Synopses & Reviews
When two friends compete, one of them will be forced out.
Joey and Zach have always been best friends. They're also two of the best baseball players in their league, and shoo-ins for the all-star team at the end of the season. Their dream is to play together on the Center State select team, and they will do anything to help each other get there.
So when Zach is forced to go on an extra-credit field trip that would make him miss the championship game and his chances to move on, Joey comes up with a risky plan to bail him out. Everything should be fine—as long as no one finds out what they did.
Then the unthinkable happens: The boys learn there's only one open spot on the select team. Suddenly Joey and Zach go from being best friends to biggest rivals, and Joey has to decide his next move. He can play the biggest game of his life, or he can use their secret to force Zach out. How far should Joey go to win?
In this tense, action-packed story that takes an increasingly common dilemma in competitive sports to new heights, former NFL defensive end Tim Green perfectly captures the kids who will push themselves to the limit to compete—even if it means putting everything on the line.
Review
Praise for BASEBALL GREAT:“Narration filled with crisp dialogue brings immediacy to Joshs painful practice sessions, the excitement of his games, and his confusion at the flux of middle-school dynamics.” Kirkus Reviews on Baseball Great, a New York Times bestseller
Review
“The baseball action is both exciting and laced with savvy tips about playing, coaching, and showing team spirit.” ALA Booklist on Best of the Best, a New York Times bestseller
Review
“The realistic portrayal of friendship lost and later restored, and the abundant baseball action guarantee that this book will find wide appeal among Greens many fans.” School Library Journal
Review
“An engrossing, tightly knit tale.” ALA Booklist
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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
In New York Times bestselling author Tim Green's baseball novel, when two friends compete, one of them will be forced out. In this tense, action-packed story that takes an increasingly common dilemma in competitive sports to new heights, former NFL defensive end Tim Green perfectly captures the kids who will push themselves to the limit to compete--even if it means putting everything on the line.
Joey and Zach have always been best friends. They're also two of the best baseball players in their league, and shoo-ins for the all-star team at the end of the season. Their dream is to play together on the Center State select team, and they will do anything to help each other get there.
So when Zach is forced to go on an extra-credit field trip that would make him miss the championship game and his chances to move on, Joey comes up with a risky plan to bail him out. Everything should be fine--as long as no one finds out what they did. Then the unthinkable happens: The boys learn there's only one open spot on the select team. Suddenly Joey and Zach go from being best friends to biggest rivals, and Joey has to decide his next move. He can play the biggest game of his life, or he can use their secret to force Zach out. How far should Joey go to win?
Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Tim Green hits it out of the park with this action-packed baseball novel about some friendly competition. Perfect for fans of Mike Lupica.
Joey and Zach have been best friends since forever. As two of the best players in their baseball league, they've always dreamed of playing together on the Center State select team, and they will do anything to help each other get there.
So when Zach is forced to go on an extra-credit field trip that could ruin his chances of being picked for the all-star team, Joey comes up with a risky plan to bail him out. As long as no one finds out what they did, all will be fine. Then the unthinkable happens: They learn there's only one spot left on the team. Suddenly Joey and Zach go from being best friends to fierce rivals, and Joey must figure out his next move. He has two options: play the biggest game of his life or use their secret to force Zach out. But is Joey really willing to put everything on the line to win?
--ALA Booklist on Best of the Best, a New York Times bestseller
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
Tim Green, for many years a star defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons, is a man of many talents. He's the author of such gripping books for adults as the
New York Times bestselling
The Dark Side of the Game and
American Outrage. Tim graduated covaledictorian from Syracuse University and was a first-round draft pick. He later earned his law degree with honors, and he has also worked as an NFL commentator for FOX Sports and NPR.
His first book for young readers, Football Genius, inspired in part by his players and his own kids, became a New York Times bestseller and was followed by Football Hero, Football Champ, The Big Time, and Deep Zone. He drew on his experiences playing and coaching Little League for Rivals and Pinch Hit and two more New York Times bestsellers: Baseball Great and Best of the Best.
Bestselling author Jon Scieszka called Tim Green's Unstoppable, a book about a boy's struggle with cancer that debuted at #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, "Absolutely heroic. And something every guy should read."
Tim Green lives with his wife, Illyssa, and their five children in upstate New York.