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241st out of 281 books
—
446 voters
Plunked
by
Michael Northrop (Goodreads Author)
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 Ka...more
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 Ka...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
March 1st 2012
by Scholastic Press
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Plunked by Michael Northop
Scholastic, 2012
Realistic Fiction: Sports
247 pages
Recommended for grades 4-6
Who loves sports books?? Not me! But I read them from time to time. Just because I don't dig a play-by-play of really any sport, doesn't mean my students feel the same way.
But here's the thing: I loved this book! Northrop is well versed in the game of baseball, there is no question there. But writing a middle grade novel about baseball isn't just about writing good sports plays, you've got to c...more
Scholastic, 2012
Realistic Fiction: Sports
247 pages
Recommended for grades 4-6
Who loves sports books?? Not me! But I read them from time to time. Just because I don't dig a play-by-play of really any sport, doesn't mean my students feel the same way.
But here's the thing: I loved this book! Northrop is well versed in the game of baseball, there is no question there. But writing a middle grade novel about baseball isn't just about writing good sports plays, you've got to c...more
This book is about a child named Jack Mogens who is a baseball player and is in the sixth grade at Tall Pines Elementary. Jack is competing with another good baseball player to get on the team. Jack wants to make the starting lineup on the team since this is his last year in Little League. The team shortstop is Katie, a girl, who Jack likes and he is not able to have a conversation with her without getting embarrassed in the past. All is going well for Jack until he is hit by a wild pitch. After...more
Jack has things pretty much figured out, as much as anyone can in the 6th grade. He's on a Little League team with good friends and a girl whom he thinks is cute. He's doing well on the team, too-- until he gets hit by a pitch and sent to the hospital. It's just a mild concussion, but it makes him wary of getting up to the plate again. He finds himself faking an injury and lying to his parents in order to get out of a game, and then thinks that he may drop out of playing baseball altogether. Bas...more
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Richie's Picks: PLUNKED by Michael Northrop, Scholastic Press, March 2012, 256p., ISBN: 978-0-545-29714-1
"But that was just a dream
Try, cry, why, try
That was just a dream
Just a dream, just a dream"
-- REM, "Losing My Religion"
"There's something I would like to say, like, officially: Ooooooooooowwwww!
"I'm lying there at home plate, looking up at all the people standing over me in a circle. Their catcher has his mask pushed up on top of his head. The ump's mask is totally off, and he has this weird...more
"But that was just a dream
Try, cry, why, try
That was just a dream
Just a dream, just a dream"
-- REM, "Losing My Religion"
"There's something I would like to say, like, officially: Ooooooooooowwwww!
"I'm lying there at home plate, looking up at all the people standing over me in a circle. Their catcher has his mask pushed up on top of his head. The ump's mask is totally off, and he has this weird...more
a. Realistic Fiction
b. 256 pages
c. Plunked by Michael Northrop is about Jack Mogens and his life about baseball. Jack lives with his mom and dad, and he has a best friend named Andy. Andy and Jack live in Tall Pines, and play for the Tall Pines baseball team. They both are competing for the starting position on their team; Jack in left field and Andy on third base. After lots of hard work they both earn the starting position. Jack is a great ball player, but he has one weakness: inside pitches....more
b. 256 pages
c. Plunked by Michael Northrop is about Jack Mogens and his life about baseball. Jack lives with his mom and dad, and he has a best friend named Andy. Andy and Jack live in Tall Pines, and play for the Tall Pines baseball team. They both are competing for the starting position on their team; Jack in left field and Andy on third base. After lots of hard work they both earn the starting position. Jack is a great ball player, but he has one weakness: inside pitches....more
I grew up playing softball. My parents also played co-ed and slow pitch. Basically I lived on the baseball field as a kid. Because of that, I was able to relate to this story. That being said, I don't think it was award winning writing.
