STARRED Book Review: Building a Team (Baseball Buddies)

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Oct 30

Building a Team (Baseball Buddies)

by Aaron Derr

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction

ISBN: 9781643712840

Print Length: 152 pages

Publisher: Red Chair Press

Reviewed by Warren Maxwell

Baseball Buddies: Building a Team begins with the visceral joy that the first day of Spring brings to baseball fans, and it follows through with a group of young teammates over the course of one season. This is a classic baseball story: a mixture of sports talk, memorable characters, and valuable insights into dealing with friends and enemies.

"'Hey boys, everybody say 'hi' to Luis," said Coach Joe. "He's a terrific baseball player—or so his mom tells me.'"

New in town, 11-year old Luis becomes the center of attention when the local coach unexpectedly picks him to be the Manatees' team captain. Some players are angry that they weren't picked to be captain. Others just don't like Luis. But when Coach Joe asks everyone what they like best about baseball, Luis is the only person who thinks about the whole team and not just himself.

Now Luis, who just wanted to be a regular player, must figure out what it means to be a captain and how to unite the Manatees before they blow their chance of making the playoffs. With the help of Gary, the catcher, and Aliyah, the center fielder, Luis overcomes his shyness and creates player-only team meetings to solve the problem.