Heat by mike Lupica

Heat by Mike Lupica
Sports Teen Novel
ISBN: 0-399-24301-1
220 pp.
Suitable for 12+

Readers Annotation: As superstar little league pitcher Michael Arroyo leads his team to the finals, the suspicions and obstacles pile up against him.

Plot Summary: Michael Arroyo's loves baseball and his hometown Yankees. He lives only with his 17 year old brother Carlos. His dream is to pitch his team to the little league world series and he has serious talent to do it. However, he is so good that suspicions arise that he has to be above the age limit of 12. Suddenly Michael is suspended until he proves his age. He has no way to prove it. He lives only with his 17 year old brother Carlos. Both his father and mother have died and his birth certificate is in his native land of Cuba. As if things can't get any worse, obstacles such as social services, who, if they find out, will tear him and his brother apart. On top of that, Carlos can barely pay rent and his team is playing the most meaningful games without him. Will baseball return the favor and love Michael back?

Critical Evaluation: This feel-good story is narrated in third-person with quite too many obvious explanations behind each character's motives. It doesn't allow the reader to think as the author is doing all the thinking for us. It can also be quite corny at times. Its definitely geared towards young teens, possibly tweens as there isn't even a sniff of sex. Michael's character is well-developed as the reader gets an idea of what's going on inside his head. His talkative smart-aleck best friend Manny is annoying at best. All the others are not well-developed, especially his crush, Ellie, who seems like a ghost throughout the story. Surprisingly, the plot has many interesting moments and its best moments are usually away from the game of baseball. Michael faces some serious issues and these issues seem realistic. The pacing is consistent and natural during these times. However, once baseball enters the picture, it seems like a commentator is narrating, which can become tedious at times. Dialogue is not this book's strong suit; it relies heavily on action and narration, which is perfect for any sport reading enthusiast.

Author: Mike Lupica was born in 1952 in New York state. His emphasis is sports and he is best known for his provactive sports stories for the New York Daily News. However, his has co-written a few sports biographies, including Bill Parcels and Reggie Jackson. He has also written a book on the great 1998 baseball home run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

Lately, Lupica has crossed over to young readers. He wrote the number one best selling Travel Team in 2004 and Heat in 2005. He is also a regular on ESPN's The Sports Reporters. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and their four children.

Booktalking Ideas:
1) Illegal immigration
2) Cheating
3) Competition

Challenge Issues: There are no major challenge issues in this book.

Why Included: My favorite sport by far is baseball so it only made sense that I would read a book revolving around baseball. I was a bit disapointed, however, that the baseball moments seemed corny, unnatural at times, and slowed the story down.