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Baseball Great #3
Best of the Best
Josh is still flying high from his team's tournament win at Cooperstown when his parents start talking about a divorce. Now his dad is challenging him to play the best of the best at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. But does he just want to get Josh out of the way? Two things are sure: His father's new girlfriend, Diane, is looking to change things, and Josh is determined to get her and her terrible son out of his life.
With the help of Benji and Jaden, Josh races to get the facts that can keep his family together—but it's ever harder to concentrate on the game and make the winning plays that will lead his team to victory.
In his compelling style, Tim Green delivers great sports action and more—a fast-paced adventure about friendship, the power of becoming a team, and finding a way to get what you need when you can't have what you want.
With the help of Benji and Jaden, Josh races to get the facts that can keep his family together—but it's ever harder to concentrate on the game and make the winning plays that will lead his team to victory.
In his compelling style, Tim Green delivers great sports action and more—a fast-paced adventure about friendship, the power of becoming a team, and finding a way to get what you need when you can't have what you want.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published March 2, 2011
126 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
About the author
Tim Green
92 books732 followersTim 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
April 3, 2017
The book Best of The Best by Tim Green and it is realistic fiction, it was published in 2011. I would rate this book as a great book because the main character gets into many fights with a kid named Keyel about who is better at baseball. The main character is Josh and he is active because he loves playing baseball. The main conflict is when Josh fights with Keyel and they hate each other. The setting takes place at school, baseball field, home and present time. The main plot line is Josh plays baseball and fights with Keyel. One text evidence Josh has problems with Keyel and fight with Keyle about baseball. This book was not confusing because there was one main character and it only talking about him. I would recommend to 8 graders because it has hard words that's why i would recommend this to 8 graders.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 13, 2016I recommend this book because i think it connects to the audience that does not have that much interest in baseball.
November 24, 2021
Josh is a star baseball player, and he is excited when he gets the chance to play with the best of the best on the Little League all-star team. However, his parents are in a divorce and her is having a hard time. Will he and his team make it to the World Series?
March 4, 2020
dont give up
April 26, 2019
The theme of this book is never give up, the main character it this book named Josh, Josh never gives up by always trying his best even when he loses and when they are in the regional finals he never gives up and plays his best game yet.
May 8, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this book, because it wasn't like a lot of books. It had action the whole book. If it wasn't him trying to stop his Dad from marrying this crazy girl, or playing baseball. This book was also very easy to understand because there wasn't lots of weird parts to it.
April 3, 2015
Josh is a 11 year old baseball star who's dreams were to make it to the MLB. He realizes that a baseball carrier doesn't mean anything in less you a family who supports him. This book shows the trouble that Josh goes through to figure out what he really wants.
What i think the theme of the book is family is more important than sports. I think that the author wanted me to see that sports are very important to some people but it doesn't matter who it is the still want there family to support them the whole way through their carrier. If you don't get that support it's hard to play the sport knowing that the only person supporting is you teammates because everyone need that little push to get them to play to the best of their abilities.
The character Josh reminds me of myself not only because we have the same name or play the same sports he reminds me of myself because at some point in my carriers I think that I'm only getting support from teammates. When I say this I'm not saying that I don't have support my parents give me a lot of support but sometimes you get a feeling that it's just friends. It also reminds me of my life because at one point I was asked to play on a travel team but I didn't because I wanted to play with my friends just like Josh did in the book.
Overall this is close to one of my favorite books. It was very action filled and I enjoyed the way the author left cliffhangers. I would recommend this book to Colton, Steve, and Jake. I recommend it to them because they enjoy reading about baseball and they also like a lot of action in a book.
What i think the theme of the book is family is more important than sports. I think that the author wanted me to see that sports are very important to some people but it doesn't matter who it is the still want there family to support them the whole way through their carrier. If you don't get that support it's hard to play the sport knowing that the only person supporting is you teammates because everyone need that little push to get them to play to the best of their abilities.
