they discover something bad even illegal involving their coach.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baseball great is a GREAT book it starts slow and finish strong but i wouldn't recommend it unless you like baseball

[Yann Bakala · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book was amazing and perfect the supense was perfect tim green chose good words

[Kiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Remember", Rocky continued, gazing around with small, dark eyes and veins bulging in his thick neck, "T-E-A-M. There's no I in team. If you're not good enough, it's not fair for you to drag down the others." Josh is a teen boy who plays baseball. He is not just the ordinary kid who plays baseball; he is a baseball great. He is one of the best players his age in the country. Josh was looking forward toward his baseball season playing for his school team. However, Josh's father takes him out of that league and puts in in a whole other level of baseball. The new team Josh is playing for is tough, challenging, and only cares about winning. It does not help that all the kids on this team are at least a year older than him. When Josh and his good friend Jaden suspect that the team is getting and taking illegal steroids, they do everything in their power to put an end to it.
One reason that I recommend this book is because of the never-ending suspense and the well-written elements of plot. The author, Tim Green, does a great job of keeping the readers interested and entertained throughout the book. The elements of plot are in perfect order so that the readers can easily understand what is happening or might happen in the future. Page 208 states, "Yes, come quick," she said, sobbing. "Josh meet me at the pavilion in Washington Square Park. I can't say it on the phone. You're not going to believe who it is." This sentence alone shows the great build up of suspense and how Tim Green keeps his readers entertained.
The final reason why I recommend this book is because of the great character development. Tim Green makes all of his characters seem like real-life characters. The characters in this book all have imagery, thoughts/feelings, internal/external problems, and so on. The great character development helps readers feel like they are in or a part of the book. This makes the book so much more enjoyable. Page 22 states, "Jaden had light brown skin and long, frizzy hair that she kept pulled into a ponytail. Except for the big green eyes, which reminded Josh of a cat's, her features were small, almost elfish, even though she was one of the taller girls and big-boned. She was both pretty and formidable." This shows that Tim Green captures his characters perfectly so that the readers are more entertained and not left confused.
I would recommend this book, "Baseball Great" to all ages. It contains great suspense and character development. It is all-in-all a great read. I give this book five out of five stars.

[Dante · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you are a young boy you always dream about making it to the big stage, whether its baseball, football, basketball... so on. Does Josh "Baseball Great" have a path to the show? Josh Feels up to the task to leading his middle school to number one, as Jaden the school reporter made it the front cover of the schools newspaper. When josh is showing off his moves his dad comes on to the field and tells him to get in the car. The coach arguable disagrees that he should stay because they had so much more and they wanted to see, but he was gone. With in a blink of an eye his dad brought him to this crazy big facility, with a huge field. Josh wondered why he was there, but when he got down to this group of boys that where built like men, The coach made it obvious that he was there to fight for a spot on this team. This travel ball team the "Titians" are trained group of boys that are turned into men through this sport of baseball. They practice everyday for 4-5 hours, which really shows up in there record because they haven't lost a game ever. This year now that this team is a group of 14 year olds, they have a shot at going to state. Will Josh be able to keep up with these boys , or will he even get a spot on the team?? In this book the author does an ok job at keeping the reader engaged. Its nothing super action filled so theres not a lot to except. Sometimes in this book I could feel myself drift off and think about other things then what I was reading. I believe its very effective towards friendships because, all characters in this book have very descriptive conversations. I believe the lesson or a take away is don't take anything for granit, and if you keep grinding you will get there. Like I said the weaknesses are that its not a page turner, it doesn't keep you guessing to what is going to happen next. The strengths are the conversations between people because, if you look really deep into what there saying it does have an effect of what happens next or what comes next. It reminds me of The Sandlot a little because when "smalls" goes to the baseball park he's not as good as everyone there but as the movie goes on he starts making friends with them and then becomes better throughout the movie. I would recommend this book too someone that knows about baseball because there are a couple things that this author writes about and it would be hard to understand the story if you didn't know how baseball worked.

[Zack T · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Baseball Great is a sports book written by Tim Green. The theme is that cheaters never win. It keeps showing this throughout the book over and over. It is really a great book that I would recommend.

