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Oct 08, 2011

Danielle rated it:

Lupica, Mike, The Batboy. Penguin Group: New York, 2010. 246 pp. ISBN 978-0-14-241782-9

Genre: Young Adult Fictions
Rating: ****For a boy who loves every part of baseball, even the starts and stops, getting to be the batboy for the Detroit Tigers as a summer job is a dream come true. As batboy he gets to meet his all time baseball hero Hank Bishop. Hank has not come back for the love of the game, or to make 500 homeruns, he has come back to prove something to himself. Brian More...

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Aug 05, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

The Batboy is the second Lupica book I have read and I enjoyed both. I read Heat for a Children’s Literature course last summer also to fulfill a sports fiction requirement. Needless to say, I have purchased every one of his titles for my library and I can’t keep them on the shelves. Seeing middle school boys recommend titles to each other and compare notes on books read is fantastic and a testament to Lupica’s writing ability and style. In The Batboy, Brian Dudley is a 14 year old boy who g More...

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Aug 20, 2011

Josiah rated it:

I've wondered for some time now if a novel with a deeply configured sports theme could possibly come away with a Newbery prize in today's culture of literature for young readers. I'm not talking about books like Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy or Maniac Magee, both Newbery designees that featured sports as incidental to the plot; what I have in mind are books that truly revolve around a sports theme, ones in which the plot is built on the foundation of a sport or sports. Perhaps the clo More...

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Jun 26, 2011

Alyssa rated it:

The Batboy details the summer life of 14 year old Brian. Brian lives for baseball. He learned that from his dad, who was a major league pitcher before getting let go and leaving his family to move to Japan to be a pitching coach. Brian applies to be a batboy for his favorite team, the Detroit Tigers. Soon he finds out that his idol, Hank Bishop has been picked up by the team. Hank is back into baseball after getting in trouble for testing positive for steroids. He is ecstatic to get the chance t More...

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Mar 03, 2011

Tyler rated it:

The main character in this book's name was Brian. He is fourteen years old and his summer job it to be the batboy for the Detroit Tigers. Usually the boys that are batboys are sixteen years old or older. During that same summer he has travel ball and later in the year his favorite baseball player comes back to the Tigers. Brian's job as a batboy goes as high as getting players what they need to making coffee for the players. Before games he needs to stock the dugout up with seeds and gum, and an More...

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Feb 16, 2011

Deanna rated it:

14 year old baseball fanatic, Brian, lands the summer job of his dreams when he is hired to be batboy for the Detroit Tigers. Growing up with a now absent dad who played in the majors, he has been a life long fan of the game. When his long time idol, Hank Bishop, comes out of retirment to join the team Brian believes life can't possibly get better. Bishop is trying to make a come-back after being suspended for steroid use but has lost his love of the game and maybe his talent. Brian is disapp More...

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Jul 19, 2010

BAYA rated it:

Brian gets a summer job as batboy for his favorite professional team. During the summer, not only does the player he most admires – who was suspended for suspected steroids use – come back to play for the same team, but Brian’s father is back in town. A good solid sports entry- there’s lots of baseball action for fans, but even non-enthusiasts can follow along and enjoy the story. The characters are pretty predictable, as is the denouement, but the ending is nonetheless satisfying and believable More...

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Nov 13, 2011

Andrewb rated it:

This is an awesome book. I loved it. This is one of my favorite books of all-time for many reasons. Mainly, because it is about baseball, which is my favorite sport. It also shows you how life as a major league baseball player really is like. This book is also an inside scoop of life inside an Major league baseball dugout/clubhouse. Another reason I love this book is because it shows how rough life can be at times, and how you have to actually work to achieve goals that mean something to you. I More...

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Dec 18, 2011

Logan added it

Its about a boy named Brian and he's living his dream to be a batboy for a major-league team. Brian believes that its the perfect thing to make him and his dad closer. And his baseball hero Hank Bishop returns from suspended for drugs and Brian thought it couldnt get any better. until Hank starts to shpw his true colors and Brian is getting second thoughts if he needs to forget about him.

Im not a big baseball fan but its the best one Ive read in a while.

I recommened this More...

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Dec 22, 2010

Jake rated it:

This was a good book because it kept you reading. First, Brian's dad moved out because he retired from the MLB and went to Japan where he was still famous. This made life hard from Brian and his mother. Then one summer, Brian signed up to be a batboy for the Detriot Tigers. Even though he is underaged, they hire Brian because he is determined and they where short in volenteers. Then Brian's idol, Hank Bishop, is picked up by the Tigers and is in a terrible slump just before he was going to get h More...

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Dec 16, 2010

Brandon rated it:

Mike lupica is a good author and makes good books. I'm writing my book review on Mike Lupica's book The batboy. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 star. Not only does the book take place in Bloomfield Hills but the way the author describes it makes the story sound like you are living it. The amazing details paint pictures in your mind and you cant stop reading. Mike Lupica did a great job once again but he made me not want to put the book down and neither will you. That's why you should read the More...

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Apr 25, 2011

Nick added it

I finished the batboy by Mike Lupica. This was a fiction book about a kid who played baseball and was the batboy for the Detroit Tigers. He ended up meeting his hero of a baseball player and helped become a better player. In the end the kid's hero and his mom hook up and date.
I really liked this book because it was interesting the whole time and it talked a lot about baseball one of my favorite sports. I have already read a lot of Mike Lupica's sport books and I look forward to rea More...

