Free Baseball [Hardcover]

Sue Corbett (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Felix knows his dad was a famous baseball player in Cuba—and that his father risked everything to send Felix to America. But his mom won’t reveal anything else. When a team with Cuban players comes into town, Felix wonders if they knew his dad, and sneaks into their locker room to ask. That’s when the players mistake him for their new batboy.

To uncover his father’s story, Felix runs away from home to become the team’s batboy. His bittersweet adventure glows with the friendship of a miraculous dog, the warmth of a mother’s love, and the magic of baseball.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–An engaging, well-written story with a satisfying ending. As the son of a Cuban superstar, 11-year-old Felix Piloto has baseball in his blood. He would give anything to be like his father, or know more about him, but his mother wont reveal anything beyond the fact that he risked his life and career to get his wife and baby to America. While attending a local Florida league game, the visiting team mistakes Felix for its batboy. He jumps at the chance to hang out with real ballplayers and hopes to discover more information about his dad. Corbetts love of the game serves her well. The story has an authentic feel, not just in relation to the game, but to the game as it is played in the minor-league ballparks of Florida, where careers are hatched or buried. Felixs journey to discovery is sensitively portrayed, particularly as it conflicts with his mothers efforts to provide the life his father envisioned. The supporting characters are a mixed bag of those who aid Felix and those who get in the way. Baseball terms and Spanish words are seamlessly woven into the text and defined in glossaries. This book will predominantly appeal to fans of the sport, even though it is about so much more.–Kara Schaff Dean, Needham Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Sue Corbett is a journalist who lives in Newport News, Virginia. School Library Journal called her first book, Twelve Again, a "riveting first novel."

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (February 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525471200
• ISBN-13: 978-0525471202
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,106,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hello, readers. My name is Sue Corbett. I write novels for young readers, in addition to writing news stories and book reviews about children's books. I have three kids myself -- or as I often think of them -- two infielders and one ballerina, and a talking dog named Louie (rhymes with Chewy.) Except for the ballerina, we all LOVE baseball.

This fall I have two new books: a novel, titled THE LAST NEWSPAPER BOY IN AMERICA, and a picture book, The 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN VIRGINIA.

I am also searching for the REAL last newspaper boy or girl in America. If that's you, you could win an autographed copy of one of my books. Get all the details at www.suecorbett.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love baseball, February 13, 2006

By 

A Kid's Review (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Free Baseball (Hardcover)

you will love this book. Young baseball player Felix Piloto runs away from his annoying babysitter to become the batboy of a minor league team, The Miracle. In his journey, he learns more about the father he never knew, becomes friends with the entire baseball team, and meets a magical dog, Homer. This is a really good book and you've got to read it. It is a little sad sometimes but it is funny too like when Felix has to go to the store for the team to buy a bat stretcher!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Home Run for Sue Corbett, February 24, 2006

By 

M. Neal-Lunsford (Illinois, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Free Baseball (Hardcover)

I am both a baseball fan and a fan of Sue Corbett, and she does not disappoint with Free Baseball. It is not so much a baseball story as it is the journey of Felix Piloto as he struggles to reconcile his feelings for his father, a baseball hero in Cuba who Felix has not seen since he and his mother escaped Cuba to make a home in Florida. Felix has inherited his father's passion for baseball, and that takes Felix on a difficult journey when he becomes the batboy for a minor league team.

Sue is a baseball fan and it shows in the way she accurately depicts the action on the field, but it is the richly drawn characters who really shine. My favorites are Homer, the highly intelligent dog who serves as team mascot; and Vic, the team president, a character I suspect was inspired by Mike Veeck, a colorful minor league baseball executive known for his wild promotions.

Free Baseball is a terrific read, both fun and heartwarming. It kept me up far too late as I could not put it down until I reached the end. Now comes the hard part: waiting for Sue's next book to arrive.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rich and heartwarming story, February 23, 2006

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Free Baseball (Hardcover)

Felix Piloto is the son of a famous baseball player in Cuba. He knows that his father risked everything to send him and his mother to America, but he doesn't know when his father will be able to join them in Florida. One day Felix wins free tickets to a minor-league game. He sneaks into the locker room to ask one of the Cuban players about his father and is mistaken for their new batboy. He impulsively stows away in the luggage compartment of the bus and wakes up in West Lauderdale, Florida, miles away from home.

Felix, who is a huge baseball fan and a great player himself, is in heaven. He endears himself to the entire team and even helps them break their losing streak. He wants to stay with the team forever, but knows he can't.

Sue Corbett, the author of 12 AGAIN, delivers a home run with her second middle-grade novel. Felix Piloto is a richly drawn character, full of contradictions; vulnerable yet assertive, agreeable yet stubborn. The book even contains a helpful glossary of baseball terms and Spanish phrases.

I am not a huge baseball fan, but I loved this story. Corbett has hit the ball out of the park with FREE BASEBALL.

--- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner ([e-mail])