Shakespeare Bats Cleanup

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup #1

by Ron Koertge

"This funny and poignant novel celebrates the power of writing to help young people make sense of their lives and unlock and confront their problems." - SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)

When MVP Kevin Boland gets the news that he has mono and won't be seeing a baseball field for a while, he suddenly finds himself scrawling a poem down the middle of a page in his journal. To get some help, he cops a poetry book from his dad's den - and before Kevin knows it, he's writing in verse about stuff like, Will his jock friends give up on him? What's the deal with girlfriends? Surprisingly enough, after his health improves, he keeps on writing, about the smart-talking Latina girl who thinks poets are cool, and even about his mother, whose death is a still-tender loss. Written in free verse with examples of several poetic forms slipped into the mix, including a sonnet, haiku, pastoral, and even a pantoum, this funny, poignant story by a master of dialogue is an English teacher's dream - sure to hook poetry lovers, baseball fanatics, mono recoverers, and everyone in between.

Genres: Poetry, Young Adult, Sports, Novel In Verse, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Teen

116 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

Ask Ron Koertge what he brings to the realm of young adult fiction, and the seasoned author responds matter-of-factly. "I write dialogue well, and I'm funny," he says--an assessment few would argue with. "I like iconoclasm and practice it in my fiction. I don't like pretense or hypocrisy. I'm almost always irreverent."

A faculty member for more than 35 years at Pasadena City College, where he has taught everything from Shakespeare to remedial writing, Ron Koertge is the author of several acclaimed novels, most of them for young adults. That Ron Koertge is a master at capturing teenagers' voices--often in witty repartee--is fully evident in MARGAUX WITH AN X, the story of a sharp-tongued beauty and a quirky, quick-witted loner. "MARGAUX WITH AN X started as a short story, but the heroine wouldn't let me alone," the author says. "She had a story to tell, and she wanted a whole novel to tell it in." Another unlikely pairing is found in STONER & SPAZ, Ron Koertge's funny, in-your-face tale of a young cinephile with cerebral palsy and the stoner who steals his heart. "My wife works with the disabled," the writer says of his inspiration for the novel, which quickly garnered critical acclaim. "One night she came home and told me about a young man she'd been working with. He had C.P. and a terrific sense of humor. Coincidentally, that day I had talked to a former student of mine who'd recently been in rehab for substance abuse. What would happen, I wondered, if those two knew each other?"

In addition to his young adult novels, Ron Koertge writes poetry, and has been dubbed "the wisest, most entertaining wiseguy in American poetry" by poet-laureate Billy Collins. SHAKESPEARE BATS CLEANUP is narrated by a straight-talking, fourteen-year-old first baseman who has been benched by mono and decides to take a swing at writing poetry. Written entirely in free verse, with examples of several poetic forms slipped into the mix--including a sonnet, haiku, pastoral, and even a pantoum--SHAKESPEARE BATS CLEANUP is a veritable English teacher's dream. "The interest in SHAKESPEARE BATS CLEANUP is less with the arc of the plot than with the individual poems, some of which demonstrate poetic form, some of which tell the story," the author says. "One of my biggest challenges was to write like a fourteen-year-old who has a knack for writing poetry, and not just sound like a sixty-one-year-old pretending to be one!"

The author's first book with Candlewick, THE BRIMSTONE JOURNALS, is also a novel written in free verse, with 15 different teenage characters narrating four or five poems each. "The book started to nag me a few months before the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, and I started to make notes in the form of poems," he says of the hauntingly prescient work. "BRIMSTONE needed to move at high velocity, and this form is perfect for that: no tail fins, no leather seats, no moon roof. Just get in and go."

Ron Koertge grew up in an agricultural area in an old mining town in Illinois, just across the Mississippi from St. Louis, Missouri. There he learned to "drive a tractor and buck hay bales, which are clearly useful skills in Los Angeles," he quips. He and his wife live in South Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Cookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to vote last night and my polling place just happens to be at my library. I've been thinking about finding a baseball themed book since the fever has taken me yet again (Go Royals!), and so when I spied this on a display table, I grabbed for it like there was a run on the library and I was going to have to beat some people down for my check-outs.



I might have squeaked a little too because the cover was speaking to me.



