Heart of a Champion (Avon Camelot Books) [Mass Market Paperback]

Carl Deuker (Author)

Book Description

Series: Avon Camelot Books | Publication Date: May 1, 1994

Seth and Jimmy have the kind of friendship you can't put into words-thekind you think only happens in books and movies. They both live and breathebaseball, but while Seth struggles to be good enough to make the varsityteam, Jimmy, a natural, looks like he's on is way to becoming a major league star some day. 0n and off the field, their passion for "A the game gets them through some of life's bitterest struggles and unites them in a once in a lifetime friendship that is meant to last forever...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This compelling tale of baseball and friendship, PW said, "hits a home run" with its "action worthy of the sports page." Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10-- On the day Seth Barham met Jimmy Winter, his life changed. Seth had been an unfocused, confused pre-teen who had never come to terms with his father's death when he was seven. He meets Jimmy in a park as Jimmy's overbearing father is putting his son through intense baseball drills. As their friendship develops, Jimmy's intensity and self-assurance on the playing field spills over into Seth's life, helping him to blossom as a student and a baseball player. However, Jimmy's home life begins to unravel when his parents divorce. Also, he is suspended from the team when he develops a drinking problem. Seth withstands peer pressure to drink, and, with his mother's support, begins to accept his father's death. However, his biggest battle comes when he must cope with Jimmy's death in an auto accident. Baseball action permeates the story, increasing the novel's interest to those readers familiar with the sport but setting up possible barriers for the uninitiated. Seth's simply told, often moving first-person narrative is meant to be his way of accepting the two losses in his life. However, although the semi-therapeutic story covers three years in the boys' baseball lives, it largely ignores their school lives and some readers may wonder what else they did. Mixing themes common to many YA coming-of-age titles with strong character development, this easy-to-read and well-paced novel will involve many readers. --Jack Forman, Mesa College Library, San Diego
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (May 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380722690
• ISBN-13: 978-0380722693
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,768,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great story about friendship, baseball, and growing up., June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Heart of a Champion (Avon Camelot Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

HEART OF A CHAMPION tells a story about two very different boys, and what brings them together. Seth's father recently died, and he's feeling lost. He meets Jimmy Winter and so the story begins. Seth and Jimmy learn about life while they learn about baseball. They celebrate their victories and their failures on the field and in life. This book deals with important issues such as death, divorce, alcoholism and peer pressure. Deuker's dialogue is realistic, and you can hear the crack of the bat in his baseball descriptions. The plot moves along quickly, and keeps interest levels high. This is a good book even for someone who really doesn't read much for pleasure. I highly recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heart of a Champion, December 21, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Heart of a Champion (Avon Camelot Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

There are millions of books out in the world. But not all of them people like. I don't like sad books or girly books. I like sports books like baseball, basketball, and football. I also like action books. But one baseball book I really liked was Heart of a Champion. This book was written by Thomas J. Dygard. The book is about two kids in high school who have been friends since elementary school, and have a friendship that was meant to last forever. Jimmy is well on his way to being a Major League Baseball star. He made his school varsity team easily. Seth on the other hand, is struggling just to make the team. Both of them go threw some good and bad times. Like dealing with drugs, meeting new people, dealing with family members. But both of them finally figure out the consequences for doing bad and stupid things.
This book is a sad but a very exciting pulse-pounding book. But, it is also a book that sends a great message to high-school kids who love to play sports like Jimmy and Seth not to do drugs, or to drink and drive. This book is one of the best I have ever read. I like this book because I love baseball books. It has a great life lesson to teach all kids the good and bad things in life. This book had a big impact on me. Maybe it can have one on you too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you even remotely like sports, December 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Heart of a Champion (Avon Camelot Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

A Review by Tyler
Heart of a Champion is a good book, actually it's great book. Probably the best book I've ever read, I give it 5stars. This book was so real to life, and the struggles, heartaches, and pains a real friendship goes through. Seth and Jimmy both love the game of baseball, and everything about it, they both dream of playing in the Major Leagues. But Jimmy likes one thing inpaticular that some Major Leagues do, that will eventually break him. To find out what read the book. The ending to this story is what no one would expect, and that is how the whole book is, this is part of the reason the book is so good. The book was well written; all the conflicts seemed so real. Although there were a couple of scenes where I had to read it twice, to figure out whose talking or just what it meant. I would recommend this book to anybody who even remotely likes baseball or any sport.