Heart of a Champion by Carl Deuker is about this athlete named Seth Barnam that lives only with his mother because when he was just 7 years old his father had passed away. His fathers death was very hard on him.Seth didn't really enjoy sports which surprised me because his father was a professional golfer until he met Jimmy Winter at school. Jimmy was a natural at baseball he would be up at the baseball field practicing his batting and fielding every Saturday. Jimmy had invited Seth to the field before they really knew each other to practice with Jimmy and his dad. Mr. Winter was very tough on Jimmy and he was also an alcoholic. Jimmy Winter and Seth Barnam’s relationship formed through the love of baseball.

The author Carl Deuker made the book really interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. Carl knows how to never lose the readers interest. He also made the book impossible to predict at some chapters. This book was one of the best books i have ever read. I recommend this book to true baseball lovers and people that are into a spontaneous ending. ( )

Game by Walter Dean Myers is about a high school senior named Drew Lawson that sleeps and dreams basketball. drew currently lives in Harlem and sees drugs, crime, and alcohol everyday. he plays point guard for the school , James Baldwin Academy just last year his team almost made it to regionals. This is Drew’s last year to really shine to get that scholarship and make it to the NBA.
The author Walter Dean Myers made the book a little boring and easy to predict. Although with the strong vocabulary walter uses throughout the book he made it easier to visualize and understand. This book really could teach a lot of people about true teamwork,friendship, and even how fortunate people are in life with the lifestyle Drew lives in.You could tell that at different parts of the story Myers has a true love for the game and he made it easy to relate to. In the book walters main idea was that you can't let bad influences get in the way of a successful career you could get in the future. I would recommend this book to sports lovers because it can really tell you can make it far in a career even if you're not as wealthy as others but you can't get caught up in what's around you, you just have to stay determined. ( )

This book was really good. Atlthough I'm not a reader, I enjoyed this piece ofo work. The application of being a student athlete kept me interested! Altough, they did spend too much too much time narrating play-by-play of every baseball game instead of focusing on the main issue. This kept you interested in the game, but not the message trying to be delivered. ( )

This book was terrible. Granted, I am a seventeen year old girl. However, I do love me some baseball. I've managed the high school team for three years so I know the game. This didn't change my rating of the book, though.

This book has no plot to speak of. There is no rising action. The entire thing is a play-by-play of every game the main character participates in. The characters are completely flat, insanely unremarkable, and totally forgettable. Not a single paragraph of this book had me riled up or excited. It was VERY predictable. Deuker writes on an amateur level. I feel like I wasted my time reading this.

Although this review does nothing but bash Heart of a Champion, I will make a plug for it. I would recommend this book to some of my baseball boys (or anyone who loves baseball with a deep, burning passion) who are reluctant to step foot in a library and/or "hate" reading. Otherwise, for the rest of the population, I encourage you to read something with more substance. ( )

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

Seth Barnam's father was a golfer, and it probably would have been Seth's game, too, but his dad died when Seth was only seven. Coming to terms with his father's death was difficult for Seth, but then he met Jimmy Winter. Jimmy has lots of baseball talent, and a father that demands perfection from him. The boys become fast friends, and both sign up for Little League, even though Seth feels inadequate compared to his new friend.

Their time together is spent practicing baseball, with Jimmy's father usually there to coach them and urge them to improve. Jimmy's intensity and self-assurance on the playing field begins to rub off onto Seth, too. He improves as a student and as a baseball player, and he dreams of being as good as Jimmy.

Then Jimmy's home life begins to unravel; his father is drinking too much and then his parents divorce. Seth is at a loss when Jimmy is caught drinking and suspended from the team. Jimmy just can't seem to get his life back on track, and his choices lead to an unexpected result.

This is an exciting novel, loaded with baseball action. It will have an intense appeal to anyone interested in that sport, but the main focus is on the friendship that develops between Seth and Jimmy, and of coping with the consequences of foolish choices, and the grief of dealing with incomprehensible loss. It's easy to read with well-developed, likable characters, a gripping plot, and plenty of action. I highly recommend this book, especially for boys, but girls will also enjoy this story of a forever kind of friendship.

Notes: An ALA Best Book for Young Adults An ALA Best Book for Reluctant Readers A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Book of the Year. ( )