Customer Reviews

Top of the Order (4 for 4)

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I did this as an end of the day read aloud in my classroom and the students, both boys and girls, loved it. We had much discussion about real life reactions and problems almost on a daily basis and many would say "Keep reading" even after the dismissal bell would ring. Great read!

Top of the Order is John Coy's first and long awaited mid-grade novel. This surprising and engaging story follows Jackson as he makes the transition between elementary and junior high. It leans on the foundation of an American pastime while illustrating the various challenges children face. With each difficult situation, Coy establishes Jackson as an open-minded kid looking for life's answers.
Jackson and his teammates, Gig, Isaac, and Diego, lead very different lives, each with various challenges. Jackson's parents are divorced and his mother has started dating. Isaac is being sent to a different junior high than his friends. Gig's dad has been placed on active duty and called to the Middle East. And Diego, the new kid in school, works weekends with his parents to help ends meet. Despite the differences in their lives, they are unified on the baseball diamond.
Jackson is conflicted, stuck between his dad and his delightful, yet sometimes frustrating, grandfather, G-man. G-man has a real passion for baseball and wishes for Jackson to join the traveling team, while Jackson's father wants him to do what feels right. Jackson's most stable ground is while playing with the Panthers, but even that gets rocky when Gig's sister, Sydney, starts playing second base. A rift runs through the team and Jackson finds himself, once again, in the middle. Gig asks Jackson to help convince Sydney to leave the team, but if she leaves, who will play second base? Despite Jackson's original objections to a girl on the team, he gradually matures and begins to see how committed Sydney is to baseball. As Jackson changes by watching Sydney's determination, he becomes a catalyst that shifts the perceptions of the team, elevating the Panthers to a new level of maturity. With the help of some good friends, Jackson accomplishes great things on and off the baseball field.
Top of the Order asks its young readers questions about equality, diversity, and obligation. John Coy does a great job balancing the elements of his story while fulfilling its purpose. Top of the Order is grounded in the concerns that young readers have while maintaining engaging and believable characters. The plot is fast paced, with gripping play-by-play action, and the humorous antics of Jackson and his teammates make it a fun read with an uplifting message. Through Jackson, young readers will discover how to be open-minded and to learn from the curve balls that life can throw.

John Coy does it again. As a baseball lover, I often cringe when I read novels written by someone who never advanced very far in the game or did not even bother to do the necessary research. Coy displays an insider's knowledge of baseball that "those in the know", such as sportsloving fanatics and ballplayers, will notice right off the bat (sorry...).

The batter, for example, doesn't just "smack the ball." He "sees an inside fastball" and he "turns on the pitch". He "laces the ball down the line." And so on. Small touches like these really help the story jump off the page to a sports fan. Large ideas, like Coy's fast-paced and meaningful plot, just add to the mix. "Top of the Order" is one of those books that'll make an early morning train rider miss his stop.

Highly recommended.

--j.c.


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Gold Star Award Winner!

Jackson is looking forward to the upcoming baseball season. He'll be playing with all his friends, and he'll be playing his favorite position - shortstop. It should be a terrific season!

As practice begins it looks like everything is shaping up just as Jackson expected. However, things are about to change. First, the team is short a second baseman. Who can they get to fill the spot? Coach tries Trenton at second base and it's a disaster.

Then a new player shows up. The player has talent and shows promise. The only thing is - she's a girl and she plays with a hot pink glove. It's Gig's sister. This could be a good thing for the team, but Gig isn't happy about having a girl on the team, much less having it be his sister. Jackson doesn't honestly see a problem with it since she's a decent player, and she's filling a needed role.

The other problem early on in the season involves the injured catcher. A broken ankle knocks him off the team, and Coach picks Jackson to replace him. His dream of playing shortstop is shattered. Can he make the best of it or will it ruin his love of the game?

TOP OF THE ORDER is author John Coy's first venture into writing for a middle grade audience, and he's done an excellent job. His characters are likeable and believable from their love of baseball to their typical sibling rivalry. The characters come from a variety of backgrounds, creating appeal for all readers.

Coy writes great play-by-play action scenes for the baseball portions of the book. They are engaging even for those not familiar with the game. Jackson and his teammates learn the technicalities of the game and how to handle themselves as good sportsman on and off the field.

Another unique aspect of Coy's novel is the inclusion of a writing component. Jackson's teacher invites an author into the classroom to help students with their writing. The author works with the kids and models many standard writing practices used in actual classrooms today. Teacher should be thrilled to see their work put into practice within an actual novel for kids.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"