Lupica, Mike. The big field.

LUPICA, Mike. The big field. Penguin, Philomel. 288p. c2008. 978-0-399-24625-8. $17.99. J *

Skilled sportswriter Lupica, author of such YA novels as Travel Team and Heat, provides yet another strong tale about a young teen learning life lessons through sports. Here our hero is Hutch, age

14, who lives for baseball and dreams it will be his ticket out of blue-collar East Boynton, Florida. His team is aiming for the Florida State Championship, to be played on the big field at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, where the pros play. Hutch has always played shortstop, the position played by his father, a former would-be pro who only made it to Triple-A; Hutch wishes his dad would coach him, but his dad, now working as a caddy and a chauffeur, barely talks to him. A new player named Darryl has joined the team, and not only has he taken Hutch's position, he makes it clear he considers himself the team's star. Darryl's goading and his father's aloofness frustrate Hutch so much he lashes out at Darryl, which means he has to sit out a crucial game, but his ill-considered action also leads to some much-needed talk and reconciliation with both the shortstops in Hutch's life. This warm, earnest, old-fashioned story has plenty of on-the-field action and baseball fans will eat it up. Lupica gets the teasing, close relationship between Hutch and his best friend Cody just right, too, and this novel is satisfying on several levels. A superior sports story. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.