The Diamond Champs (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) [Paperback]

Matt Christopher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 1990 | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Matt Christopher Sports Classics (Book 6)

An aura of intrigue surrounds a baseball coach obsessed with the idea of turning a bunch of handpicked beginners into champions in one season.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (April 2, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316140066
• ISBN-13: 978-0316140065
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.4 x 7.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,070,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matthew F. Christopher was born on August 16, 1917, in Bath, Pa. He was the oldest of nine children and a talented athlete, playing baseball, football and soccer in high school. He became interested in writing at the age of 14 and in 1940 had his first story published in a detective magazine. He began writing children's books in the mid 1950's with the publication of THE LUCKY BASEBALL BAT (Little, Brown and Company).

Christopher became well-known for his sports fiction novels for children with over 130 titles bearing his name. He was awarded numerous writing honors from state organizations as well as the 1993 Milner Award. Besides books, he had about 275 short stories and articles published in over 65 children and adult magazines over the years. He is considered America's best selling sports book author.

Matt Christopher and his wife Cay were the parents of four children and the grandparents of ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He died in 1997 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars While there is a championship game at the end, there is little drama, June 28, 2009

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Diamond Champs (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) (Paperback)

A mysterious man (Coach Stag) appears and forms a co-ed baseball team. Since most of the players he selected have little experience and they are drawn from many areas of town, no one can determine why the players were selected. Coach Stag was very persuasive when he contacted the players, so all he contacted agreed to play. Finally, some of the players were put into what would normally be considered odd positions, for example a left-handed boy was installed at third base.
As the season progresses, the team exhibits dramatic improvement, for all his mysterious qualities, Coach Stag knows the game very well and is an excellent teacher. However, the unknowns continue to haunt Kim Rollins, the main character, so he begins to investigate Coach Stag. A major breakthrough occurs when his father suddenly realizes that each one of the players is a child of one of his former teammates and that each player is in the position played by their parent. The story concludes with the team winning the championship and all mysteries revealed.
There is not the buildup of tension over the action on the field in this book that is the hallmark of most juvenile sports fiction. While there is the big game, it is only briefly handled, what tension there is concerns the identity of Coach Stag. That resolution is also lacking in drama, making for a book that is deficient in action.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THIS COOL!, September 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Diamond Champs (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) (Paperback)

IF YOU LIKE BASEBALL YOU WILL LIKE THIS BOOK. READ THIS BOOK AND FIND OUT ALL THE AWSOME THING THAT HAPPENS.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An amazing book, January 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Diamond Champs (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) (Paperback)

It was a great mix between good and bad. I love it! This is a good first time Matt Christopher, try it, it may surprise you.