Synopses & Reviews
When a young slugger gets hit by a pitch, he needs more than practice to get back his game.
Sixth grader Jack Mogens has it all figured out: He's got his batting routine down, and his outfielding earns him a starting spot alongside his best friend Andy on their Little League team, the Tall Pines Braves. He even manages to have a not-totally-embarrassing conversation with Katie, the team's killer shortstop. But in the first game of the season, a powerful stray pitch brings everything Jack's worked so hard for crashing down around his ears. How can he explain to his parents and friends why he WON'T be playing? Readers will root for Jack as he finds the courage to step back up to the plate.
Review
Praise for GENTLEMEN
Northrop's first novel is creepy, yet it has what can pass for a happyor at least satisfyingending.” The New York Times Book Review
A riveting thriller...This is a rare sort of book that may work just as well for reluctant readers as it will avid ones.” Booklist
Taut as a high-tension wire in execution
Northrop's first novel should have YA readers monitoring Amazon.com for his future works.”-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Praise for TRAPPED
Compelling
Michael Northrop deftly describes teens who are tested by the endless snow.” USA Today
A gripping disaster story
Northrop's solid storytelling should keep readers rapt.” -Publishers Weekly
An edge-of-your-seat experience
Just as he did in GENTLEMEN, Northrop gets at the core of human nature through masterful pacing.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
Praise for
Plunked :
“[A] kid-smart novel . . . Northrop, a former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated KIds, knows baseball and kids. He weaves an entertaining story about how the games we play can be mental as well as physical.” -- USA Today
“A well-crafted story and fun read. The sharp dialogue, the characters and, yes, maybe even a little bit of [Jack's] anxiety will resonate with young readers.” --Tom Verducci, senior writer, Sports Illustrated
“Plunked gives a marvelous degree of attention to the second-to-second details of youth baseball. Any kid who has ever loved a sport to the point of obsession will feel the fastball screaming into Jack's batting helmet.” --Gordon Korman, author of Swindle
“Well-developed characters and a strong narrative voice make this novel about much more than baseball. . . . Pitch-perfect.” --School Library Journal
“Well-written . . . An uncommonly thoughtful baseball novel.” --Publishers Weekly
“Readers will appreciate this down-to-earth sports story that stays within its game, offering . . . a realistic story rooted in the writer's knowledge of the game and what it means to its young players.” --Kirkus Reviews
“What Northrop does particularly well here is to dig into the deep, complex psychology of an at-bat, where there's so much more going on than a simple meeting or missing of a ball and bat.” --Booklist
Review
“[A] kid-smart novel . . . Northrop, a former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated Kids, knows baseball and kids. He weaves an entertaining story about how the games we play can be mental as well as physical.” —USA Today
Review
“A well-crafted story and fun read. The sharp dialogue, the characters and, yes, maybe even a little bit of [Jack’s] anxiety will resonate with young readers.” —Tom Verducci, senior writer, Sports Illustrated
Review
“Plunked gives a marvelous degree of attention to the second-to-second details of youth baseball. Any kid who has ever loved a sport to the point of obsession will feel the fastball screaming into Jack’s batting helmet.” —Gordon Korman, author of Swindle
Review
“Well-developed characters and a strong narrative voice make this novel about much more than baseball. . . . Pitch-perfect.” —School Library Journal
Review
“Well-written . . . An uncommonly thoughtful baseball novel.” —Publishers Weekly
Review
“Readers will appreciate this down-to-earth sports story that stays within its game, offering . . . a realistic story rooted in the writer’s knowledge of the game and what it means to its young players.” —Kirkus Reviews
Review
“What Northrop does particularly well here is to dig into the deep, complex psychology of an at-bat, where there’s so much more going on than a simple meeting or missing of a ball and bat.” —Booklist
Review
a JLG selection "A strike is a strike, a ball is a ball. But what happens when the rules aren't so clear? You may scream at umpires, but you'll cheer and whoop for a kiddo who's trying with all his heart and guts to find a right way."
—Gary Schmidt, two-time Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award Finalist "Screaming at the Ump will make kids cheer! Baseball fans will love these funny, heart-warming characters, and the unique view of the game from behind the plate."
—Tim Green, New York Times bestselling author of Baseball Great and Best of the Best "This novel is a true original. If youve never read about umpires school before (and, seriously, who has?) youre going to enjoy this book. Vernicks writing is funny, poignant, and especially wise when it comes to dispelling the preconceived notions we sometimes cling to." —Todd Strasser, internationally bestselling author of The Wave, Fallout, and other titles
"Vernick laces her tale with humor, plus credible insights into the truly difficult art and techniques of umpiring, as she leads her aspiring journalist to make some good choices in the wake of a realization that people (parents included) should have more than one chance to get their calls right."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Multiple threads come together in a well-crafted way when Casey realizes the same skills an umpire needs—being objective and fair, knowing the rules, and being int he right spot to make the call—also apply to becoming a good journalist and healing his broken relationship with his mother."
—Publishers Weekly
"Its the peek into the world of professional umpire training that carries the interest here, culminating in the fictional but tantalizing event, You Suck, Ump! Day, in which students perform under intense pressure of a local crowd recruited to heckle them on the field."
—Bulletin
"Believable characters, fast-paced action, ample dialogue, Casey's first-person voice, and great descriptions of Zeke's hyperactivity make this a probable home run for lots of middle-schoolers."
—Booklist Online
"A solid choice for middle-grade readers."
—School Library Journal
Synopsis
Twelve-year-old Casey Snowden, who lives with his dad and grandfather at their family-run umpire school, must navigate the start of middle school, his mothers unwelcome reappearance in his life, and the possibility that a student umpire might be a famous fallen baseball player in disguise.
Synopsis
Twelve-year-old Casey Snowden knows everything about being an umpire. His dad and grandfather run a New Jersey umpire school, Behind the Plate, and Casey lives and breathes baseball. Caseys dream, however, is to be a reporter—objective, impartial, and fair, just like an ump. But when he stumbles upon a sensational story involving a former major league player in exile, he finds that the ethics of publishing it are cloudy at best. This emotionally charged coming-of-age novel about baseball, divorce, friendship, love, and compassion challenges its readers to consider all the angles before calling that strike.
About the Author
Michael Northrop is the New York Times bestselling author of TombQuest, an epic book and game adventure series featuring the magic of ancient Egypt. He is also the author of Trapped, an Indie Next List Selection, and Plunked, a New York Public Library best book of the year and an NPR Backseat Book Club selection. An editor at Sports Illustrated Kids for many years, he now writes full-time from his home in New York City. Learn more at www.michaelnorthrop.net.