It was an off day last night, meaning no baseball game to watch, so I sank into the couch and filled a little time reading this book.



This is a fast read, affecting, with a little touch of humor. Fourteen year old Kevin, recently diagnosed and struggling with mono, finds he has a lot of time on his hands and very little energy - without school, his baseball team, and the flirtations of youth to keep him busy - he finds solace in journaling (and poetry) to help him deal with loneliness and a recent loss.



There is an obvious ploy to encourage the exploration of poetry and teach a little too, and while this may have somewhat distracted from the story, it is forgiven as a worthy cause. And I learned a thing or two or seven.



I really enjoyed it and hope to find a copy for our home library.

[Kathleen Dupré · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not necessarily looking forward to reading this book--not dreading it, but not super excited either. But I was very pleasantly surprised. The book does a great job on all fronts: it displays multiple forms of poetry, showing that poetry, a dying art, is neither boring nor daunting, and it manages to portray the struggles of a fourteen year old baseball player with mono, whose mother has recently died, who is battling for his place on the team and in the eyes of girls, without getting overly sentimental or delving into graphic, violent emotion. The protagonist of this book is smart, likable, and supremely normal. He needs no outrageous circumstances or hyperbolic feelings to make him jump off the page. His simple wit, frank delivery, and clever evolution are what make him real. I will definitely be picking up the second installment, Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs, because I like this kid so much. As a future teacher I also appreciated this book as a way to introduce poetry to students as something totally doable--something they shouldn't sneer at or be afraid of. You don't have to be a genius to write poetry, but the poet who wrote this novel certainly was.

[Emmy]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked how it gives examples of different forms of poetry. In my opinion, this book is very well written! I would recommend it to someone who wants something quick to read. Since this book is written in verse, it is a quick read.

[Ramel]

it was a good book and he got to play the last game

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty cool to read. It's the type of book you would read when there's just times where it feels like the moment you're in right now is like a coming-of-age moment. I loved it. I finished this book off with the song "Another Believer" by Rufus Wainwright playing and wow. It did feel like a coming-of-age moment. Though I will say this about the book, it was fast and I only read it to fill up a space for my book task for ELA...uhh YET the book was good, yes yes.
(P.S. this book tugged at my heartstrings with the character Mira. mwa.)
4/5

[Nicholas Torrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a mvp baseball player named Kevin who has mono. He has to stay home since he has mono and starts to write. His dad is a famous writer and he starts to write but shows little interest. The more he writes the more starts to like it. He tells His life in his poem writings.

This book takes place in the present and the setting is in kevin's house mainly his bedroom. Kevins dream is to be a baseball mvp but he ends up having mono and he can't play baseball anymore. The conflict is person vs person. In the book kevin is really down about having mono. The theme is to never give up.

Kevin has mono and has to stay home. His boredom make him take on of his fathers poetry books and he really likes it. As a result kevin starts to write to pass the time of the long day. He writes about a girl who used to like him, baseball and his mom who had recently died. Kevin has no idea that mono would lead him to expressing himself through writing and learn a lot about himself.

I really like this book because it is just a really good book. It has all the emotions a good book should. You get to see the character development of Kevin. It like no book you've ever read.

I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. This because like I've said this book is amazing. I would recommend this book to people who like sports baseball to be more specifically. If this book sounds interesting to you stop reading this and go check it out.

[Jessicca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Boland, a 14 year old first baseman, is stricken with mononucleosis and is unable to go to school or play his beloved baseball. His father gives him a notebook in case he feels the urge to write and shortly thereafter, Kevin finds a book about poetry and uses it to secretly write different kinds of poems in journal format, as he misses playing baseball and reflects on past life experiences. The death of his mother, relationships with old girlfriends and memories of celebrating winning baseball games make up a large portion of his work until he starts to feel better and meets an interesting girl named Mira. Kevin eventually begins to embrace the idea that maybe he is a poet, in addition to being a baseball player. The author does an excellent job of teaching the reader about the different forms of poetry through the narrator’s writings. For instance, when Kevin learns what a couplet is, he explains it in his journal and offers an example. I feel the book is appropriate for, and would be appreciated by, students in grades 7-11.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

When fourteen-year-old Kevin Boland gets sidelined from the baseball team because of mono, his writer-Dad hands him a notebook: “Maybe you’ll feel like writing something down.” Before he knows it, Kevin is feverishly writing pantoums in memory of his mom, haikus about his ex…the poems just keep on coming. When Kevin finally returns to the dugout, his teammates balk at his new passion for poetry, but new girl in town, Mira, thinks it’s kind of cool. Can a skinny eighth grader pull off being a cleanup hitter and a poet?

funny and deep, and just in time for baseball season!

