Review by Booklist Review
The fourth episode in Green's Baseball Great series continues to throw tough challenges at young Josh, both on and off the playing field. Here the 13-year-old superstar really rides the emotional roller coaster as he continues to love his divorced, bitterly incompatible parents and also falls into a batting slump exacerbated by the demands of a harsh, possibly unscrupulous new coach. The baseball action is exciting, if not so intense as the domestic Sturm und Drang, and is capped by a rigged home-run contest that leads to a surprise happy ending. Sports play a strong enough role to put this solidly in that genre, but the domestic issues broaden its potential audience.--Peters, John Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
Only die-hard Green fans will slog their way through this installment. The characters' repetitive squabbling is tiresome, there's precious little baseball writing, and Green's attempts at humor revolve around overeating and immoderate braggadocio. Unresolved plot points, such as the mysterious military history of the protagonist's new coach, serve mostly as indications that Green isn't finished writing this series. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Josh struggles at home and at the plate in this fourth installment of the Baseball Great series. Buddy and loose cannon Benji is back with more crazy ideas and antics, while Jaden continues her quest for sports journalistic greatness. Josh's father's girlfriend, Diane, has faded into the background, and he suddenly wants to pursue his own coaching and recruiting career, dragging Josh with him to Florida from the Syracuse home Josh shares with his mother and baby sister. When his mother loses her job, Josh becomes fixated on a national Home Run Derby that is open to kids in fall ball who hit 20 home runs. The ball not only has to go over the fence, but land in a bathtub and stay there, with the prize a house built by the sponsors, Qwik-E-Builders. The kids' friendship becomes increasingly important as Josh's parents squabble over custody and child support, and each has his or her own challenge. Benji is dogged by his new coach to get in shape, Jaden wants to win a journalism contest, and Josh struggles with a hitting slump as well as the distance and hostility that separate his family. Any sports fiction fan who wants plenty of play-by-play will find it here, along with some coaching tips and an exploration of the influence of big business on kids' sports. Solid series fare. (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
