Home Run Hero (Scrappers) (Hardcover)

by Dean Hughes (Author) "Wilson Love adjusted his catcher's mask..." (more)
Key Phrases: next pitch, next batter, Coach Carlton, Hot Rods, Pit Bulls

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6The second installment in the series finds the Scrappers frustrated by the number of games they have lost. Wilson, the catcher, wants everyone to work together, but then he develops a batting problem and becomes more concerned with his own difficulty than with his teams lack of camaraderie. After the players struggle through losses and some pretty heated arguments, morale improves and Wilson becomes aware that he is the leader, both on and off the field. The plot and characterizations are realistic and there is lots of baseball action. Once again, Hughes portrays the equality of the sexes on the field. Although this title can stand alone, children may want to read the first title to discover how the team came to be.Barb Lawler, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
In Home Run Hero, the second book in Dean Hughes's popular Scrappers series, Wilson Love is certainly "the Man." His long ball promises to make him stand out as the Scrappers' best slugger -- when he connects, that is. As Coach Carlton points out, Wilson misses as many as he hits. But when the coach helps him work on a new stance and swing, things get even worse. When he comes to bat, his arms and legs feel all wrong. He couldn't hit the ball if someone held it right up in front of him. The coach might say his swing is better, but what good is that if he still strikes out all the time?

While some of the team side with the coach, others tell him to swing the back the way he wants to, to be himself. Soon Wilson feels caught in a tug-of-war, until he finally realizes that who he is and how he plays is his decision to make.

Each book in Dean Hughes's Scrappers series focuses on a different member of this unseasoned but determined baseball squad. In one summerlong season, each player learns something about him or herself and what it is that defines a team.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689819250
• ISBN-13: 978-0689819254
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,637,841 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Home Run Hero, May 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Home Run Hero (Scrappers) (Paperback)

This is the second book in the Scrappers series by Dean Hughes. Each book in the Scrappers series covers a different position in baseball and bases the story around that position. This book is based on Wilson, the teams catcher and power hitter. The team members are starting to get frustrated by the number of games they are losing and tempers are flaring. The team is not working together and there is a definite attitude problem. Wilson just wants everyone to work together, but then he starts to fall into a batting slump and when Coach Carlton gives him advice to improve his bat, he only gets worse. Soon, the morale of the team will improve and Wilson learns that the catcher is the leader of the team and his ability to take control and calm the team down makes him well-suited for this position. He becomes a leader on and off the field.

Again, this book has special tips in the back on playing catcher and has Scrapper trivia trading cards. There is plenty of play-by-play baseball action and some great lessons on team spirit and teamwork.

I would highly recommend this book to any kids, boys or girls, between 8 and 12 years old that like baseball.

5.0 out of 5 stars D.S. Ms. Raniere Period 9, January 25, 2006

A Kid's Review

The book Scrappers is about Wilson Love who plays catcher for the Scrappers. He hits the game winning home run in one of the games and everyone thinks he's a hero. But after that game his hitting streak ends. He begins to swing horribly and everyone tries to give him advice that doesn't work. The next game he strikes out three and his team loses by 5 runs. Then a few of his teammates start to fight with each other because everybody's frustrated because the team is playing poorly. The team's three best players Robbie, Thurlow, and Gloria all hate each other. Thurlow is the best player on the Scrappers but the coach never starts him because he's always late or never there for practice. He isn't at practice because his mom is one of the coaches on the Scrappers and whenever it looks like he actually wants to play, she says something that annoys o makes him mad. Gloria is the big mouth of the team and she can be really annoying. The next game, Gloria tries to give her friend advice and she annoys her, so they get into a fight. Thurlow hits a huge grand slam with the Scrappers losing by 5 runs. Do the Scrappers win the game? Does Wilson get his swing back? You have to read this book to find out.
I personally like this book because it's about baseball and I like baseball a lot. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes baseball or likes sports in general. Something I liked in the book was that everybody tries to help Wilson after his hitting streak ended. That meant his teammates cared about how he did and weren't selfish. Something I didn't like was the same thing I liked. His team cared about him way too much. If someone on my team wasn't doing so well and looked like they needed help, I would help the person but that wouldn't be my only concern. I would try to make the rest of my team better and myself better too. I wouldn't rely on that person to get us every win we can get. I would always make sure that if something happened to our best player we were ready for it. Overall I think this is a must read for sports fans, baseball fans, and anybody else who wants to read a good book.