High Heat

High Heat By: Carl Dueker It all started when sixteen-year-old Shane Hunter's dad was caught in a drug deal. Shane had it all, big house, a lot of friends, the richest school in his area, and the best baseball team in the state. But then, something happens causing him to lose all of that and even make him quit the one thing that he loves and has never ever thought about quitting before. What I liked about this book was that as soon as I picked it up I could instantly connect to Shane. Anyone who is a true baseball fan can connect to this book. Carl Dueker does an amazing job drawing the reader into the book. I read the first couple pages and I couldn't put the book down. Every minute there was a different scene shocking me. It kept me guessing and I think that's the kind of book that every reader wants to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a baseball fanatic, and anyone who has had something going great and everything going their way, when boom it all just goes down the drain. Max M.

With HIGH HEAT, Carl Deuker again shows a steady hand with plot as he tells the tale of Shane Hunter, a kid who loses his father early on in the book and fights personal turmoil on the baseball diamond as a star closer. This melodramatic start soon takes a back seat to more pedestrian tribulations, however, as Shane's mother and sister Marian are left with little money and must move with Shane to city housing. The jolt is even bigger for our protagonist, who leaves a posh private school's winning team for a struggling city school's losing one. This YA title is an excellent choice for parents and teachers of middle school boys who are reluctant readers -- if they are sports fans at least and baseball fans especially. Yes, there is a lot of game description and yes, people who are bored by baseball should steer clear. Other than that, it's a clear case of, "What's not to like?" The best part of the novel is Deuker's deft handling of psychological issues. When fireballing closer Shane beans hot-hitting Reese Robertson, the very kid who moved into Shane's old mansion, there are two casualties. The incident puts Robertson in the hospital, but another headcase (Shane) is left untreated. The fallout of it all is a great pitcher who loses his ability to throw strikes and a great hitter who loses his ability to hit line drives. The road to recovery becomes the heart of the book, and it's a book with heart, indeed. For its target audience, HIGH HEAT goes right over the heart of the plate. And in Coach Grandison, Deuker gives readers one of those irresistible mentor types that make great sports books for teens worth the money. Highly recommended.

Shane Hunter, a sophomore at Shorelake High School had it all; money, great friends and baseball. One day, his perfect world changes when Shane's father is arrested for money laundering and commits suicide. Shane's family must move to the "other" side of town that Shane despises. Shane has a difficult time adjusting to his new life and gets arrested for stealing and his punishment is repairing a local baseball diamond. This brings back memories of his old life, and Shane is faced with the decision of whether or not he should join the team and continue playing the game his father taught him. Will fear of failure overpower him or will he step up to the plate? Read this book and find out! I enjoyed this book for many reasons. Mainly because it's about baseball and baseball is my favorite sport. But the book has more to offer, it deals with how a teenager copes with the suicide of a parent. It also tells how Shane struggled when he had to move and change schools. Whether you're a baseball fan or not this is a book you won't want to put down until you finish it.

I liked this book because it was a great book. I play baseball so I thought it would be a good book to read. Shane Hunter is a great relief pitcher at Shorelake High School in Seattle. At one of his games, these two guys come a take Shane's dad away. He was caught for money laundering. Shane's dad commits suicide and they have to move away to a new house that is a lot smaller. Shane gets caught stealing beer with his friends and for his punishment, he has to do community service and get counseling for a year. For his community service, he gets to clean up a baseball field. He does a great job on the field. The next year, Shane goes to Whitman High School and plays baseball there. His team has an okay season. During that year, Shane hits a kid named Reese Robertson in the head and sends him to the hospital. Shane doesn't pitch as well for the rest of the year and Reese doesn't play as well as he used to be able to. The next year, Shane plays on the baseball team again and they have a great season and make it into the playoffs. A guy on Shane's team, Kim Seung, gets a full scholarship to USC. A scout from the University of Portland is looking at Shane to see if he wants to recruit him. In the playoffs, Whitman faces the Shorelake team. The game comes down to the last pitch and it is Shane against Reese. Will Shane strike out Reese and win the game for his team? Or will Reese get a hit and win the game for his team? Read the book and find out. I think that sports readers would like this book because it is a great baseball book and it keeps you interested. Also, realistic fiction readers would like this book too because the things that happen in this book could really happen in real life.

Shane Hunter is the star pitcher of his baseball team at Shorelake. When his father commits apparent suicide, he starts to get nervous when he's pitching and he blows every game he's in. Shane and his family have to move to a new house because they couldn't pay for the house they were living in after his father committed suicide. Shane decides to quit pitching after he hits a kid in the head with one of his pitches. When the summer ends he doesn't know if he wants to pitch or play the outfield. He decides he's going to pitch again after the summer. When Shane hears that there's going to be scouts at the games, he starts to get nervous and blows games for his team. I liked the part when Shane was striking out all of the batters because it showed how good of a pitcher he was. I disliked the part when Shane decided to stop pitching because he loves to play baseball. This book has a lot of action in it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about baseball. This book is good for people who like books with a lot of action.