What do you think?
Rate this book
King of the Bench #1
No Fear!
From the nationally syndicated cartoonist of “In the Bleachers” comes a new, highly illustrated middle grade series about Steve, who plays the same position in every sport: bench-warmer. Perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Timmy Failure, King of the Bench is an ode to teammates, underdogs, and bench-warmers everywhere.
Steve is King of the Bench. No brag. It’s just a fact. But this year, Steve and his friends are excited to try out for the Spiro T. Agnew Middle School baseball team. The only problem is, after watching another player get beaned by a fastball, Steve has developed a serious case of bean-o-phobia—the fear of getting hit by a pitch. If Steve ever wants to get off the bench and get in the game, he’s going to have to muster up some courage, and fast.
Oh, and if you’re wondering why Steve would write a book and tell total strangers all about the humiliating phobia that almost ruined his first year on the baseball team? Duh. It’s pretty much a rule that you spill your guts when you write a book about yourself.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2017
13 people are currently reading
682 people want to read
About the author
Steve Moore
16 books24 followersSTEVE MOORE
Moore is a writer, syndicated cartoonist, film creator/producer and former news executive. He created the comic "In the Bleachers," distributed to hundreds of newspapers and websites. At the The Los Angeles Times, Moore served as Exec. News Editor.
Moore co-created and wrote the original story for “Open Season” (Sony Pictures Animation.) He served as Exec. Producer. The film grossed nearly $200 million. The franchise has generated four DVD sequels.
He also created the animated film "Alpha & Omega" (Lionsgate Films.) Moore wrote the original story, screenplay and served as Producer. The franchise has generated seven DVD sequels.
Moore grew up in La Canada Flintridge, California. He graduated from Oregon State University and completed his masters degree at the University of Oregon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 19, 2017
I am grateful to have won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I intend to donate my copy to the library where I work to add it to our collection for others to enjoy.
For someone like me, who is uninterested in sports, this is a surprisingly enjoyable book! It's very, very funny; so much so that I had to take breaks from reading to stop laughing!
The story is a quick, compelling read for its age group, 8-12 years old. When I received my copy, I could tell, just by the cover design and texture, that it will be popular with kids. It has a "Wimpy Kid" feel that children will devour!
I'll be happy to read sequels and recommend this book to children of varying interests. Excellent book overall!
For someone like me, who is uninterested in sports, this is a surprisingly enjoyable book! It's very, very funny; so much so that I had to take breaks from reading to stop laughing!
The story is a quick, compelling read for its age group, 8-12 years old. When I received my copy, I could tell, just by the cover design and texture, that it will be popular with kids. It has a "Wimpy Kid" feel that children will devour!
I'll be happy to read sequels and recommend this book to children of varying interests. Excellent book overall!
May 24, 2019
Little League days are over and Steve now has to try out for the team if he wants to keep playing baseball. Trouble is that Steve spent most of his Little League days sitting the bench which is not ideal when trying to make a team. Then there is an incident that leads to Steve's Bean-o-phobia (feared of getting hit by the ball). Can Steve make the team even just to be a bench warmer?
Filled with humor and drawings this is great for sports fans and bench sitters.
Good for kids who like the Diary of a Wimpy kid series ages 9 and up.
Filled with humor and drawings this is great for sports fans and bench sitters.
Good for kids who like the Diary of a Wimpy kid series ages 9 and up.
May 22, 2018
5/15/2018 ~~ I'm always on the look out for read-alikes for the Wimpy Kid books, so when I saw this on a shelf, I picked it up.
I liked that Steve was an underdog, going through the motions of middle school sports, but not quit fitting in. The illustrations and page layout were appealing. I'll read another in the series to see if it pans out. If so, I see a home for this series in my elementary school library.
I liked that Steve was an underdog, going through the motions of middle school sports, but not quit fitting in. The illustrations and page layout were appealing. I'll read another in the series to see if it pans out. If so, I see a home for this series in my elementary school library.