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic YA book (listed as 12 and up). I literally read it within an hour or two, so it's also great for the reluctant reader. Told in the form of one or two pages poems is the story of a baseball playing boy who has mono. I love the story and can't wait to bring it to my 8th grade class tomorrow- I'm sure it will catch the attention of those who like baseball as well as those who are attracted to "thin" books-lol!

[Estephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was funny and weird. i never knew that you can write a novel including poetry in it. it seems so hard. along the way i enjoyed reading it because it was cool how he was talking about his ex girlfriends and what he did with them.

[Lauren Daily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used this as a read aloud two years ago and my students loved it! I think it made them appreciate poetry more, and I also used it to reinforce figurative language. Gonna try it again with this year'a group!

[Jessicat · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read on poetry. I like the message that a tough ball player can like poetry too.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like it as it is from the perspective of a teenage boy. Creative. Unusual

[ashlynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

worst book ive ever read

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This young adult fiction book starts off with a 14 year old baseball fanatic named Kevin Bolland and his sudden case of mono that takes him off the field for a while so he can feel better. Being bored in his room all day, Kevin finds an alternative activity to do in the meantime. He writes poems of many kinds while he thinks about life and talks about his many girlfriends in the past. He has some serious girl issues it's funny. He comes to challenges like meeting his Hispanic girlfriend's family, losing his position at short-stop on his baseball team to another guy, and him, along with his father, suffering from the loss of his mother not too long ago during the time. I see this book as a story of patience and endurance, as shown in my favorite quote from the book, "It's okay to come out now, Mom. I've looked everywhere. In the closets, downstairs, in the garage, the attic."
While reading this book, I felt very entertained as I read through the stanzas of the poems. This story is very interesting because not only is it filled with poems of many kinds, but these poems also told the story of a young boy's life and the events that he goes through. My favorite part of the book is when he would talk about his teammates and how good or not so good they are, or in other words, when he would trash talk his teammates. This book is humorous in a way with all the silly rhymes and riddles he comes up with to tell about his life. My least favorite parts of the story were when he would talk about his boring room and when he had nothing to do, because the poems telling me that information were boring as well. My favorite character was the father of Kevin because he was very humorous and he found yoga as his cup of tea even though his son claims he looked really bad at doing it.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves poems and a good story of trials a young man might face going through his teenage years. I very much enjoyed this book because I enjoy reading poems and if you love poems, too, then this book would be a good choice for you. However, if you're not into descriptive stories or wordy poems, this book may not be in your best interest. There are tiny amounts of Spanish language in this book, but using context clues, I was able to figure out what was said in the lines. Overall, this book is well written, very descriptive and fun to read!

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 4 out of 5]

14-year-old baseball die-hard Kevin Boland is stuck at home with mono. To pass the time, his father, a writer, thinks Kevin might also want to write some things down. Readers learn a lot about Kevin in the passing months as he experiments with poetry using a book "smuggled" from his father's den. His mother has recently died, for one thing. Also, that he's a pretty good athlete and he's made out with girls in the bamboo. Details about life in middle school are slipped effortlessly in lines of haiku, free verse, sonnets, and sestinas. Kevin eventually meets a pretty girl named Mira with whom he is not embarrassed to admit that he enjoys writing poetry, although he would still like to keep it from his baseball team. When they do find out, he earns the nickname "Shakespeare". Recommended for grades 6-10 for fans of baseball and/or poetry. The book might even encourage a few readers to try writing poetry for themselves. Koertge is so clever in explaining how each style of poetry works that readers won't even realize they are learning something, and he makes makes it seem so effortless that you feel like you can do it too. That it is also humorous is an added bonus. This is short and easy-to-read, and would be a good choice for reluctant readers. Teachers might also find this useful in teaching poetry.