The character Josh reminds me of myself not only because we have the same name or play the same sports he reminds me of myself because at some point in my carriers I think that I'm only getting support from teammates. When I say this I'm not saying that I don't have support my parents give me a lot of support but sometimes you get a feeling that it's just friends. It also reminds me of my life because at one point I was asked to play on a travel team but I didn't because I wanted to play with my friends just like Josh did in the book.
Overall this is close to one of my favorite books. It was very action filled and I enjoyed the way the author left cliffhangers. I would recommend this book to Colton, Steve, and Jake. I recommend it to them because they enjoy reading about baseball and they also like a lot of action in a book.
October 28, 2010
Best of The Best is an inspiring sports book about an athlete battling family issues. In this book Josh LeBlanc is a great baseball player for his travel team, the Titans. His Dad is the coach of that team and they had just won a big tournament in Maryland. However, all is not well in the LeBlanc household. Josh's mother and father are contemplating divorce and it is taking a toll on Josh. Josh's father moves out of the house and Josh is trying to juggle his family, his team, and his friends at the same time. I really liked this book because it deals with relatable topics such as divorce. This book was really enjoyable for me because the book has many plot twists. TIm Green writes a very good narrative about an adolescent athlete coping with family problems. I would recommend this book to any sports fan because the sport's scenes are very good.
May 26, 2022
Best Of The Best by Tim Green
Report by Ava Meier
Best Of The Best is a sports book by Tim Green. This book is told from the perspective of Josh, a 13 year old boy. Josh lived with his two parents and little sister. He mowed lawns for money and played baseball as much as he could. He was a talented baseball player who could hit well and field the ball well. He was on a good traveling team where he got the opportunity of a lifetime. The chance to compete for a spot on the little league world series team. Josh’s parents argued and fought often, eventually they ended up separating and this weighed on Josh. His dad quickly found a new girlfriend. His dad’s girlfriend had a son named Zamboni who went on to play baseball with Josh. At first the boys didn’t get along but worked things out because they both didn’t like their parents being together. Josh and Zamboni both got the amazing opportunity to play for the same team at the little league world series. The day before the world series game Josh, Zamboni and Josh’s friend Jaden hid Jaden’s phone in Zamboni’s mom’s purse, so they could listen to her. Zamboni’s mom was acting suspicious and around the boys and they all wanted to know why. Jaden and Josh followed Zamboni’s mom for a while. Later they snuck into Zamboni's dad's hotel room and read an important piece of paper that had information about Josh’s dad on it. The paper they discovered explained how Zamboni’s mom was trying to steal money from Josh’s dad. Josh’s dad’s girlfriend really just wanted his money and she had her ex Zamboni’s dad helping her with the scam. On the way out of Zamboni’s dad’s room they get caught. They started running, then hid. All of the sudden while hiding Josh was picked up by the shirt by Zamboni's dad. Then out of nowhere bam, Josh’s dad appears and punches Zamboni's dad in the face. Josh was told to run. Josh’s dad learned there was something bad going on from the kids and his own suspicions.The next day the two boys play in the little league world series together and end up winning it. In the end Josh goes home, knowing life will never be the same.
In my opinion the book is fast paced, and engaging. The writer Tim Green uses relatable material making it more life-like. The author does get the reader sidetracked a few times. For example, at the beginning Josh and Zamboni didn’t like each other but ended up being friends and working together to discover the truth about Zamboni’s mom and the relationship between Josh’s dad and her. Based on the original material the author gave I thought the boys would be competing against each other for a spot on the world series team and trying to outdo each other.The author Tim was very descriptive in his writing making it appear in my mind. A few examples of the excellent detail he wrote that helped me imagine it is “Aiming for the jaw, he threw his trademark punch but Josh’s father smacked it away” “He took his other hand and twisted Right’s wrist so hard there was a popping sound”. “Right cried out in pain, dropping to his knees”(pg.249). How the author worded this, it doesn't sound fake, it seems real. The author is descriptive and includes details like the “popping sound” he tells how they fought and describes their actions. He does the same thing when describing baseball in the story. He uses good detail and he notes the sights and sounds. I think this helps the story flow well. The story is dramatic, yet simple enough to follow along without getting confused. There are a few situations when the outcome starts to look like it was in sight and could almost be pictured but then the writer ends up taking a turn for the worse. This could be confusing for some people, as to why he would lead on with ideas then switch the perceived ending.
