Center Field by Robert Lipsyte

Center Field by Robert Lipsyte
Young Adult Sports Mystery
ISBN: 978-0-06-055704-1
280 pp.
Suitable for 13+

Readers Annotation: Mike, the senior stud center fielder on his high school baseball team, faces new challenges and must make tough decisions he's never made that will affect his family, friends, teachers, and ultimately himself.

Plot Summary: Mike is the star-studded center fielder on his high school baseball team. He has many friends, an attractive girlfriend and the envy of his peers. But when Oscar, a center fielder that joins the team that is even better then him, Mike's loses his confidence, starts questioning himself, and faces new challenges. He pushes a geek, Zack, who has hidden motives of taking down the mysterious Coach Cody, whom he distrusts. Zack Zack threatens to sue and because of this Mike may be suspended by his mysterious coach with his own agenda which is, Oscar, the new center fielder, needing a residency to become legal. This gets Mike's parents involved. On top of everything his relationship with his girlfriend is worsening, he was just made captain of the baseball team by snitching on Zack, and Mike even has a fling on the side while meeting his hero, Yankee star Billy Budd. All these events are connected and Mike must make decisions that will shape the rest of his high school career.

Critical Evaluation: The book is almost written as a mystery, but with clever traits that teens can relate to such as high school life and baseball. It cleverly switches between first and third person point of views so the reader can get a feel for the main protagonist, Mike, while also taking in the chain reaction of events and trying to solve the mystery themselves. Mike is developed really well as a dumb jock who sees beyond the baseball field and thinking outside his sheltered baseball life. However, all the other characters come and go as some steal a chapter then disappear. Cody is a classic bad guy with a mysterious twist but Kat, Mike's new love interest unfortunately disappears near the end so the reader doesn't see her character develop. Instead, it turns into a surprise friendship with Zack, who steals the show near the end. Meanwhile, Mike is the glue that keeps everything together. What keeps the reader from getting up and leaving is that each character has a hidden motive and its up to the reader to solve the puzzle and the attention to detail on the baseball field will please any baseball fan who is not even a fan of mysteries.

Author: Robert Lipsyte was born in 1938 and is an award-winning sportswriter and novelist. He has written for the New York Times and USA Today. He is also the author of many acclaimed books, including The Contender and Raiders Night. His big achievement is being the recipient of the margaret A. Edwards Award honoring the whole of his contribution to literature for young readers.

Lipsyte is also known for transforming the sports novel to authentic literature. He has two children and currently lives in New York. He can be visited at www.robertlipsyte.com.

Booktalking Ideas:
1) Baseball
2) High school politics
3) Illegal immigration
4) False identity
5) Mystery

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

Why Included: I enjoy baseball and mysteries; this book contained both and one of the most recommended books for young adults.