[Adrian182 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shakespeare Bats CleanUp
Koertge, Ron. Shakespeare Bats CleanUp (2003). High School Verse. This novel written in verse by Ron Koertge is incredibly inspiring, and is begging to be read by any young person who loves baseball, poetry, or life! The novel stars high school freshman Kevin Bolland, a first baseman living in modern day Los Angeles that gets sick with mono. While he is sick, his dad gives him a notebook. Kevin begins to use the notebook to write poetry, in secret to not dissuade his “jock” baseball player friends. While he is bed-ridden he begins to love poetry and explains it (along with its many forms) in his notebook. Kevin finds out more about himself and his interests, realizing that he can love both poetry and baseball. The novel is a meta narrative, as the different verses are the very ones that he writes in his notebook. Kevin criticizes and analyzes his poems as he writes them, and as the novel progresses, as does his poetry. We follow along as he becomes a more complete individual with the ability to be both physical as well as articulate. This book was short and sweet and left me wanting more. This book had everything that I love in iit: poetry, baseball, and Los Angeles. Target audience: 13-17.

[Sally Kruger]

I was introduced to author Ron Koertge when I read The Brimstone Journals and Stoner & Spaz. His novels in verse capture his characters in brief but vivid detail. SHAKESPEARE BATS CLEANUP didn't disappoint.

Kevin Boland is fourteen. His baseball season comes to an abrupt end when he is diagnosed with mono. Doctor's orders require him to take it easy and rest. When he isn't sleeping, he spends time writing in the black and white marbled journal his father suggests might fill his time.

Having a father who is a full-time writer might have something to do with it, but Kevin finds writing helps him forget about baseball. The strange thing is the writing comes in the form of poetry. Using a book from his father's bookshelf as a sort of guide, Kevin experiments with a variety of poetry formats to delve into the subjects that fill his thoughts. He writes about baseball, of course, and girls and dating and his mother who recently died. When he is finally able to begin working out with the team again, he finds that he misses writing like he missed baseball.

Just over a hundred pages, Koertge's novel pulls readers into the thoughts and dreams of a likeable teen living with typical teen issues. I'm now reading the sequel titled SHAKESPEARE MAKES THE PLAYOFFS.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is the fourth poetry book I've read today. I love the month of April when I start my Poetry unit in my classroom. This book may just bet he one that pulls in my reluctant boys. Kevin loves nothing more than playing baseball. Suddenly he is knocked out of playing by a severe case of Mono. He barely has the strength to walk across the room. Not only can he not play baseball, but he can't go to school. When he isn't napping he has started writing poetry. His writer father has given him a notebook. In his father's office he finds a book about writing poetry that he sneaks to his room. He doesn't want anyone to know that he is writing poetry. For him this becomes a way of looking at and dealing with so many things in his life. It is a way of connecting with his thoughts and feelings about losing his mother. So loved this book. I can't wait to read the second one, "Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs".

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book in verse, told by a kid with mono, who mourns his mom and his middle school career as a hot-shot baseballer, this was actually an enjoyable book. By the dustcover, it didn't seem like it would be. But Kevin takes to keeping a journal while he's in bed with mono, and he writes a lot of his thoughts in a poetry form - free verse, blank verse, couplets, sonnets, haiku, sestinas, villanelles, odes, ballads, and pastorals. (And maybe a few more that I don't remember.) I can imagine reading this short novel with even a high school class, reading his attempts at various types of poems, and his reflections on their ease or difficulty. Kevin also struggles with the loss of his mom, the attentions of various girls, the shifting of his priorities from baseball to other things, etc. I'm interested enough in what Kevin is writing and learning about poetry to reserve the second book from the library this week, too. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Boland a fourteen year older becomes MVP and will have to say goodbye to the sport he enjoyed playing the most, baseball. Due to mono Kevin is out for several of days, but still doesn’t stop the MVP star to not do anything. Kevin loves poetry and it is usually hard for him to find a friend who also loves poetry as much as he does.
Kevin writes poems, he then later on finds a latina girl that enjoys poetry too. Will his team let him down? Will he not be able to play baseball no more? Kevin knew he had to stay home and recover. Kevin would toss a ball with his dad, not mentioning that it was still hard for him to say goodbye to his mom when her tragic death occurred when he was still a little boy. Although, his dad supported him in baseball and even when he’s sick.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin loves baseball and excels at it, but he has contracted mono, so he must give up baseball and rest for a long time. He spends his time in writing poetry, though it is not something he ever thought he would do. He explores various types of poetry, and in so doing, reveals his own story piece by piece.

