High Heat

Publishers Weekly

Narrator Shane Hunter is the "closer" for his high school baseball team-the treasured pitcher whose job is to take to the mound in the crucial final innings of a game. Baseball is Shane's world, his identity ("I focus on home plate, the catcher's glove, and the ball in my hand. When that's my whole world, I'm in control"). But the sophomore's world is shaken when his father, who owns a luxury car dealership, is arrested for money laundering while he is watching one of Shane's games. In a rapid spiral of events, Shane loses his father, his upscale home, his entire world. Suddenly poverty-stricken, he and his mother and sister move into a tiny run-down apartment, and the kids must attend public school for the first time. Perhaps worst of all, he loses his love for baseball. In a pivotal moment of darkness, Shane intentionally hits a batter, putting him in the hospital. But as the story progresses, he and the injured boy work out their demons together, through the game that has meant so much to them both. Deuker (Night Hoops) fills the pages with dozens of exciting play-by-play sequences; these serve not only to move the story along chronologically, but also act as the metronome for Shane's personal story of loss, recovery and renewal. It is a dark story in the first half, but the arc of redemption reminds readers that love conquers all-as does the pursuit of personal excellence. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

KLIATT

To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May 2003: From the author of Night Hoops and Painting the Black comes another successful sports story featuring a teenage athlete in crisis. Shane is an important part of his prep school's baseball team as the closing pitcher—he has a fastball few can hit. His comfortable life is transformed when his father is arrested for laundering money for drug lords, and further turned upside down when his father commits suicide. Shane, his mother, and little sister are now without any income. They sell their lovely home and move into public housing. Shane's mother gets a job, while Shane is transferred to the local high school and must baby-sit for his sister after school. Shane's anger and bitterness—his grief at the loss of his father—cause him to sneak out to be with some other teens in the projects: the boys steal beer regularly, get drunk, and then get into trouble. The probation officer puts Shane in touch with a no-nonsense baseball coach at the high school Shane now attends. This is a fairly complex story (longer than many YA novels) in which the main character goes through many changes from the beginning to the end. Several years pass (three baseball seasons). There are no sudden resolutions. For instance, when Shane gets a real break and a scout from a college comes to watch him play, Shane does a miserable job and the scout goes away unimpressed. The baseball details are absolutely believable, as is the slow maturation of Shane. Those who like sports stories will approve, and those who like stories of a teenager in trouble with the law will also enjoy reading this book. KLIATT Codes: JS*—Exceptional book,recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2003, HarperTrophy, 345p., Ages 12 to 18.
—Claire Rosser

VOYA

Shane Hunter, a sophomore and star closing pitcher for Shorelake High School, a private school near Seattle, seems to have it all, until his father is arrested for money laundering. Now his teammates and friends look at him differently. Shane thinks he has become a charity case and cannot stand it. Things get even worse after his father commits suicide in their suburban home. His mother is forced to sell the house and move the family into public housing. Now attending public school, Shane falls in with the wrong crowd and is arrested for shoplifting at a local convenience store. He is put on probation fixing up a baseball field at a boys' and girls' club. There he meets Cornelius Grandison, who Shane later discovers is the baseball coach at his high school. Coach Grandison becomes a father figure to Shane, helping him deal with his new life both on and off the baseball field and saving him from a pit of self-induced apathy for life. Deuker, author of other popular teen sports novels such as Night Hoops (Houghton Mifflin, 2000/VOYA August 2000) and Painting the Black (1997/VOYA August 1997), creates another captivating story. Readers will think they are sitting in the front row with a Cracker Jack(r) box and a Coke as Shane mows them down in the last inning. They will feel the emotions right along with Shane on the roller-coaster ride his life takes. Good baseball books are in short supply for teens; do not let this one slip past. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Houghton Mifflin, 288p,
— Bradley Honigford

Children's Literature

The privileged life of Shane Hunter changes with his father's suicide after arrest for laundering drug money. His stealing compounds the emotional and financial difficulties he, his mother, and sister face. After performing community service, he agrees to again play ball. Pitching against old teammates, Shane's fastball, high and inside—high heat—splinters helmet and head of Reese Robertson, whose family moved into his old home. Shane and Reese eventually help each other move beyond the beaning, but when they again face each other in a ball game, Shane strikes Reese out, becomes a local hero, and captures a college baseball scholarship. Only his catcher, Benny, recognizes that, although Shane worked his way back, Reese has not, and would avoid a high inside pitch. The book ends with Benny's hope that Reese will also eventually become the player he once was and Shane's poignant personal comment that he's the same but "different, too. Entirely different." Descriptions of tight games will satisfy baseball buffs and plot will satisfy everyone. A useful book for counselors and teachers whose curriculum includes analysis of behavior: How could Shane have positively worked through problems? What signs of denial and depression does Shane exhibit in Part Two? Why does his mother like the young man Shane more than she liked the boy? How did he feel when he took advantage of Reese's fear of a second beaning? This book is a winner! 2003, Houghton Mifflin,
— Mary Bowman-Kruhm

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-Shane Hunter's life of privilege disintegrates when his dad is arrested for money laundering and commits suicide. The teen, his mother, and his younger sister are forced to move out of their palatial home and into subsidized housing in a tough part of Seattle. Shane has a difficult time adjusting, and is eventually arrested for stealing beer from a convenience store. As part of his probation, he must help repair a local baseball diamond. There, he meets the coach of his public school's baseball team, who encourages him to try out. A crucial moment comes when Shane, a relief pitcher with a blazing fastball, faces the team from his old private school. His anger rises to the surface, and he delivers a fastball directly at the head of Reese Robertson, the kid whose family bought Shane's house. Reese is hospitalized, and although Shane affects a lack of concern, he is so rattled that his pitching skills deteriorate. The rest of the novel follows his attempts to get both his arm and his life back on track, and the uneasy bond he forms with Reese. Deuker avoids easy answers in the book's ambiguous but truthful conclusion. Non-sports fans may find too many game descriptions to hold their interest, but devotees will be rewarded with a story that delivers baseball action along with a rich psychological portrait, told through a compelling first-person narration.-Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.