One thing I would have changed was how the author described the broken relationship between Josh’s parents. I definitely think there was a less dramatic way to write about the separation of the parents and get the same effects that Josh is feeling without that part of the story being so depressing. Overall I liked how the baseball part of the book went, and how it was written. This book was one of my most relatable books I've ever read. I can really relate to this book because my parents are divorced, I have felt the same emotions Josh has in the book. I also can relate to Josh’s feelings when I walk onto the field. Josh describes feeling like he belongs with the others there. I feel the same way, on the field I blend in, I don’t stick out due to my family differences. Similar to Josh in the story when I walk on the field, I feel the rush,thrill and excitement for the game too. I love playing softball. It may not be the exact same as baseball but is close. The ending of the story does leave you on a kind of cliffhanger. I wondered if Josh’s parents got back together or what Zamboni said to his parents about their actions? Will they get in trouble? Do the boys stay friends? Those are the questions that come to my mind. I would recommend this book to baseball fans and sports fans. The author talks a lot about baseball, so the reader should be interested in the sport of baseball or they probably won't understand or like this book. Baseball is a common sport and fun to watch so I naturally loved reading about it.
Report by Ava Meier
Best Of The Best is a sports book by Tim Green. This book is told from the perspective of Josh, a 13 year old boy. Josh lived with his two parents and little sister. He mowed lawns for money and played baseball as much as he could. He was a talented baseball player who could hit well and field the ball well. He was on a good traveling team where he got the opportunity of a lifetime. The chance to compete for a spot on the little league world series team. Josh’s parents argued and fought often, eventually they ended up separating and this weighed on Josh. His dad quickly found a new girlfriend. His dad’s girlfriend had a son named Zamboni who went on to play baseball with Josh. At first the boys didn’t get along but worked things out because they both didn’t like their parents being together. Josh and Zamboni both got the amazing opportunity to play for the same team at the little league world series. The day before the world series game Josh, Zamboni and Josh’s friend Jaden hid Jaden’s phone in Zamboni’s mom’s purse, so they could listen to her. Zamboni’s mom was acting suspicious and around the boys and they all wanted to know why. Jaden and Josh followed Zamboni’s mom for a while. Later they snuck into Zamboni's dad's hotel room and read an important piece of paper that had information about Josh’s dad on it. The paper they discovered explained how Zamboni’s mom was trying to steal money from Josh’s dad. Josh’s dad’s girlfriend really just wanted his money and she had her ex Zamboni’s dad helping her with the scam. On the way out of Zamboni’s dad’s room they get caught. They started running, then hid. All of the sudden while hiding Josh was picked up by the shirt by Zamboni's dad. Then out of nowhere bam, Josh’s dad appears and punches Zamboni's dad in the face. Josh was told to run. Josh’s dad learned there was something bad going on from the kids and his own suspicions.The next day the two boys play in the little league world series together and end up winning it. In the end Josh goes home, knowing life will never be the same.