I’m a fan of novels in verse, so I enjoyed this one. While I am not a huge poetry fan, so the various forms of poems are not that special to me, I did appreciate how the writer used them to slowly reveal the character's backstory. It was subtly done. Although I am still not sure what the title means, it seems like a fairly awkward title and if it had been something less awkward, perhaps the book would have gotten more traction.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read (and enjoyed) Ron Koertge’s poetry collection in ‘I Dreamt I Was Emily Dickinson’s Boyfriend’, I picked up ‘Shakespeare Bats Cleanup’.
This is a wonderfully funny novella about a 14 year old boy who comes down with mono. A passionate baseball fan, he can no longer play his favorite sport because his sickness has confined him to bed. Much to his surprise, he finds a new passion : poetry.
Koertge fabulously captures this teenage voice with all his passions for baseball, girls, and poetry. This is a fast read as each page is tightly written (just like poetry). But the language and humor are terrific.
If you know a teen (particularly a boy) whose looking fun quality read, get them a copy of ‘Shakespeare Bats Cleanup’.

[Ali May · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I was unsure I knew what the big picture of this verse novel was but reading the whole book made everything clear. This is mainly about a boy who plays baseball but gets sick and cannot play for awhile, so he begins to write poetry. Throughout the work, he ironically says he doesn't know how to write poetry and isn't good at it, but he is writing it well. This is a good example of a verse novel and I highly recommend it.
As a teacher, you can use this novel to encourage students to find multiple activities/hobbies they are good at. Students should not be limited to being good at one thing.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very sweet book, and I did enjoy the poetry format. However, I felt like there weren't many opportunities for middle school students to connect with the main character. There was a heavier emphasis on poetry and poems and less of an emphasis on the main character and what he was going through. Despite my last sentence, I did enjoy learning about his life through his poetry - especially when he wrote about his mom.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a YA librarian I always liked Ron Koertge's YA novels, but hadn't read this one. So I picked it up after finishing a more demanding book and it made for a couple of hours of pleasant reading. This novel in verse explores not only a 14-year old's concerns with sports, girls, and growing up, but also introduces various forms of poetry. It should appeal to English teachers. Even kids who don't like poetry should be able to handle this, and the adolescent feelings are fairly universal.

[Leslie Fitzpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of baseball or poetry, but I like each enough to appreciate this book. I'm sure there's some cool stuff I'm missing though because I don't totally get all of the references. I loved how it's a novel in verse, and I really like reading about Kevin's relationship with his dad and with Mira. I wish that everyone who had mono could discover something so good to do with all their time lying in bed.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a cute story told, in the form of poetry, by a fourteen year old boy named Kevin. He is sick with mono, so he can't play baseball for a while and is confined to his bed. He decides to learn abd write about poetry and finds that he loves it!

I liked this book a lot and found myself laughing on almost every page. The poetry was clever and actually taught me some things I didn't know about different styles of poetry. I can't wait to read the next book!

[Keanw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kean,Webb
LA P3
Mrs.Nance
10-5-18


The book I read was called Shakespear Bats Cleanup.The book is about a boy that starts baseball at a young age.When we starts he’s a really good hitter but he has some struggles.He has trouble hitting the curveball and has a bad time normaly he has really good games but he had one really bad one.But he stayed strong and he hit a lot of home runs its a really good book.

[Meribeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Koertge’s skills as both poet and novelist shine in this middle school novel of a talented first baseman’s recovery from mononucleosis. Writing in a journal begins as a way to use the hours and mutates into observations by fourteen-year-old Kevin on his dreams for baseball celebrity, middle school romance and sadness over his mother’s recent death. It is an engagingly frank, sometimes painful, often funny window into one teenager’s losses and growth during a difficult time.