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Hothead
Connor Sullivan is an All-Star shortstop on his Babe Ruth team, the Orioles. He can hit and field with the best of them, but he's got one big problem: his temper. When he strikes out or makes an error, he's a walking Mt. Vesuvius, slamming batting helmets and throwing gloves. His teammates are starting to avoid him, even his best friend Jordy. His coach is ready to kick hi...more
Hardcover, 144 pages
Published
March 8th 2011
by Hyperion Book CH
(first published February 25th 2011)
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First I should tell you that I love baseball. Baseball is the best sport ever invented, and I think Cal Ripken really portrays the determination and fun in baseball. This book's Genre is realistic-fiction that has to do with sports. I would recommend this book to a young teenager that loves reading books about baseball, and to people who read Mike Lupica books because they are very similar. This book just catches you when you start reading it. Cal Ripken made this book so catchy that I read it...more
I feel I need to let you know that I am a baseball girl. I am that person who sits around and watches the game night after night. You want to talk about what's going on with my Reds, be ready, we'll be here awhile. You need to know this because I am about to tell you that this book has too much baseball in it, and I want to make sure you understand that I know what I am talking about.
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great things going on in this book. Connor's family is going through a rou...more
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great things going on in this book. Connor's family is going through a rou...more
Mar 14, 2012
Karen Yingling
added it
Connor's father has lost his job, and his mother is working extra hard as a nurse, so while they are supportive of Connor's baseball playing, it's hard for them to get to games and even harder for them to think about paying for summer baseball camp. Even though he's a very good player, Connor finds himself erupting on the field any time anything goes wrong, which doesn't make him look good. His coach is understanding, and a new friend, Melissa, helps him to understand that he needs to channel hi...more
Connor Sullivan has more talent than most kids his age...a great shortstop, a powerful hitter, and a humble teammate. That is until his family life comes under stress with his dad losing his job. Connor hears his parents whispering about losing their home and his dad's struggles with unemployment.
That's when Connor's temper is unleashed and gets him suspended from the game he loves. His coach and teammates try to reason with him and calm him down, now that the championship games are about to be...more
That's when Connor's temper is unleashed and gets him suspended from the game he loves. His coach and teammates try to reason with him and calm him down, now that the championship games are about to be...more
Perhaps baseballs fans will like this more than I did as there was a great deal of play-by-play action. It addresses some great issues: parent's job loss and resulting family stress, sportsmanship and self-control. However, the hothead issue seemed to come from nowhere. Yes, it was brought on by the family's stress of the dad's job loss, but there seemed to be little basis for the kid's actions. His temper just seemed to erupt out of nowhere. First, he's a perfect kid and baseball player, and th...more
Hothand is a really good book by Cal Ripken Jr. that has to do with a boy who plays baseball. Connor Sullivan is a boy who loves baseball and is very good at it too. Connor’s dad just got fired from his job and so his mom has to work extra hard and she is barely ever home. This makes Connor frustrated and he takes the frustration out on the baseball field when he does something wrong. Then Connor meets this girl name Melissa who really likes him and he likes her. She is a writer on there school...more
A Matt Christopher style sports/personal issues book with soon to be dated current references and a very predictable plot. Don't know how much is Ripken's work (little, I'd guess) and how much is Cowherd's, but neither really has any genius for kids writing. Stick with Mike Lupica or Dan Gutman for some terrific sports novels for elementary aged kids.
P.S. I have never understood why Ripken was so hailed for his continuous work record. Most of us who got up and went to work every day would have d...more
P.S. I have never understood why Ripken was so hailed for his continuous work record. Most of us who got up and went to work every day would have d...more
Connor is the hotshot of his baseball team, but he is going through some hard times. His dad has been out of work for months and can't find a job. And Connor is having a hard time controlling his emotions; he starts through tantrums during games and is close to being kicked off the team.
This entire book felt like an after school special on dealing with families out of work and controlling your temper. It was way too simplistic with little character development or plot. And there was way too muc...more
This entire book felt like an after school special on dealing with families out of work and controlling your temper. It was way too simplistic with little character development or plot. And there was way too muc...more
From April 2011 SLJ:
Gr 3-6–Connor Sullivan seems to have it made: the seventh-grade all-star shortstop is well liked by his teammates and has a good shot at the invitation-only Brooks Robinson Camp. But he hasn’t told anyone that his dad was laid off from his job as a car salesman, and that financial worries are creating tension at home. The stress starts to get the better of Connor on the field, and the previously even-tempered player starts having major meltdowns. At first, his outbursts are s...more
Gr 3-6–Connor Sullivan seems to have it made: the seventh-grade all-star shortstop is well liked by his teammates and has a good shot at the invitation-only Brooks Robinson Camp. But he hasn’t told anyone that his dad was laid off from his job as a car salesman, and that financial worries are creating tension at home. The stress starts to get the better of Connor on the field, and the previously even-tempered player starts having major meltdowns. At first, his outbursts are s...more
I like this book because it is about baseball. It also has teams that are in the Major League Baseball and some of those teams are good in real life. My dad would like this book because he likes baseball. I think he likes the New York Yankees or a different team in baseball. One challenge in this book was too many characters. It was challenging because i thought a girl Melissa was Connor's sister but her name was Brianna. Connor had a lot of problems at home for his anger and get's mad at his ba...more
I read a ton of novels about baseball when I was a boy, and this one would have fit right in as one of my favorites. You always want a kid who feels real who you can root for, and Cal Ripken, Jr. gives us just that. Connor is an All-Star, but his Dad lost his job and the stress this has put on his family has caused Connor to act out on the baseball diamond. He doesn't want to let his team down, but he keeps having explosive incidents that endanger his team's chances of winning the championship....more
Connor is the star player on his baseball team. He's popular because he doesn't let his star status go to his head, and he's a nice kid. However, events at home have put a great deal of stress on him, and suddenly he's acting totally out of character. This is a good sports story (if somewhat cliched), but because it can instigate some good discussion about how kids might handle stress. I think that my 6th grade boys will enjoy this one.
