Beanball

Publishers Weekly

Poet and baseball enthusiast Fehler should attract a crowd with his first YA novel, related by 28 narrators in free-verse monologues. When high school star athlete Luke "Wizard" Wallace gets hit in the head by a wild pitch, he falls into a three-day coma, from which he emerges blind in one eye. The author raises the stakes for the other characters, sometimes a little too much: the rival team's pitcher hangs up his uniform (even though he's being scouted by the major leagues), infuriating his unrepentant coach (who ends up blaming Luke: "If he'd just gotten out of the way..../ he ruined our whole damn season"). Luke's selfish semi-girlfriend visits him only once ("When I saw his face.../ I thought I'd barf right there"). What makes this brief novel believable and rewarding are Fehler's clear grasp of the dedicated athlete's mind and his ability to imagine what it feels like to be suddenly and seemingly permanently sidelined. Fehler does an excellent job in pacing his shifts of perspective, and the central story, of Luke's friendships and eventual recovery, comes through with drama and clarity. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)

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Children's Literature

AGERANGE: Ages 12 up.

Luke "Wizard" Wallace is a personable high school senior gifted in multiple sports. It is baseball season and Luke's school team is competing for the conference championship. Playing their rivals from Compton High School, Luke and his teammates find themselves in a last inning rally situation. At a critical moment in the game, young Luke steps to the plate with victory or defeat resting on his shoulders. The powerhouse Compton pitcher fires a blazing fastball only to have to come up and into Luke's face. The horrific injury that results shapes not only the outcome of the game but also the feelings of all the people who observe Luke's injury. Beanball presents these events, and their aftershocks, in a slim, free verse mode. Using a minimalist style, Fehler swiftly moves from person to person involved in Luke's injury and thereby chronicles the panoply of emotions that a traumatic event can generate. However, while this approach does yield a fast-paced narrative, it also contributes to the book's critical flaw. The swiftness of movement from character to character does not allow for any deep development to occur. One is left with a haze of feelings but no real understanding of the characters evoking them. This result leaves the reader unfulfilled as not enough is known about even the primary characters to really feel much about them. Beanball is a reasonable effort, but it is a novel that skims the surface rather than truly connects readers with the themes at hand. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck

KLIATT - KLIATT Review

In this moving baseball novel in free verse, Luke "Wizard" Wallace, a gifted high school center fielder, gets beaned by a pitch--beaned hard enough to crack his skull and cause the loss of vision in one eye. We learn about this life-changing event from different points of view: not just Luke's, but also his distraught parents, his wise coach, his shallow girlfriend, the kind girl who has a crush on him, his good friends, and the pitcher who beaned him, among others. As in Mel Glenn's novels in poetry, this multifaceted approach successfully conveys the various reactions to Luke's accident, from fear, guilt and anger to a renewed dedication to the team. This swift read will appeal to both reluctant readers and baseball players. As Luke works through what, and who, is really important in his life, his experience might help them imagine how they might cope under similar circumstances. Age Range: Ages 12 to 18. REVIEWER: Paula Rohrlick (Vol. 42, No. 1)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9- A high school athlete is seriously injured by a wild pitch, and he, his family and friends, teachers, coaches, and eyewitnesses share their reactions and feelings about the incident in free-verse monologues. Luke "Wizard" Wallace is a determined, talented player, and a leader on the field and off. Then, in a game versus their archrivals, he leans into a fastball thrown by Kyle Dawkins and is hit by a pitch that leaves him blind in one eye. This plot-driven, brief novel is a page-turner, though its protagonist and supporting characters are one-dimensional. Most are defined chiefly by their relation to Luke: the sympathetic coach; the "win at all costs" coach; his loyal friends and family. Fehler's straightforward story may appeal to die-hard sports fans, but Scott Johnson's Safe at Second (Philomel, 1999) and Carl Deuker's High Heat (Houghton, 2003), two novels that also deal with sports accidents and their aftermath, offer both compelling story lines and memorable characters.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

Kirkus Reviews

Luke "Wizard" Wallace is a high-school athlete, more than proficient in several sports. It's baseball, though, where he really shines, as a centerfielder who can make impossible catches and as a hitter who comes through in the clutch. In one horrific moment everything changes. He's hit in the face with a pitch and his eye is severely damaged. Fehler employs the voices of Luke, his family, teammates, opposing team members, coaches, friends and more to tell the story of the injury and its aftermath. Told in brief punches of free verse, each view differs in perspective and is influenced by the personality of the narrator. The opposing coach makes excuses for instructing his pitcher to brush Luke back, in spite of many wild pitches. The pitcher who threw the ball is riddled with guilt. Many staunch friends remain and new ones are discovered. The reader gets a clear picture of who these people are and how they perceive Luke. Although some of the characterizations are a bit stereotyped, each voice maintains its individuality, with all the voices combining seamlessly to tell a powerful story. In his debut novel, Fehler succeeds at every level. (Fiction. YA)

From the Publisher

The story is well paced, quite satisfying, and will appeal to the reluctant reader.
VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

In his debut novel, Fehler succeeds at every level.
Kirkus Reviews

Poet and baseball enthusiast Fehler should attract a crowd with his first YA novel, narrated by 28 narrators in free-verse monlogues. . . . Fehler does an excellent job in pacing his shifts of perspective, and the central story, of Luke's friendships and eventual recovery, comes through with drama and clarity.
Publishers Weekly

The short, terse narrative will attract reluctant readers, and Luke's nightmarish ordeal will keep them turning the pages.
Booklist, ALA