After Josh’s dad gets cut from his AAA baseball team, he signs Josh up for a better team that can help him go pro. Except Josh wanted to play with his friends on the high school team. Eventually Josh joins the team, because the coach, Rocky Valentine is giving his dad a job. At the same time Josh is struggling to keep a good relationship with his friends. He is also getting into fights with his teammates. After he finds out something shocking about the team and Rocky, Josh and his friends are faced with a tough decision that could lose his dad's job. What will he do?

This book was very exciting and also inspiring. It was so exciting, because there were many sections that could be considered the climax. It was inspiring because it motivates you to want to work at something and become great at it. It is also very hard to put down, because it ends with a cliffhanger after almost every chapter.“ “ This shows that there are always great cliffhangers and it is very hard to put the book down. You will think that you’re just going to finish the chapter, but you have to keep reading to find out what happens next. The only bad thing was it started very slow, but the book keeps getting better as it goes. It is a great book that will shock you with a great plot twist.

This book could be really enjoyed by sports fans and players in middle school. If you like any sports book from Mike Lupica or Tim Green this is what you’re looking for. The author's writing style is entertaining, but still easy to understand. Overall, this is a great book that I would definitely recommend.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh's dad is controlling when it comes to baseball. He used to be a professional player and wants the best for his son who shows real promise. He pulls him from the school team to tryout for the league team where he has a better chance of being noticed by scouts. Josh makes the team and his dad is hired to work for coach Rocky Valentine. Josh puts up with a lot of trash talk from the older kids on the team who don't like being outclassed by a younger player.

Coach Valentine is ruthless. He's in it only to win, even if that means breaking the rules to do it. Josh and his reporter friend, Jaden, investigate and find out that the team is using steroids. Josh doesn't know if his dad is in on it, but Jaden's dad is a doctor and...well...you can see where this is going.

This is a win for kids who play baseball and are looking for reading material. You've got a real villain with Coach Valentine and some kid detective work with the steroid plot. My only criticisms are with Josh's dad whose character is inconsistent throughout the book and with Josh himself who is a little on the soft side for a kid with such mean talent. This is book 1 in a four book series. I'm curious to see how these two characters develop in the next book.

[A.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baseball Great is a tremendously great book with an amazing plot and perfect story line. The book is about a 7th grader, named Josh LeBlanc, so it's very relatable being a 7th grader myself. The story is set at Grant Middle School (the school he attends), also at the Mount Olympus Titans baseball complex. The book begins with Josh's dad dragging him off his school baseball baseball team to go play for a better team, The Mount Olympus Titans. He starts having to eat this food called, Super Stax, which is some sort of muscle mass builder. He starts getting even more suspicious after one of his teammates, gives Josh gives him something called "Gym Candy". He goes to his friend Jaden, who's dad is a doctor. It turns out it's Aderral, which is illegal in the sports community. Jaden and Josh realize that the leader of the Titans, Rocky Valentine, is selling the kids steroids. SO, Josh and Jaden camp out and wait for Rocky to arrive at the hospital that Jaden's Dad works at to pick up steroids. Then comes my favorite part, when the suspense is at the maximum. Jaden gets a picture of Rocky picking up the steroids, and then they sprint. Rocky sprints after the kids but can't catch them. The story ends with Rocky being fired and Josh's dad taking over.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Baseball Great," the first book in the series with the same by Tim Green is a very relevant book for wannabe professional athletes who must know you don't do WHATEVER it takes to be great at your game.

Josh has what it takes to be in the Major Leagues someday, at least that's what everybody around him thinks, especially his dad, who spent many years in the Minors until he was cut, dashing his dreams of ever playing for a Major League team.

Channeling his hopes and frustrations on to his son, Josh's dad works for Rocky, a coach who runs an elite and competitive team of the best of the best. Josh makes it to this team and although he is only 12, proves he can be one of the guys. Or is there a price to pay to be truly accepted?

There are many topics parents can have with their budding star athletes from this book. I suggest parents read it with or at the same time and go over the heavier topics of peer pressure, steroids and standing your ground, especially when the stakes may seem very high.

Overall, a great lesson to be had in reading about Josh's first experience in this series.