This is a story about a boy who is on a baseball team and it basically gives a play by play of his baseball season. If you have a child who loves baseball I would totally recommend this book. I did like that it shows how this boy overcomes struggles, learns teamwo...more
This is a story about a boy who is on a baseball team and it basically gives a play by play of his baseball season. If you have a child who loves baseball I would totally recommend this book. I did like that it shows how this boy overcomes struggles, learns teamwo...more
I'm always reading and hearing that there aren't enough books out there geared toward boys in MG and YA. Well, this book certainly makes up for that. After I read it, I let my sixth grade nephew read it and he gave it five stars, too. It's not just about baseball. It's about a young boy's quest to overcome his fears and insecurities while he's learning how to become a full grown man. His POV is as authentic as any other I've read in this genre and I found myself cheering him on all through the b...more
I liked this book because when I listened to Jack's voice, he SOUNDED like a 6th grade boy. He totally goes from one subject to another, and his conversations with his friends and reactions to the conversations that he has with his friends are VERY realistic.
I have a sixth grader, who plays baseball, so I could automatically relate.
I liked the fact that the parents in the story were imperfect, quirky, and a bit nerdy, but they were REAL, not stereotypically stupid.
I liked the fact that Jack was...more
I have a sixth grader, who plays baseball, so I could automatically relate.
I liked the fact that the parents in the story were imperfect, quirky, and a bit nerdy, but they were REAL, not stereotypically stupid.
I liked the fact that Jack was...more
Plunked is a very refreshing book for me to read. I can remember back to my childhood when my friends and I acted and spoke to one another just like Jack and his friends do. Sure you are polite around parents, teachers, and coaches but having nicknames for people you think look like a character out of a book? Absolutely! Putting your best friend on notice that they need to stop acting like a baby and get back in the game they love? Most definitely! And...helping out and being supportive when it...more
Plunked is a must-read for true baseball fans. Jack lives for baseball, and is devastated when he is hit in the head (while wearing his batting helmet) with a pitch. He is not seriously injured, but he is overcome with anxiety about being hit again when he tries to return after the incident. His response to the anxiety is very normal for a kid his age--he doesn't know quite what to do with it, is embarrassed, and instead of telling his parents or coach, he lies to cover up the fact that he is af...more
I toss the softball straight up, eye its descent like a hawk, before swinging the aluminum bat hard while pivoting my hips; a satisfying thud shatters the silence as the ball sails into the net. I repeat the cathartic motion again and again: toss, smash, toss, smash, toss smash. I love sports... especially baseball. I got a chance to play slow pitch last Tuesday and had a blast just tossing the ball up and clobbering it into the pitching net. A peacefulness settles on me like dust on the field w...more
From April 2012 SLJ
Gr 4-7:�Well-developed characters and a strong narrative voice make this novel about much more than baseball. Jack Mogens is ready for his sixth season of Little League. He has a good arm, he's a decent hitter, and he thinks he has a shot at being the starting left fielder for the Tall Pines Braves. But when he gets hit during the first game and ends up being treated for a mild concussion, his lack of confidence about inside pitches turns into real trepidation. Nightmares abou...more
Gr 4-7:�Well-developed characters and a strong narrative voice make this novel about much more than baseball. Jack Mogens is ready for his sixth season of Little League. He has a good arm, he's a decent hitter, and he thinks he has a shot at being the starting left fielder for the Tall Pines Braves. But when he gets hit during the first game and ends up being treated for a mild concussion, his lack of confidence about inside pitches turns into real trepidation. Nightmares abou...more
This is a baseball fan's book for sure - although I barely know anything about the game and was able to follow along. It doesn't get going until page 70 or so. In fact, I had a kid give up on it that I'm going to go back to and suggest he start on page 70. The central idea is a good one, bug the entire book should have been edited with a vengeance. Little scenes here and there add no meaning and are just wordiness that detracts from what should have been a really great book.
Good book about overcoming your fears. Yes, this specific fear is of being hit by a baseball, but the moral can easily carry over to other areas. There also is a good section on what happens when you lie to cover up your fears and what it means to be honest. Plus some really good baseball tips (I never knew you were supposed to use your back leg as your weight-bearing leg when hitting.)
Kids who love baseball will loooove this book. Jack loves baseball, so much of the action here is on the field, with the jargon. I love baseball so this is no problem. Sometimes, off the field, Jack explains too much for a sixth grader. Things wrap up a little too well. But it's a solid book about loving baseball and dealing with getting hit in the head by a baseball (hence the title).
