about the book
Baseball is Jack Callahan’s game. He loves the newly cut grass, the snap of the ball, the chatter of the players, the music of the game. His dad, now a lawyer, had been a star player, good enough to be drafted by the Red Sox. This is supposed to be Jack’s year, the year he and his team take the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Jack is a star, too. He’s a blazing pitcher and a dead-on short stop, bats third on the roster, and plays outfield with the best of them.
Gus Morales, his best friend, is just as serious about baseball. Together, they are unstoppable, losing just one game last year by one run—in the playoffs. Not this year. Gus can’t wait for Williamsport. The games will be nationally televised on ESPN!
During the first practice of spring, Jack is killing it. He just knows where the ball is going even before it flies and effortlessly glides to where he needs to be. Throughout the practice, he realizes anew just how much he loves the game. And when the session is done and the others leave the field, Jack walks up to the coach…and quits.
He has his reasons, but not one person in Walton understands why, especially Gus. But Cassie stands by him. Now with his head out of the game, he notices Teddy. Athletically challenged, the chunky kid is constantly taunted by bullies. Jack shuts them down and takes the friendly Teddy under his wing. Boosting the kid’s confidence and teaching him the game, Jack finds his hiatus from baseball cut short, especially when he ends up coaching Cassie’s softball team.
Slowly his reason for quitting the game is revealed. His older brother Brad recently died in a dirt bike accident. Giving up baseball is Jack’s self-inflicted punishment for not being responsible enough to stop his brother from being a daredevil idiot.
With the help of his new friends and the support of his family, Jack learns to accept himself and what he has done. With their help, he might just find his way back onto the diamond.
about the author
Born in Oneida, New York, Mike Lupica spent his childhood in Nashua, New Hampshire, playing sports and reading Hardy Boys mysteries, science adventures, and Clair Bee’s books about sports.
After graduating from Boston College, Mike’s first job was at the New York Post covering the New York Knicks, and at 23, he became the youngest columnist of any New York City paper. Now with over thirty years of sports-related experience, Mike, a syndicated newspaper writer, created the “Shooting from the Lip” column for the New York Daily News as well as a television/radio commentator and anchor. He has written articles for magazines, sports biographies, autobiographies (co- authored) for Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells, non-fiction books, and novels for both adults and children.
For the young male reader, Mike writes realistic sports-related stories that involve normal boys and themes of friendship, loyalty, and persevering. Although his characters are usually the underdog, he never gives them more than they can handle.
Mike lives in New Canaan, Connecticut, with his wife, Taylor, and their three sons and a daughter. He spends a lot of his free time coaching kids’ soccer and basketball teams.
Sources:
Author website
Author biography : Wikipedia
Author interview: Scholastic
Book Trailer: The Only Game
Also by Mike Lupica:
Last Man Out. Philomel. 2016.
The Extra Yard (Home Team, Book 2). Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 2016.
Heavy Hitters (Game Changers, Book 3). Scholastic. 2014.
Fantasy League. Philomel. 2014.
Play Makers (Game Changers, Book 2). Scholastic. 2013.
Game Changers (Game Changers, Book 1). Scholastic. 2012.
Hero. Philomel. 2010.
The Batboy. Philomel. 2010.
Million-Dollar Throw. Philomel. 2009.
The Big Field. Philomel. 2008.
Summer Ball. Philomel. 2007.
Miracle on 49th Street. Philomel. 2006.
Heat. Philomel. 2006.
Travel Team. Philomel. 2004.
read more!
Plunked by Michael Northrop
When Jack accidentally gets hit in the head—not once, but twice—at the beginning of baseball season, he becomes nervous about continuing to play. With a mild concussion due to the hits, Jack seriously considers whether or not giving up the game is the best and safest choice for him as a person and athlete.
The Extra Yard (Home Team, Book 2) by Mike Lupica
Bullied for his weight, Teddy turned his life around with the help of his new friend Jack. Now in shape, he’s ready to give football a try—and makes the team. But his excitement is short lived. His dad, who abandoned him years ago, returns and ends up one of the football coaches. Can Teddy ever forgive the man…and how will their broken relationship affect the game?
The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang
Peter loved his older brother, and especially loved the times they and their mother would gather around the radio to listen to the Pittsburgh Pirates play baseball. Then a car accident took Nelson’s life. Now Peter’s mother cannot bear to listen to baseball anymore—but Peter thinks baseball might be the only thing that can heal their family again.