In my opinion the book is fast paced, and engaging. The writer Tim Green uses relatable material making it more life-like. The author does get the reader sidetracked a few times. For example, at the beginning Josh and Zamboni didn’t like each other but ended up being friends and working together to discover the truth about Zamboni’s mom and the relationship between Josh’s dad and her. Based on the original material the author gave I thought the boys would be competing against each other for a spot on the world series team and trying to outdo each other.The author Tim was very descriptive in his writing making it appear in my mind. A few examples of the excellent detail he wrote that helped me imagine it is “Aiming for the jaw, he threw his trademark punch but Josh’s father smacked it away” “He took his other hand and twisted Right’s wrist so hard there was a popping sound”. “Right cried out in pain, dropping to his knees”(pg.249). How the author worded this, it doesn't sound fake, it seems real. The author is descriptive and includes details like the “popping sound” he tells how they fought and describes their actions. He does the same thing when describing baseball in the story. He uses good detail and he notes the sights and sounds. I think this helps the story flow well. The story is dramatic, yet simple enough to follow along without getting confused. There are a few situations when the outcome starts to look like it was in sight and could almost be pictured but then the writer ends up taking a turn for the worse. This could be confusing for some people, as to why he would lead on with ideas then switch the perceived ending.
One thing I would have changed was how the author described the broken relationship between Josh’s parents. I definitely think there was a less dramatic way to write about the separation of the parents and get the same effects that Josh is feeling without that part of the story being so depressing. Overall I liked how the baseball part of the book went, and how it was written. This book was one of my most relatable books I've ever read. I can really relate to this book because my parents are divorced, I have felt the same emotions Josh has in the book. I also can relate to Josh’s feelings when I walk onto the field. Josh describes feeling like he belongs with the others there. I feel the same way, on the field I blend in, I don’t stick out due to my family differences. Similar to Josh in the story when I walk on the field, I feel the rush,thrill and excitement for the game too. I love playing softball. It may not be the exact same as baseball but is close. The ending of the story does leave you on a kind of cliffhanger. I wondered if Josh’s parents got back together or what Zamboni said to his parents about their actions? Will they get in trouble? Do the boys stay friends? Those are the questions that come to my mind. I would recommend this book to baseball fans and sports fans. The author talks a lot about baseball, so the reader should be interested in the sport of baseball or they probably won't understand or like this book. Baseball is a common sport and fun to watch so I naturally loved reading about it.
August 18, 2015
Not as much baseball, more about family problems... Still, great book.
September 12, 2016
Read this one with Caleb; he liked it more than me. Complicated plot, but characters were a bit flat.
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October 24, 2016I think this story is amazing and is cool.
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January 30, 2015It was good
December 11, 2018
Josh is a 11 year old baseball star who's dreams were to make it to the MLB. He realizes that a baseball carrier doesn't mean anything in less you a family who supports him. This book shows the trouble that Josh goes through to figure out what he really wants.
What i think the theme of the book is family is more important than sports. I think that the author wanted me to see that sports are very important to some people but it doesn't matter who it is the still want there family to support them the whole way through their carrier. If you don't get that support it's hard to play the sport knowing that the only person supporting is you teammates because everyone need that little push to get them to play to the best of their abilities.
The character Josh reminds me of myself not only because we play the same sports he reminds me of myself because at some point in my carriers I think that I'm only getting support from teammates. When I say this I'm not saying that I don't have support my parents give me a lot of support but sometimes you get a feeling that it's just friends. It also reminds me of my life because at one point I was asked to play on a travel team but I didn't because I wanted to play with my friends just like Josh did in the book.
Overall this is close to one of my favorite books. It was very action filled and I enjoyed the way the author left cliffhangers. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for encouragement or that likes sports. I recommend it to them because they enjoy reading about baseball and they also like a lot of action in a book.
What i think the theme of the book is family is more important than sports. I think that the author wanted me to see that sports are very important to some people but it doesn't matter who it is the still want there family to support them the whole way through their carrier. If you don't get that support it's hard to play the sport knowing that the only person supporting is you teammates because everyone need that little push to get them to play to the best of their abilities.
The character Josh reminds me of myself not only because we play the same sports he reminds me of myself because at some point in my carriers I think that I'm only getting support from teammates. When I say this I'm not saying that I don't have support my parents give me a lot of support but sometimes you get a feeling that it's just friends. It also reminds me of my life because at one point I was asked to play on a travel team but I didn't because I wanted to play with my friends just like Josh did in the book.