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Apr 28, 2010

Sharon rated it:

5/6th&up. Mike Lupica really has his pulse on what a boy wants to read about. This story has just enough baseball details to make it authentic, but not enough to scare off someone who has only a passing interest in the sport (me). Brian is a likable character, and his hero Hank Bishop is presented as flawed yet redeemable. With a subplot of an absent father, and the issue of steroids, and a message about going after your dreams, this book has a something for everyone.

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Mar 24, 2010

Laela rated it:

I am a big baseball fan and this book has A LOT of baseball. A good portion of this book is a play by play discription of games. If your into that this book is for you.

Brian is a likeable character. I understand his love/hate relationship with this major league baseball playing father. I was broken hearted for him when Hank was such a jerk. I really like learning all about what a Batboy does. It was an interesting story and it reads like it's written by a sports writer.

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Jul 21, 2011

The Library Lady rated it:

This is NOT Mike Lupica at his best--too dang predictable. Still,it's a heckuva lot better than the much hyped Hothead in that Ripken & collaborator don't write well for boys and Lupica DOES. True baseball fanatics will glory in extremely detailed baseball talk and young readers will love the just about perfect, wish fulfillment ending.

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Aug 31, 2011

Shawn rated it:

This was my first Mike Lupica book. Being a big Tiger fan, I grew up with the dream of being a batboy at Tiger Stadium so the premise for this book was right in my wheelhouse. The writing was smooth and very descriptive, making the reader feel like he really was on the field. The story, though simple and probably predictable, was engaging and made you want to keep reading to see how it all turns out. Overall, a good story about a boy realizing his dream, and finding out it is not on the fiel More...

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May 22, 2010

Kim rated it:

Brian gets the job of a lifetime - being a batboy for the Detroit Tigers. His mom isn't too happy, because she doesn't like baseball. It could be because Brian's dad used to be a professional pitcher and they recently got divorced. Brian also lucks out when his favorite player is called back to the Tigers. He thinks it will be great - but will it?

Not my favorite Lupica, but it's a good story for sports crazed kids.

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Dec 14, 2011

Benjamin rated it:

The Batboy was a bit of a disappointment coming from such a talented knowledgable writer such as Mike Lupica. This fluke lacked a strong plot, however, it was easy to relate to the characters in the novel. Mike Lupica's generally strong literary works stand high above this catastrophe. A younger audience may be able to better appreciate the book's simplistic nature.

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Mar 12, 2011

ms.petra rated it:

This is a great fast read. Mike Lupica is a prominent sports writer and gives me just another reason to love baseball. Corny? yes! Predictable? a bit! But, the call of the game, the sound of the bat getting all of a fast ball, the joy of the game itself comes through loud and clear. Baseball teaches so many lessons on so many levels. A perfect little primer for the MLB season. :)

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Jan 16, 2011

Jacob rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Sep 25, 2011

Ian rated it:

This book gives me a good sense about what being a batboy is like. I have always wanted to be one, even though I live in Kansas City and the Royals aren't the best. This book also gives me the sense of how it is to have a father that doesn't care about you. I loved this book and cant wait for the next one.

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Sep 26, 2011

Marydawnschuck rated it:

After becoming the batboy for the Detroit Tigers, other parts of Brian’s life are not so great. His mom and dad are divorced, and his dad, a former major league player, lives in Japan. Brian is looking for a relationship with his father and hopes that his job as a batboy will bring them closer.

Iowa Teen Award nominee 2011-2012

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May 03, 2011

Monaquintana rated it:

Brian, 14, is hired as a batboy for the Detroit Tigers major league baseball team. The job is only for the summer but it has a great impact on his life. Not only does he get to meet and work for a great baseball player but his home life changes for the better.

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Feb 09, 2011

Jt rated it:

I thought that this was a good sports book by Mike Lupica. It has a very good theme, and that is what makes it a good book. It was not a very long book, but I still thought that it was pretty good. It was about Brian Dudley, batboy for the Detroit Tigers, and how he meets his idol, Hank Bishop. Hank is not who Brian thinks he is, but the whole book is about how they become friends through baseball. I would recommend this book to any sports fan, especially baseball.

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Jun 21, 2011

Cinnapatty rated it:

You have to have an understanding of baseball to enjoy this book. It helps if you like baseball too. I really enjoyed this book. It's YA. It's clean. I like feel good endings so I was not disappointed.

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Sep 19, 2011

Henry rated it:

This book was better than I thought it would be. It's not just some stupid sports book like most of them are. Believe me, I'm not a Mike Lupica superfan, but this book was really good.

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Jun 13, 2011

Kalei rated it:

I know next to nothing about baseball and found this endearing story of a young boy and his life immersed in baseball to be difficult to put down. Great story, easy to read and well told.

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Mar 30, 2010

Kathyred rated it:

I am not a baseball fan at all, but this made me enjoy the game anyway! The game side of the story ends up predictably, but the emotional side of the story ends surprisingly

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Aug 10, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

When I got this book, I thought that it would be some sort of cheesy elementary kid baseball book. I was very wrong. Great book.

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Mar 26, 2011

Marcia rated it:

Not being a baseball fan, I couldn't really get into all of the baseball scenes. However, this was an enjoyable read and would make a great read for a true baseball fan.

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