October 19, 2016
Funny, Sly, Wise, and Big-Hearted
Not to get too gushy or to exaggerate but, "no brag. Just a fact", this is a nearly perfect middle grade book.
The set up appears simple enough. Steve and his two pals just barely make the school baseball team. At the beginning of the season one player gets his nose smashed by a pitch, and Steve, who watched it happen, develops Bean-O-Phobia. He now fears pitched balls. Since Steve spends most games on the bench he is called upon only infrequently to actually bat, but when he does bat he is frozen by fear and does terribly. Naturally, in the big end of the season championship game he is called upon to bat in a critical situation.
Seems pretty predictable, if not downright clichéd, right? Well wait. The author, Steve Moore, does everything right, never sounds a single false or off note, and does something fresh with the setup. (And even the drawings are smack on the money.)
First off, our hero Steve is a hoot. Moore pulls off the very difficult job of making the hero smart, funny and observant, as well as articulate and insightful, while still having him come across as a sometimes goofy and totally realistic and relatable middle grade kid. I've read a lot of books with middle grade heroes who think and speak like adults, and I've read even more books with middle grade heroes who are manic and oblivious, but it's awfully rare to get a hero who does double duty so well. With a kid like this at the center of a book, you are already halfway home. (Note the baseball metaphor there.)
On top of that we get some twists and turns in the story, (NO SPOILERS HERE), that confound one's expectations but lead to a happy, instructive and upbeat conclusion for everybody. The bench-sitting, the Bean-O-Phobia, the teasing from the jocks, the 0-for-100 batting, and the last inning hero challenge all get resolved in a satisfying, amusing, and right-feeling way.
But even if you put that aside, there's something else going on. This book excels at three other things that I very much admire, and that you don't find that often. First, the author slips in a lot of one and two sentence asides and throwaway lines that are just funny, observant or touching on their own and only tangentially related to the plot. Just odd bits of description or passing opinions. Second, the author is great at mini-scenes that contribute to the story but aren't necessary. Steve's discussion of Dad-fear, when Dads show up at games. Or Steve's description of how weird his school feels and sounds because all of the floors are carpeted. Or Steve's description of the odd behavior of the fans when he plays a team from a snooty private school. And so on. None of this is essential to the plot, but it adds depth, rhythm and richness to the book, (something often missing from middle grade sports humor). Finally, there is funny stuff that's totally over the head of any middle grade reader and is there for older kids and parents, (like the Muppet movies can be). For example, the names of the schools Steve's team plays are a riot.
So, I could go on, but the bottom line is that this is a sweet, funny, wryly observant and upbeat middle grade story of the first order, and a swell find. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Not to get too gushy or to exaggerate but, "no brag. Just a fact", this is a nearly perfect middle grade book.
The set up appears simple enough. Steve and his two pals just barely make the school baseball team. At the beginning of the season one player gets his nose smashed by a pitch, and Steve, who watched it happen, develops Bean-O-Phobia. He now fears pitched balls. Since Steve spends most games on the bench he is called upon only infrequently to actually bat, but when he does bat he is frozen by fear and does terribly. Naturally, in the big end of the season championship game he is called upon to bat in a critical situation.
Seems pretty predictable, if not downright clichéd, right? Well wait. The author, Steve Moore, does everything right, never sounds a single false or off note, and does something fresh with the setup. (And even the drawings are smack on the money.)
First off, our hero Steve is a hoot. Moore pulls off the very difficult job of making the hero smart, funny and observant, as well as articulate and insightful, while still having him come across as a sometimes goofy and totally realistic and relatable middle grade kid. I've read a lot of books with middle grade heroes who think and speak like adults, and I've read even more books with middle grade heroes who are manic and oblivious, but it's awfully rare to get a hero who does double duty so well. With a kid like this at the center of a book, you are already halfway home. (Note the baseball metaphor there.)