Overall this is close to one of my favorite books. It was very action filled and I enjoyed the way the author left cliffhangers. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for encouragement or that likes sports. I recommend it to them because they enjoy reading about baseball and they also like a lot of action in a book.
November 25, 2020
This book was great. Thr\ere were some parts that were a little unrealistic like whenever Josh steps up to the plate he always hits a home run; as if he never gets a bad pitch or simply just strikes out. Josh’s home life is a little scrambled as his dad and his mom are going through a divorse. This book’s demographic is from ages 8-12 years old. I think, for kids that young, reading about a dad cheating and being kicked out of the house is hard to grasp in their minds.However, the book had great character structure and development. The emotion of this book is phenomenal showing the emotional part of a family crisis, while at the same time the big tension of playing important games and being the best Josh can be. The suspense in the book was good; it made me want to read the next page. The parts where the games were happening were great. They were in such detail I could practically visualize what was happening. The characters, story line, action, dialog, and just everything was great in this book. However the ending was bad. Tim Green set up the whole book of Josh getting better and better. The team was so close to getting to the World Series, but all of the sudden it stopped. I know I said it was unrealistic for Josh to be playing as good as he was, but Green could have made them win. However that is how it goes in sports in real life so I guess it’s okay. Overall This book was very good and a great book to inspire young athletes or even anyone who likes sports to read.
March 8, 2018
Best of the the Best is a realistic fiction book by Tim Green. It is about a boy named Josh who gets to be on a travel team and takes them to the Williamsport World Series, the best little league tournament you can get into. The main characters are Josh and Benji who are good friends and play baseball together. Josh is the best player on almost every team and is able to read a pitch when a pitcher throws it. Benji is very talkative and loves to eat. The setting is where all the qualifying tournaments are and Williamsport. The book is meant to take place around present day, and most tournaments are in New York and New Jersey. First we learn about Josh and Benji and their team, then we learn about a divorce between Josh’s parents. After this Josh’s father likes a lady named Diane and she gave his Nike Contract to her ex husband who is using it to get out of debt, without her knowing, Josh finds out and tries to tell his dad who doesn't listen. Finally his dad helps him steal back the contract and Josh makes it to the tournament. One conflict in the story is between Josh and Marcus, who is Diane’s son. They get into a fight and this is man vs. man. My favorite parts of the the book were pages 73-77, pages 243-246, and pages 247-249. One reason I would recommend this book is that it has a lot of action, baseball is going on almost the whole time, and I really like this author.
April 4, 2019
While this book might be set at the middle school reading level, there are many issues that occur that are applicable to almost all ages.
This book is a story about how a twelve year old named Josh tries to manage his up and coming baseball career while simultaneously trying to steer the sinking ship that is his family life. Josh has just come off of his biggest win thus far and is on top of the world, when it all comes crashing down when his parents seperate for questionable reasons. While the family was looking for a new house, their realtor seemed to only have her sights set on Josh’s father. This becomes a monumental issue leaving Josh in the crossfire.
To make matters worse his “evil stepmom to be” has ulterior motives when persuading Josh to join an all star team with her son. While on the outside this story seems like a surface level sports book meant to appease the minds of adolescent males, it speaks on serious family issues that are extremely relatable to many. It focuses on the struggle of Josh allowing his personal life to effect his athletic life. This message could apply to anyone of any age where it be school or a job being put on the back burner for issues at home.
The story wraps up showing how family is more important than everything. While Josh’s dad might have put him second for awhile, he saw the light and defended Josh when it mattered most.
This book is a story about how a twelve year old named Josh tries to manage his up and coming baseball career while simultaneously trying to steer the sinking ship that is his family life. Josh has just come off of his biggest win thus far and is on top of the world, when it all comes crashing down when his parents seperate for questionable reasons. While the family was looking for a new house, their realtor seemed to only have her sights set on Josh’s father. This becomes a monumental issue leaving Josh in the crossfire.
