1 of 1 copy available
When the Grizzlies' first basemen is sidelined two days before the playoffs, catcher Manny Griffin and second baseman Stu Fletcher take it upon themselves to help his replacement become a better player. The three practice together and all is going well-until a wild throw hits Stu right in the head! Manny gives his word to keep quiet, but a few days later, Stu starts acting funny. Now Manny faces a difficult decision: should he break his promise and let Stu and the team down... or keep silent and hope that he's not putting Stu in danger?
Matt Christopher is the name young readers turn to when they're looking for fast-paced, action packed sports novels.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 8, 2011 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781607886884
- File size: 52780 KB
- Duration: 01:49:57
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 700
- Text Difficulty: 3
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Reviews
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June 1, 2011
Gr 4-7-Catcher Manny Griffin and second baseman Stu Fletcher help Sean Wilson learn to play shortstop. Their practice goes well until a wild ball hits Stu in the head. Though dazed and disoriented, Stu makes Manny promise not to tell Mrs. Fletcher, who will ground him for not wearing his batting helmet. The next day Stu has a monstrous headache, is nauseous during lunch, and goes straight to bed when he gets home. During a scrimmage, Stu's blurry vision keeps him from hitting and catching the ball. Suspecting his friend has a concussion, Manny looks up head trauma on his computer and learns that a second blow to the head could have serious-even fatal-consequences. Rather than lose Stu's friendship by telling the coach or his mom, Manny tells Sean. The boys alert their teammates and plan moves to protect Stu during the championship game. Realizing that keeping quiet is a serious mistake, Manny bobbles a catch on purpose, bringing their loud-mouth coach down on him. In the ensuing commotion, Manny gets Stu out of the game and tells his mother. The doctor says Stu must stay off the ball field for a month. Joshua Swanson narrates Matt Christopher's novel (Little, Brown Books, 2011), giving each character a distinctive voice. Especially convincing is the coach who, realizing he ignored important signs when Stu began to act out of character, gets a second chance to earn his players' respect. With so much concern for the lasting effects of concussions, this is a good choice for elementary school libraries.-Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN
Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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