Extra innings

Fourteen-year-old Mike McGinn is a promising pitcher for his baseball team, the Rays, but his father sees baseball as a frivolous hobby. Mike's dad thinks he should be working this summer, so the teen takes a job caddying at the local country club while continuing to hone his pitching skills. But sometimes hard work and solid pitching aren't enough, as Mike finds when his team makes it to the final game of the end-of-season tournament. The game goes into extra innings, and though Mike's pitching is top-notch, the results aren't quite what the Rays had expected. Still, Mike learns important lessons along the way. Bowen balances action both on and off the field as Mike and his father slowly come to understand each other a little better. Baseball fans will especially appreciate the baseball terminology and slang and the descriptions of the Rays' various games and Mike's pitching. They'll also enjoy learning that this story is based in part on a historical baseball game--in 1959, Pittsburg Pirates pitcher Harvey Haddix threw 12 perfect innings against the Atlanta Braves, only to lose in the 13th. The Rays' summer schedule, game line-ups, league standings, pitching schedule, a scoreboard, and team statistics provide an immersive reading experience. Physical descriptions are minimal, though character names imply diversity in Mike's community. Will tide over youngsters longing for the start of the sport's spring season. (more information on Harvey Haddix) (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.