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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
My 6 year old son loves baseball and is just beginning to learn about the awesomeness of the library catalog - that you can search for a topic of interest and find books to take home on that topic - what power! So he asked me to search for a book on "minor league baseball", as he loves our local minor league team. Ding, ding! The story of how we found Free Baseball, an enjoyable middle grades book about an 11 year old boy trying to find his place in the world and deciding that the best place possible is being warmly and enthusiastically accepted into the close-knit family of a quirky minor league baseball team.
We nearly gave up on the book a few chapters in because my son found it so distressingly scary that Felix would actually run away from home, and not only run away, but dangerously stow away in the luggage compartment of a tour bus. I had to skip to the end and read him a couple of pages of the last chapter to assure him that Felix ends up safe and that his mother is reunited with him...I'm grateful that not only was my son afraid for Felix, he was equally as distressed about how much poor Felix's mother would be worried!
What my 6 year old son enjoyed: Homer the dog, the baseball scenes, the Spanish phrases, He learned a lot about refugees from Cuba and how lucky he is to have parents who have time to spend with him. I had every expectation that it would turn out that
It was enjoyable as a read-aloud, although the chapters are long for a middle grades book. As a parent, I found it really hard to suspend disbelief that a loving mother would just allow her child to say he stayed with a friend and not go looking for him after he went missing. But as a reader, suspending disbelief, the rest of the story was entertaining, and I can see a baseball loving boy or girl really enjoying it.
We nearly gave up on the book a few chapters in because my son found it so distressingly scary that Felix would actually run away from home, and not only run away, but dangerously stow away in the luggage compartment of a tour bus. I had to skip to the end and read him a couple of pages of the last chapter to assure him that Felix ends up safe and that his mother is reunited with him...I'm grateful that not only was my son afraid for Felix, he was equally as distressed about how much poor Felix's mother would be worried!
What my 6 year old son enjoyed: Homer the dog, the baseball scenes, the Spanish phrases,
Spoiler
the very happy ending in which Felix gets to spend more time with his mother and gets to stay the batboy.Spoiler
Felix's father was dead, and so I was surprised to find out that (in some ways) the story was even more tragic, that he simply chose to lose touch with his son over the years, and my son had a really hard time with understanding that. But it expanded his idea of what families can be like, which is okay.It was enjoyable as a read-aloud, although the chapters are long for a middle grades book. As a parent, I found it really hard to suspend disbelief that a loving mother would just allow her child to say he stayed with a friend and not go looking for him after he went missing. But as a reader, suspending disbelief, the rest of the story was entertaining, and I can see a baseball loving boy or girl really enjoying it.
A moving story with the ending you hope for . . .
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I picked this one up because I liked her book 'Last Newspaper Boy' so much. This one was okay, but not as witty as the other book. Would be great for a boy that loved baseball.
Lu and I read this for school. I loved the Social Studies lesson the book encompasses, while painting a picture of refugees and the dangers they face too. Plus the story was fun.
Felix Piloto dreams of playing baseball like his father, a famous Cuban player who he has never met. Felix's mother works long hours to try to make a better life for Felix, but he feels neglected and misunderstood.
While attending a local game with his dreaded babysitter, Felix makes a decision that just might change his life forever. When he slips away from the babysitter and is mistaken for the visiting team's new batboy, he feels like he is part of the team. His mother won't miss him , right? So he stows away in the luggage hold and makes a journey to the team's clubhouse.
The team starts winning and quickly begin to think of Felix as their good luck charm. What will happen when Felix tells the truth--and finds out the truth about his father?
A glossary of baseball terms and Spanish words will help with some terms that may be unfamiliar.
While attending a local game with his dreaded babysitter, Felix makes a decision that just might change his life forever. When he slips away from the babysitter and is mistaken for the visiting team's new batboy, he feels like he is part of the team. His mother won't miss him , right? So he stows away in the luggage hold and makes a journey to the team's clubhouse.
The team starts winning and quickly begin to think of Felix as their good luck charm. What will happen when Felix tells the truth--and finds out the truth about his father?
A glossary of baseball terms and Spanish words will help with some terms that may be unfamiliar.
Ehhhhh...one of these days, someone's going to write a sports book that I like/care about. But today's not that day (or, I guess whatever day this was published back in 2008 wasn't the day) and this isn't that book.
I honestly cared more about the story Felix's mom finally told him than any other part of the plot. I had a hard time buying that a kid could just sneak away to become a bat boy for a somewhat professional team (no, that wasn't a spoiler, it says it right on the book's jacket); also, the ending might as well have had a giant glittery bow on it. That's not how real life works. I know we read books to escape real life, but that picture perfect ending did not flow with this story. Some elements of it would have been acceptable, but the move, the house, the new job, the new boyfriend...all of that together was too much .
I honestly cared more about the story Felix's mom finally told him than any other part of the plot. I had a hard time buying that a kid could just sneak away to become a bat boy for a somewhat professional team (no, that wasn't a spoiler, it says it right on the book's jacket); also, the ending