The Big Field

February 25, 2008
Lupica's (Travel Team
) formula for success seems to be this: take a kid with big athletic talent and even bigger heart, mix in some conflict at home, add a lot of play-by-play action and end with a nail-biter game where the underdog prevails. Even so, Lupica does not fail to entertain. His latest protagonist, Hutch, is a gifted 14-year-old baseball player, devoted to his sport and even more to his team. His recent demotion from shortstop to second base, however, strains his relationship with his cocky, showstopper replacement, Darryl. Hutch also simmers with bottled-up resentment toward his former-baseball-star dad, yet he desperately seeks his father's approval, illustrating once again that what makes Lupica so good is that he not only knows sports, but he also understands how kids think. Hutch's raw passion for baseball—“the feeling that you wouldn't want to be anyplace else in the world”—and his integrity, not to mention Lupica's swift pacing, will have even reluctant readers following eagerly, hoping that Hutch pulls off another victory. Ages 10-up.

February 1, 2008
Gr 5-8-Lupica offers another heartwarming, action-packed, sports-savvy novel. Keith Hutchinson, 14, plays in the American Legion 17-and-under league with the Boynton Beach Cardinals. His dream includes taking his team to the Florida state finals and sharing his passion with his father, a local shortstop legend whose failed major league career has left him aloof, despondent, and incommunicative. After losing his beloved shortstop position to cocky, talented newcomer Darryl Williams, Hutch becomes a standout at second base and is elected team captain. However, when he finds his father working out with Darryl, jealousy and anger threaten to derail Hutch's dream, team, and family. On and off the field, the teen gains insights from his best friend and teammate, Cody; from his sympathetic and supportive Puerto Rican mother; and from fatherless, fierce competitor, Darryl. Vivid descriptions of pivotal innings and plays, snappy dialogue, and realistic conflicts propel the characters and the story toward the state finals and a father-son breakthrough. Baseball fans will revel in Lupica's exciting sports commentary and Hutch's competitive spirit and emotional highs and lows."Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2007
Sports journalist Lupica scores again with a baseball tale in the classic tradition. As his American Legion team works its way to the 17-and-under league Florida State championship series, team captain Hutch finds himself both locking horns with an arrogant, immensely talented new teammate and fuming at his father's long-standing emotional distance. Writing in typically fluid prose and laying in a strong supporting lineup, Lupicastrikes the rightbalance between personal issues and game action. By the end, father and son have both taken steps toward each other; the team has endured a set of exciting, hard-fought play-off contests; andbecause Hutch is an uncommonly canny, conscientious student of the game, readers can?t help but come away more knowledgeable about baseball's strategy and spirit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2008
Hutch wants the ball--every time. However, he's no longer playing shortstop; superstar Darryl won that spot. Hutch must settle for second on the field and also with his father, a former player who doesn't communicate. Lupica clearly conveys his main character's situation; readers will care about the protagonist and his struggles. Frequent allusions to current professional baseball players may date the book.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)