7 Days at the Hot Corner [Library Binding]

Terry Trueman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2007

In baseball, fielding your position at third base is tricky—that's why third is called "the hot corner." You have to be aware that anything can happen at any time.

This should be the best year of Scott's life: It's his last season of varsity ball, his team is about to go to the city championship, and a pro career is on the line. Instead, everything he always counted on comes crashing down at the same time, and his whole life is like one blazing hot corner—full of deadly line drives and crazy "bad hops."

Scott can't believe the awful stuff coming his way, but it's time to find out whether he has what it takes to play the hot corner—on the baseball diamond and off it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With a compelling twist on a coming-out story, Trueman's (Stuck in Neutral) novel stars 18-year-old Scott Latimer, a baseball fanatic who plays third base (the "hot corner" of the title) for his high school's team. Scott's world is thrown into disarray when his best friend, Travis, reveals that he's gay during the citywide baseball tournament. Now, in addition to worrying about playing well in the seven-day tournament, Scott anxiously awaits the results of an HIV test that he gets in secret: he fears he may have contracted AIDS after a batting cage incident, in which he wound up with Travis's blood on his hands. When Travis's parents kick their son out of the house, thinking he may influence his younger brother, Travis moves in with Scott's family, causing additional tension between the two best friends. An article in the high school newspaper anonymously relates Travis's struggles as a gay high school senior, and Scott fears that his classmates might think he's gay as well if they discover the article is about Travis. Scott wrestles with gripping fear about potentially having contracted AIDS, anger that his best friend kept his sexuality a secret from him for so many years, confusion about his own and his fellow classmates' prejudices, and concern for Travis's safety. Readers will likely be affected by this emotional journey of a kid who would have been happy to limit his concerns to catching blazing line drives and working toward a shot at the major leagues. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up—Scott, a baseball-obsessed high school senior, works through the shock he feels when he learns that his best friend is gay. The immature teen's initial reaction is self-centered and a bit hysterical; he fears that he may have contracted AIDS after having helped Travis recover from a bloody batting-cage accident a few months earlier. While he awaits the results of tests to show whether he has the virus, Scott starts to gain an awareness and understanding of his friend's situation. Travis has been thrown out by his parents (and taken in by Scott's father); and after his friend gives an anonymous interview to the school newspaper, Scott fears for his safety. A history teacher ties the issue to a lesson on how Nazi Germany persecuted anyone who failed to conform to its standards. The book's strength lies in the straightforward depiction of the protagonist's struggle to come to terms with Travis's revelations. The other characters fail to develop fully, but this novel will find its audience among teens who see themselves in Scott's character.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Library Binding: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (February 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006057495X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060574956
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,038,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 1, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 7 Days at the Hot Corner (Hardcover)

"The hot corner." In baseball, it's third base. So named because of the fact that you always have to be ready for anything, and no one knows it better than eighteen-year-old Scott Latimer.

Scott is the starting third baseman on Thompson High School's varsity baseball team. The Spokane All-City High School Tournament is coming up in a matter of days, so of course Scott is worried about how he'll handle himself on "the hot corner."

The only problem is that, as life has a way of doing, things in his personal life are a little messed up at the moment. His best friend, Travis, was recently kicked out of his house by his parents and has been staying with Scott and his dad. And that was fine, until Travis handed him a copy of the school newspaper, which contained an article entitled "Coming Out."

Now "the hot corner" isn't just on the baseball field, but everywhere Scott looks. He doesn't know what to do about his friendship with Travis. He especially doesn't know how to handle some of the things Travis has said to him, such as the fact that Scott has issues with being the son of divorced parents. During these next seven days, it's up to Scott to figure out how to make things right again -- both on the field and off of it.

Again, author Terry Trueman has taken a well-drawn character and put him into a realistic situation. This is another great read from one of my favorite authors, and I can guarantee you won't go wrong by picking up a copy.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

3.0 out of 5 stars Terry Truman's Terrific Tomes, August 27, 2010

By 

SHANNON (Fayetteville, NC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 7 Days at the Hot Corner (Hardcover)

Trueman's 7 Days at the Hot Corner is not as engaging as his masterpiece, Stuck in Nuetral, but will satisify those who enjoy his style and controversial issues that young adults deal with these days.

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding read for gay or straight teens., May 11, 2007

By 

Bob Lind "camelwest" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 7 Days at the Hot Corner (Hardcover)

7 DAYS AT THE HOT CORNER
by Terry Trueman
(Harper Tempest, February 2007, $15.99 Hardcover)

Scott Latimer lives for baseball. The high school senior plays third base (known in baseball jargon as the "hot corner") for his undefeated school team, and has dreams of playing professionally after he graduates. His best friend, since age seven, is Travis Adams, who helped comfort him when his parents got a divorce.

Scott's life seems to be placed on hold, when Travis moves in with Scott and his dad, following his being thrown out of his home because he is gay. It's rather unsettling news to Scott as well, since he always assumed Travis was straight and had never been told otherwise. He also remembers an incident in which Travis bled badly after a batting-cage accident, and Scott now wonders if Travis may have had unsafe sex and passed HIV on to him. He withdraws emotionally and physically from his friend, and decides to get tested, then goes through an agonizing seven days waiting for the test results. Travis decides to "come out" in an anonymous interview in the school paper, and Scott is also worried that his friends will figure out it is Travis, and perhaps assume that Scott is gay as well (which even Travis' mom assumed, since they were so close.)

An excellent, non-stereotypical and realistic story, especially recommended for teen readers. A bit short (runs 160 pages, but printed in relatively big type on small pages, which likely stretched it by 50% over what it would be in "normal" formats), but well-written and covers all of the bases (pun intended). Excellent selection for a gay teen to give as a gift to a straight buddy who may have problems dealing with his coming-out, and also debunks some common (even this long into the epidemic) myths about how the AIDS virus is transmitted. A definite "home run" (Last one, I promise! :) and I give it five stars out of five.