To make matters worse his “evil stepmom to be” has ulterior motives when persuading Josh to join an all star team with her son. While on the outside this story seems like a surface level sports book meant to appease the minds of adolescent males, it speaks on serious family issues that are extremely relatable to many. It focuses on the struggle of Josh allowing his personal life to effect his athletic life. This message could apply to anyone of any age where it be school or a job being put on the back burner for issues at home.
The story wraps up showing how family is more important than everything. While Josh’s dad might have put him second for awhile, he saw the light and defended Josh when it mattered most.
May 9, 2019
This book that I’m reading is called The Best Of The Best.The author is Tim Green.Tim Green was an All American Defensive lineman at Syracuse University.He is known as a Renaissance Man.A kid trying to make it to the MLB.
Josh only has one friend at school and it’s a girl.Josh is amazed when all his really hard practices pay off in a really big way and his team to.Josh’s team,The Titans,make it to a national tournament in Cooperstown,home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.More is on the line for Josh than just a trophy.Winning would mean everything to his dad.Josh is doing really good from his team’s tournament win at Cooperstown until his parents start talking about divorce. Then his dad keeps pushing and pushing and pushing him to play the best of the best at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Best Of The Best is one of the best books I have ever read.It was a tiny bit confusing at some parts but it was really good to.The best part or favorite part of the book from my opinion is when Josh’s dad kept helping Josh to keep getting better to make it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport,Pennsylvania.The ending of the book was pretty good.Tim Green explains what’s going on in the book and tries to make the book as interesting as he can.
Josh only has one friend at school and it’s a girl.Josh is amazed when all his really hard practices pay off in a really big way and his team to.Josh’s team,The Titans,make it to a national tournament in Cooperstown,home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.More is on the line for Josh than just a trophy.Winning would mean everything to his dad.Josh is doing really good from his team’s tournament win at Cooperstown until his parents start talking about divorce. Then his dad keeps pushing and pushing and pushing him to play the best of the best at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Best Of The Best is one of the best books I have ever read.It was a tiny bit confusing at some parts but it was really good to.The best part or favorite part of the book from my opinion is when Josh’s dad kept helping Josh to keep getting better to make it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport,Pennsylvania.The ending of the book was pretty good.Tim Green explains what’s going on in the book and tries to make the book as interesting as he can.
October 9, 2018
The Ball Game is about a twelve year-old named Josh Henderson who is dealing with the disappointment and pain when his family starts to fall apart. Josh has talent but he also works hard, listens respectfully to his coaches, and works with his team. That is what makes him capable of being an all star on and off the field. He has supportive friends including a smart, loyal girl who's name is Jayden Martinez. Josh's best friend Benji Plays on the same baseball team as josh so he knows all about him and his troubles and he helps him through them. This book brushes up against some intense issues, from divorce to blackmail, but it's mostly about dedication, friendship, loyalty, and just what makes a team work. This is a great book to read if you really like wondering what's going to happen next in other words it's always on a cliffhanger weather it's through baseball, school, or josh's family life.
March 14, 2017
Best of the Best by: Tim Green
No matter how many obstacle you face, you can always make it out on top.
Characters: Some characters in this book. The main character is named Josh. He is a young boy trying to get his little league team to Williamsport to win the Little League World Series. Another character is Benji. He is on Josh's team and his friend. Another character is Jaden. She is Josh's best friend and helps him through tough times. Josh's dad was a very controlling father and divorce Josh's mother for a lady named Diane. Diane was a rich women who didn't care about anyone but herself.
