The Lucky Baseball Bat (Springboard Books) [Library Binding]

Matt Christopher (Author), Dee Derosa (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Series: Springboard Books

Marty loses his lucky baseball bat, and his confidence along with it, and wonders if he will recover both in time to help the Tigers win the championship.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-4-- Martin is new to the neighborhood and wants to play little league. When an older boy gives him his old mitt and bat, Martin finds he can both hit and catch, and attributes these skills to the equipment, not to himself. When he can't find his bat, he accuses a teammate of stealing it. In an unbelievable sequence, he jumps in front of an approaching car to pull a younger boy to safety; coincidentally, the boy happens to be the one who took the bat. In the end, Martin hits a home run and wins the championship game for his team. The plot is as evenly paced as that in The Hit-Away Kid (Little, 1988), with a controlled vocabulary and short chapters intended to help children make the leap to chapter books. The moral is also as conspicuous. --Denise Krell, New York Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 58 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (Juv); Revised edition (April 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316140732
• ISBN-13: 978-0316140737
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,685,960 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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do You Have a Lucky Bat, June 15, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Lucky Baseball Bat (Springboard Books) (Paperback)

Martin was a good baseball player and an excellent batter. Martin had a bat he assumed was lucky. Is it really lucky? That is for you to find out. I enjoy many of Matt Christopher's books and this is one of the best chapter books for younger readers.Go find out what happens to Martin and his lucky bat in this exciting tale.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lesson in believing in your abilities, May 8, 2005

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 Lucky Baseball Bat (Springboard Books) (Paperback)

Millions of boys can identify with Martin, a boy who recently moved into a new neighborhood and wants to join the local baseball team. When he sees some boys practicing, he joins them, even though he does not have a glove. An older boy gives him a bat and glove and he gets to join the team. However, at first he does not play well, as his bat is stolen and he considers it to be lucky.
After Martin pulls a young boy out of traffic, he gets his bat back and circumstances immediately change. The bat is his lucky charm and his batting average rises over .400. However, one hit is costly, as his bat breaks, leaving him distraught. Suddenly, he cannot hit the ball, even though everyone tells him it is his skills and not any magic in the bat. A local woodworker brings him his lucky bat, telling him that he was able to repair it. The hits immediately come back and he helps his team win. This book has one of the nicest endings, where Martin learns that it is his skills and drive to succeed that make the difference. It is an excellent story of not giving up, always trying hard and having confidence in your abilities.