High Heat by Carl Deuker

The book I am recommending is High Heat by Carl Deuker. It is about a high school baseball player named Shane Hunter. Shane is a closer for his team, Shorelake. Everything seems to be going good for him until the middle of one of his games. During the game, two men come into the stands and arrest his dad. Shane is confused but soon finds out that his dad is accused of money laundering. His dad gets bailed out of jail, but he still isn’t innocent. While on bail, he commits suicide. Now Shane and his family are faced with the problems his dad left them. They don’t have very much money, so they need to sell their house and Shane and his sister have to transfer to a public school. They move into city housing and Shane gets into trouble with some other kids for stealing. Shane is let go, but he has to do community service at a local baseball field. He fixes up the field so it is ready to be played on. The manager at the field sees Shane’s love for baseball and convinces him to play for the team. During one game that Shane is closing, he goes up against the kid whose family moved into his old house. The kid’s name is Reese. Reese took Shane’s friends, his house, and his spot on his old team. Shane is angry at Reese so he throws the ball right at his head. Reese’s helmet shatters and he is critically injured. He slowly recovers but isn’t the same great hitter he was before the injury. Now Shane is left to deal with the choices and mistakes he made. He has a rough time pitching and gets benched. He finally is able to put the past behind him and focus on what he is doing. His team makes it to the playoffs and are on their way to the state championship.

This book is a excellent choice for any baseball player or fan. I really enjoyed it and consider it a very good read. In this 277-page book you will experience the everyday hardships that Shane faces during his high school years. High Heat has not received any awards, but I think it certainly deserves one. The recommended reading age is twelve and up. “Time and baseball work to ease a teenager’s hurt in this intense, narrowly focused novel....Enough taut sports action to satisfy the most avid fan” ALA booklist says. “Delivers baseball action along with a rich psychological portrait, told through a first-person narration,” says School Library Journal. If you liked The Big Field and The Batboy by Mike Lupica, you are sure to like High Heat. Some other books by Carl Deuker are Heart of a Champion, Payback Time, Gym Candy, and many more. A quote from the book is, “For a second his eyes met mine and locked. Blue friendly eyes, confident eyes....I reared back and fired the ball harder than any ball I’ve ever thrown in my life. Only I didn’t throw it outside. I threw it inside. Up and in. High heat.” Later in the book, a college coach notices Shane’s skills and considers offering him a scholarship. To earn it, he has to have a good season and do his best in school. Can he get the scholarship that he so badly needs? If he can, it will be a great help to his family. You have to read to find out the answer to this question and many more. I highly recommend reading High Heat and I’m sure you will enjoy this captivating novel as much as I did.

Recommended by an 8th Grader

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have cancer or have you ever lost someone from cancer? If you have you know it can be a very difficult time. Today I will be recommending the book My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Sixteen year old, Kate, has been fighting leukemia since her childhood. Just so happens Kate’s younger sister, Anna, was born to help Kate survive. Anna is thirteen and has had countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots just to lengthen Kate life. Anna and Kate’s parents are in the hospital twenty-four- seven with her. Anna feels not wanted and forgotten. Kate’s kidney needs to be replaced, now Anna is expected to donate one of hers. Anna has not had a choice to choose if she wanted to continue to help Kate. Anna will decide to do the unthinkable, even if it tears her family apart, and even end fatal for her sister. This inspiring novel will alter the way you make decisions. It is also a heart touching novel will leave you thinking about it days to follow.
This is 448 page book is recommended to young adults. This is #1 New York Bestseller, but has not won any awards. It also received a four in a half star rating from Barnes and Noble. Some other books by Jodi Picoult are Plain Truth, Keeping Faith, and Nineteen Minutes. My Sister’s Keeper ties in with the book Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. Both of the main characters have leukemia. The main characters describe their long journey of pain, suffering, and survival. So will the sick kids get cured? This question and many more will remain until the end!
Daily News declared, “Has the emotional tenacity to fuel tears and talk!” Once you read this book you will agree with me of this statement by Susan H. Woodcock, “This is a real page-turner and frighteningly thought-provoking. The story shows evidence of thorough research and the unexpected twist at the end will surprise almost everyone. The novel does not answer many questions, but it sure raises some and will have teens thinking about possible answers long after they have finished the book.” I couldn’t have described this book any better. A quote from the book I found was, “When they gently turn Kate’s face to the other side, the tissue paper beneath her cheek is damp. I learn from my own daughter that you don’t have to be awake to cry.” I found this quote very true. When you have a hopeless time in your life, you think about it always, even when you are sleeping. This quote really made relate to when my grandpa was fight a brain tumor, it was really hard to not think about. I cried a lot during those hard six months. It must be even harder to be the one in pain physically. This quote goes to show that cancer is not an easy obstacle for anyone.
The minute you pick this book up, you will not want to put it down! This novel will make you have so many predictions, but they will all end in a twist! This breathtaking novel will have tears running down your face multiple times! Will Kate be free of cancer? Read to find out!

Recommended by Morgan Olsem