Apr 04, 2012
Augusta Scattergood
added it
Loved it. And I don't really love sports books all the time. But this was so much more. Funny writing, great character, terrific writing.
Here's where I blog about it:
http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2012...
Click over there and leave me a comment. I'm giving away the ARC Scholastic shared with me!
Contest ends April 10. Hurry on over and comment.
Here's where I blog about it:
http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2012...
Click over there and leave me a comment. I'm giving away the ARC Scholastic shared with me!
Contest ends April 10. Hurry on over and comment.
Nov 16, 2012
Jessica
marked it as hikedigitalbookshelf
Plunked is a story about a boy who has worked extremely hard at a sport he loves; baseball. He has mastered every skill he needed to earn a starting spot on the little league team with his best friend. When a stray pitch changes everything Jack has worked for, he must figure out what to do next. This book will keep you rooting for Jack to find the courage to get back everything he has worked for.
This would be a suitable book for upper elementary students (4-6). I think it would appeal to my futu...more
This would be a suitable book for upper elementary students (4-6). I think it would appeal to my futu...more
This book tells the story of Jack Morgan who is hit in the head by a baseball pitch. This hit leaves him a bit traumatized and changed. This book is filled with baseball play by plays. It will appeal to baseball fans and is intended to those 11 years and older. I would implement this book in my classroom as filler on my shelf.
Not much to my taste. Although I like baseball, I found the constant use of baseball jargon to be distracting and I didn't think the actions of the main character were realistic. However, I can see a definite readership for this book and already know some students to whom I'll be recommending it.
I think that Plunked, by Michael Northrop, is a good book. It is all about baseball, so if you like baseball, it is a good book for you. Jack is really into baseball with his friends. He is doing well until something happens and completely messes him up. In this book, see if Jack will stay in the game or something worse. I remember when I used to play baseball and I was always nervous like Jack when I was up to bat.
A book gleefully focused on baseball, with a charming cast of young main characters whose passion for their sport gives a whole lot of momentum to the narrative. Also, some of the most authentic boy-speak I've seen in literature recently. Highly recommended!
Sixth-grader Jack has to overcome his fear and self-doubting after getting hit twice by a baseball (p.82 description of being hit in the head). Reference: Island of Dr. Moreau: what kind of animals would you like to be?
When Jack Mogens is hit in the head by a wild baseball pitch, it leaves him shaken -- and suddenly skittish. Loaded with baseball play-by-play, this book is for all baseball-loving middle-graders.
For a boy in love with baseball, this story will seem very real. Overcoming fear, embarrassment, and sixth grade is nothing to be sneezed at. And good friends are to be appreciated. Not a bad mix.
I did read the entire book even though it was not exactly my kind of book. I was looking for books to interest my boys at school. I liked the message don't give up, but all the baseball jargon was a bit much for me. That being said I had boys at school who simply could not put it down so it is hitting its target audience.
I enjoyed this book. Lots about the mechanics of baseball. Would be a good choice for the boy who loves sports but not reading so much. :)
640lexile, jack wants to be starter, gets hurt wants to quit, has to overcome fear
Has good characters, setting, conflicts, theme
Has good characters, setting, conflicts, theme
Definitely a boy read. This is a good baseball story for any elementary level kid... You definitely need to be a baseball fan yo like and appreciate it! A boy in my class asked me to read it.
6th grader, loves baseball, gets NAILED with a pitch, turns his life topsy-turvy
Jack Mogens lives and breathes baseball and so does Plunked by Michael Northrop. In and among all the wonderful detailed descriptions of baseball - from practice strategies, to game day routines, to position details - is a great story. Jack has to face his fears when he gets hit by a pitch and he does so with honesty and pluck and a whole lotta heart. He looks to his friends and his parents for support. A great read both for those interested in baseball and for those looking for a great story ab...more
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Michael Northrop's first young adult novel, Gentlemen, earned him a Publishers Weekly Flying Start citation, and his second, Trapped, was an Indie Next List pick and an ALA/YALSA Readers' Choice List selection. His middle-grade novel, Plunked, was named to the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing in 2012. He was a senior editor at Sports Illustrated Kids from 2000-08, and h...more
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