This was a great book to read with my son. (He is 9, very athletic, & does have a short fuse at times...gets it from his momma.) Even though he could have read it independently, I enjoyed reading it with him because it provided many opportunities to discuss sportsmanship and other sensitive topics from the book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a child involved in youth sports.
While there are several worthwhile points to this book, I couldn't get over the cheesiness of a lot of the dialogue. There were several reference points to pop culture, which in and of itself isn't bad; however, some came from the today, other from five years ago, and some references I don;t think anyone born after 1986 would get. Despite that, i will still give it to my nine-year-old to read.
Read this out loud to the kids - great choice for anybody who is into baseball - and especially Orioles' fans out there (sorry, guys - lived in Baltimore too long!) Written by Cal Ripken which is pretty cool in and of itself. Teaches some lessons about the important things in sports and in life - with lots of humor along the way (kids were laughing out loud at many of the parts!)
Nov 30, 2011
Kayla Schum
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
chapter-book,
contemporary-realistic-fiction
Hothead is about a boy that is good at playing baseball. He has one problem he is a hothead, he throws his helment when he strikes out. He is also having problems at home, his dad has been laid off and having a hard time finding a new job. This book would be good for students to teach them that they cant throw things cause their mad and teach them how they should act.
I was very pleasantly surprised to find that while, yes, the book is all about sportsmanship, it is neither depressing nor monotonous. Connor loses his crap a couple times during baseball games, throwing his glove and kicking equipment into the dugout, and he gets suspended from play because of it, even though he is a star player.
Full review on Pink Me:
Full review on Pink Me:
Listened to this with my son. Pretty good baseball book. This was read by Cal Ripken Jr so that was kinda cool too. Easy story line and son seemed to enjoy it alot. Hothead is a boy on the Orioles team, Connor, he can't seem to understand why all of a sudden he keeps getting upset and losing his temper. He's very close to getting kicked off his baseball team. Great book for boys. Almost whole book takes place on the baseball field but had a lesson or two in there.
I loved how this book showed good sportsmanship. Dealing with anger issues is something kids in sports today display all to frequently. Letting kids know that its okay to talk about stressful things instead of letting them bottle up is a great choice topic. Looking forward to the next book by the same writers.
The writing is not great but the story has a good message about sportsmanship and controlling your emotions. A young baseball fan would enjoy the book and a young "Hothead" might learn a lesson or two about dealing with adversity in a positive manner.
While this is not the most well written book, baseball fans will appreciate the details. Kids who are living in families effected by the current economic situation will be able to relate to Connor's stress over his dad being unemployed.
This was a pretty good book about someone having trouble balancing his life. Overtime he learns to deal better with his dad losing his job and feels better. He becomes a better player and a better person in the end.
The writing is so bad it hurts. The upside is that the story is so straightforward and superficial and obvious that it will be more accessible.
This is not a book I could recommend very easily. Way too predictable, way too pat. And way too hokey. Will finish it but I really don't want to!
Solid baseball story, though characters were a little flat and things seemed to resolve themselves rather quickly... A good start!
My biggest issue with this is how "remorseful" and quickly his temper tantrums resolved themselves. The baseball was realistic...characters not so much.
Baseball fans might like this, I'm just not a fan. Topics and subtopics: baseball, anger management, unemployed parents, sports columns
This book shows that you have to control your emotions if you want to play any sport.
I hope this book ends up on 5th or 6th grade summer reading lists. It is a perfect choice for reluctant boy readers who are always searching for the book with the shortest amount of pages. It has sports and sportsmanship as the theme and plenty of good writing and vocabulary packed into it.
Great book for kids who play sports and sometimes lose their tempers.
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![Hothead [With Earbuds]](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348161483s/14580475.jpg)
Cal Ripken, Jr. was a shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles for his entire career (1981-2001). Nicknamed “The Iron Man” for his relentless work ethic and reliability on the field, Ripken is most remembered for playing a record 2,632 straight games over 17 seasons. He was a 19-time All Star and is considered to be one of the best shortstops professional baseball has ever seen. In 20...more
More about Cal Ripken Jr....
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