Plot- In the beginning Josh was a normal kid that loved baseball. Everyone was getting along and everyone was happy. Until one day Josh's father was caught cheating on his wife with a lady named Diane. She was a rich women who was very controlling. When Josh's mother found out she divorced Josh's dad. Josh didn't like Diane one bit. When baseball season came around Josh was playing outstanding. He was there best player one the team. They won there region tournament and made it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport. While in Williamsport Joshs teammate started bullying him. His name was Jim. He hit him with a ball in batting practice and punched him in the face. They keep winning even though there were many problems with Josh. Jaden and Benji started helping Josh with his personal problems. He worked something out with his Dad and Jim. They made it to the last game in the Little League World Series. With two outs left Josh was up to bat. Did he get a hit or did he strikeout?
Recommendation- I recommend this book to kids who are having personal problems in their life. You saw a kid who had to face a lot of adversity in his life. I also recommend this book to people who like baseball. There was a lot of baseball terminology in this book. Lastly the age limit I would recommend is from 10-14 years old.
No matter how many obstacle you face, you can always make it out on top.
Characters: Some characters in this book. The main character is named Josh. He is a young boy trying to get his little league team to Williamsport to win the Little League World Series. Another character is Benji. He is on Josh's team and his friend. Another character is Jaden. She is Josh's best friend and helps him through tough times. Josh's dad was a very controlling father and divorce Josh's mother for a lady named Diane. Diane was a rich women who didn't care about anyone but herself.
Plot- In the beginning Josh was a normal kid that loved baseball. Everyone was getting along and everyone was happy. Until one day Josh's father was caught cheating on his wife with a lady named Diane. She was a rich women who was very controlling. When Josh's mother found out she divorced Josh's dad. Josh didn't like Diane one bit. When baseball season came around Josh was playing outstanding. He was there best player one the team. They won there region tournament and made it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport. While in Williamsport Joshs teammate started bullying him. His name was Jim. He hit him with a ball in batting practice and punched him in the face. They keep winning even though there were many problems with Josh. Jaden and Benji started helping Josh with his personal problems. He worked something out with his Dad and Jim. They made it to the last game in the Little League World Series. With two outs left Josh was up to bat. Did he get a hit or did he strikeout?
Recommendation- I recommend this book to kids who are having personal problems in their life. You saw a kid who had to face a lot of adversity in his life. I also recommend this book to people who like baseball. There was a lot of baseball terminology in this book. Lastly the age limit I would recommend is from 10-14 years old.
March 10, 2023
Best of The Best is an inspiring sports book about an athlete battling family issues. In this book Josh is a great baseball player for his little league travel team. His Dad is the coach and they had just won a big tournament in Maryland. However, all is not well in the LeBlanc household. Josh's mother and father are contemplating divorce and it is taking a toll on Josh. Josh's father moves out of the house and Josh is trying to juggle his family, his team, and his friends at the same time. I really liked this book because it deals with relatable topics such as divorce. This book was really enjoyable for me because the book has many plot twists. TIm Green writes a very good narrative about an adolescent athlete coping with family problems. I would recommend this book to any sports fan because the sport's scenes are very good.
Read
October 7, 2021I really liked this book. I think it is one of the best books by one of the best author. The best part of the book is when Josh says that he isn't gonna go play without Benji. There was a girl that kept all the stats and said that Benji wouldn't be able to go on the all star team but then she did something with the stats and made it so he could. Josh and Benji were able to be on the same team. I really like this part because you can see how close they are to each other and what they can do with each other. When they went to their last tournament Josh put a phone in his mom's bag to listen to what she was saying. I liked this part because Tim Green explained what was going on. I think that everyone should read this book if they like sports.
March 7, 2022
I really liked this book. I think it is one of the best books by one of the best author. The best part of the book is when Josh says that he isn't gonna go play without Benji. There was a girl that kept all the stats and said that Benji wouldn't be able to go on the all star team but then she did something with the stats and made it so he could. Josh and Benji were able to be on the same team. I really like this part because you can see how close they are to each other and what they can do with each other. When they went to their last tournament Josh put a phone in his mom's bag to listen to what she was saying. I liked this part because Tim Green explained what was going on. I think that everyone should read this book if they like sports.
