Heat by Mike Lupica Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Heat
Book Review: Heat
Summary: 4 Stars
Teaching fifth grade, I've discovered that boys do actually enjoy reading. Many love nonfiction books, some love fantasy books, but most enjoy sports books. The problem is that there are not a lot of good quality sports books written for boys this age. Thank goodness Mike Lupica came along because Heat is an all-around crowd-pleaser.
Twelve-year-old Michael Arroyo has been given a gift. Baseball is in his blood. He is a star among players his age. Without much money to his family name, baseball is all Michael has. It's all he knows. Living in the Bronx, in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, Michael has made a name for himself on the Little League diamond, too good of a name. While protecting an important family secret, Michael's age is questioned by his jealous opponents and with no way of proving it, Michael is forced to become a spectator of the only thing important to him.
"It's just a game." Children probably hear this all the time and I'm willing to bet the adults that say this don't remember exactly what it was like to be a kid. Often times to a child, it can be more than a game. To a child who's mother died while he was young, who's father recently passed away, and who's only sibling works night and day to barely pay the bills for the two of you to live in a dumpy one bedroom apartment in a country that you can't legally call your own, it's more than "just a game". It's a safe haven. The ball diamond is a place to escape to, and his teammates are his second family to escape with. And when you're as good as Michael Arroyo is, the baseball field can be a place where your dreams seem like they're not too far out of reach. Now imagine telling the boy that he can't even play because of a silly rule.
Oddly enough for a rousing sports adventure, most of the action in this book doesn't take place on a baseball diamond. As I said, this book is about so much more than baseball. Reading how Michael and his brother Carlos make it day to day living the way they do is exciting enough without the baseball thrown in. But the baseball diamond is where Michael is comfortable so it should come as no surprise that it is where Lupica feels at home as well. I actually found myself on the edge of my seat while reading a few of the ballgames unfold. While the dialogue between the characters is often times forced and unnatural, their comradery is very much believable, making you feel like one of the team.
Mike Lupica packs some powerful stuff into these pages, powerful things that stretch way beyond a baseball diamond. Michael is forced to deal with situations and handle situations that no boy his age should ever have to face. Michael does some fast growing up and is never able to just play the game he loves and truly enjoy playing it. Life isn't always fair though, and everytime it seems like it just might be, Lupica slams on the breaks and reminds us that it's not.
We've all seen the cheerful movies where the star player on a sports team faces some kind of tragedy, is forced to leave the team with the fear of never returning, and then miraculously shows up just in time for the championship game, leading the charge while taking his team to the promise land. We've seen these movies and read these books and at face value, Heat would appear to be one of those books but I promise you, it's not. Mike Lupica is so much better than that and this little baseball book, is about so much more than just baseball.
Book Review: Fun Baseball Adventure
Summary: 5 Stars
My 10 year old son read this book. He isn't particularly fond of reading, so for him to say he loved a book and didn't want to put it down means it is a truly good book!!Book Review: Heat
Summary: 2 Stars
The author is trying to be a Tom Clancy type of author by taking a number of pages to explain one fact. The story line is good, when you can remember what it was. Should be more baseball action and less talk about the same subject.
My favorite books when I was growing up were the chip Hilton series, written be Clair Bee. They all had good story lines, but had one thing in common, they also talked sports. Mr Lupica gets away from this in all his books, whereas he could be the modern day Clair Bee if he so chose.
Book Review: Excellent YA Baseball Book
Summary: 5 Stars
If you don't like books on baseball written for young adults, this book isn't for you. It does not transcend its nature. However, it is an excellent example of its kind and well worth your time if you like this kind of book at all.
The central character is well-drawn and sympathetic but his sidekick, his Catcher and pal is possibly even better and their interaction is funny also. Their is a love-interest but nothing innapropriate for kids that age happens and this romance may simply be the beginning of a long friendship, which would be no tragedy.
There are some very nicely done minor characters.
The narration is unobtrusive and fits the situation. The dialogue is not on the lines of adult conversation but it is mostly kids talking and is as it should be.
The baseball is fun and the story is worth reading.
Book Review: Parent-approved fantastic read - especially for young boys
Summary: 5 Stars
As a parent of 2 sons, it's tough for me to find good literature for them to read. HEAT is just what I'm looking for as a parent. A great story that moves right along, just enough character detail to make the story real, and baseball! Strongly recommend without reservation. This was my first read of a book by Mike Lupica. Hope some of his others are just as good.