February 27, 2019
How do I begin to tell you about one of the best books I have ever read. Every page brought me onto an astonishing and breathtaking adventure. The reasoning behind my explanation is because every sentence had such vivid detail it made me feel if I was right beside Josh the whole time. Another reason for why I was so fascinated is because it used every day situations in peoples lives and describes it with such detail. I highly recommend this for grade 7-10 because Josh is around that age and it'll be easy for kids to connect with him. After reading what was stated above, I hope you too will decide to read this novel.
October 26, 2017
A kid named Josh LeBlanc was a baseball phenom. But when his dad splits apart from his family he gets very sad. His dad still wanted him to play on a team that could make it to the Little League World Series. He makes the team and their run to the LLWS begins. A lot of action happens in that span of time as in, his dad gets a girlfriend that he doesn't like, he has a teammate that he also doesn't like, and attempts to ruin his dads relationship. While doing all this he finds out that his dads girlfriend isn't that bad. In the end everything that has happened he has learned a lesson to.
April 10, 2019
This book is a really good book. It wasn't that long of a book to read. I read it over a couple of days. I choose this book because i like to read sports books and it looked really interesting. I decided to give it a try and i am glad i did. I read the book at a fast pace because i was so anxious to find out what happened. My favorite character was Josh. He is an amazing baseball player and is the main reason his team wins all the tournaments they do. I would recommend this book to someone that likes to read baseball books or sports books. It is a really good book to read.
May 29, 2019
Best of the Best by Tim Green is about the aftermath of winning the huge tournament at Cooperstown. His parents start talking about Now his dad is challenging him to play the best of the best at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. But does he just want to get Josh out of the way? Two things are sure: His father’s new girlfriend, Diane, is looking to change things, and Josh is determined to get her and her terrible son out of his life. I really enjoyed this book as I do with all of Tim Greens’ books written in the timeline of this book and these characters.
February 12, 2017
A fourth grader asked me to read this since it's his favorite book. He checked with me daily to see how I liked it and even asked if I'd write up my thoughts for him. <3 Well, kiddo, it's good. Tim Green writes about sports, yes, but they're about more than "middle grade sports books" might lead you to think.
"Either you were the best of the best or you were nothing, and somehow that didn't seem right."
"Either you were the best of the best or you were nothing, and somehow that didn't seem right."
September 30, 2019
I really love this book because even though I don't play baseball I still love what the lesson of the book is. I love to read Tim Green's books because I love sports but I also love the things you can get out of them. This book was about how a kid named Josh who plays baseball in the little league world series.
His mom are splitting apart and has to play through the little league world series and his parents splitting apart. In the end he finds out a way for everything to work out pretty well.
His mom are splitting apart and has to play through the little league world series and his parents splitting apart. In the end he finds out a way for everything to work out pretty well.
March 26, 2025
really bad!!
I am saying a definite "no" to this book because it is all about how divorce is an inevitable part of life. The author even decided to put this stat in a kid's book: "50% of marriages end up in divorce." This book is even more about divorce than about baseball. The main character even says: "He would rather have his parents back together than play in the world series." Page 240
There are also undertones of a disreputable woman stealing the main character's father away from his mom. This women dresses sluttily. This woman lies and fudges the team stats to get a kid on the team because she liked his dad. Page 42 +79
I am saying a definite "no" to this book because it is all about how divorce is an inevitable part of life. The author even decided to put this stat in a kid's book: "50% of marriages end up in divorce." This book is even more about divorce than about baseball. The main character even says: "He would rather have his parents back together than play in the world series." Page 240
There are also undertones of a disreputable woman stealing the main character's father away from his mom. This women dresses sluttily. This woman lies and fudges the team stats to get a kid on the team because she liked his dad. Page 42 +79
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