On top of that we get some twists and turns in the story, (NO SPOILERS HERE), that confound one's expectations but lead to a happy, instructive and upbeat conclusion for everybody. The bench-sitting, the Bean-O-Phobia, the teasing from the jocks, the 0-for-100 batting, and the last inning hero challenge all get resolved in a satisfying, amusing, and right-feeling way.
But even if you put that aside, there's something else going on. This book excels at three other things that I very much admire, and that you don't find that often. First, the author slips in a lot of one and two sentence asides and throwaway lines that are just funny, observant or touching on their own and only tangentially related to the plot. Just odd bits of description or passing opinions. Second, the author is great at mini-scenes that contribute to the story but aren't necessary. Steve's discussion of Dad-fear, when Dads show up at games. Or Steve's description of how weird his school feels and sounds because all of the floors are carpeted. Or Steve's description of the odd behavior of the fans when he plays a team from a snooty private school. And so on. None of this is essential to the plot, but it adds depth, rhythm and richness to the book, (something often missing from middle grade sports humor). Finally, there is funny stuff that's totally over the head of any middle grade reader and is there for older kids and parents, (like the Muppet movies can be). For example, the names of the schools Steve's team plays are a riot.
So, I could go on, but the bottom line is that this is a sweet, funny, wryly observant and upbeat middle grade story of the first order, and a swell find. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
November 28, 2019
I got this book when I was on vacation just for some temporary reading material. I opened the book and I loved it. I can also relate to it in some way because I play baseball. The book was so interesting because I can see what life is like through the eyes of someone else my age. He had a problem in this book that I also partly deal with playing baseball myself. He also gets help from his dad which I think is super cool. Him and his dad are also going against the boys mom who doesn't want her son playing sports.It is a really good book and I recommend it to any one looking for a sports book.
July 25, 2018
I've noticed that lately I've been giving top ratings to hilarious, reluctant reader books with over-the- top sarcasm and mega loads of illustrations. The kids who gravitate to these books aren't ones you would call academic, but I've always thought quick-witted people are super smart. It takes intelligence to draw connections between two things, which humor writers do constantly. Newbery winners do this too, but in a more subtle, natural, figurative kind of way.
King of the Bench is hilarious. Steve has no athletic ability, but he wants to make his dad happy, so he tries out for his school's baseball team. The Spiro T. Agnew Middle School Plumbers. Humor books are famous for tangents and Steve frequently goes off on tangents to explain things like the fact that his school is named after a vice-president who was forced to resign or that his coach is always digging wax out of his ear, thus the nickname Coach Earwax.
Steve's problem begins when a kid gets beaned on the nose at tryouts and blood gushes everywhere. Steve makes the team, but now he's afraid of getting beaned at bat, so the coach benches him. Steve is ok with this. His dad is proud, and he doesn't have to worry about making a fool of himself. Of course, sports books always have their redemption moment, and Steve will get his chance to redeem himself whether he wants to or not.
This book will be a hit with kids who like Big Nate type books and play sports. There are more books coming out in this series and I plan to buy them all.
King of the Bench is hilarious. Steve has no athletic ability, but he wants to make his dad happy, so he tries out for his school's baseball team. The Spiro T. Agnew Middle School Plumbers. Humor books are famous for tangents and Steve frequently goes off on tangents to explain things like the fact that his school is named after a vice-president who was forced to resign or that his coach is always digging wax out of his ear, thus the nickname Coach Earwax.
Steve's problem begins when a kid gets beaned on the nose at tryouts and blood gushes everywhere. Steve makes the team, but now he's afraid of getting beaned at bat, so the coach benches him. Steve is ok with this. His dad is proud, and he doesn't have to worry about making a fool of himself. Of course, sports books always have their redemption moment, and Steve will get his chance to redeem himself whether he wants to or not.
This book will be a hit with kids who like Big Nate type books and play sports. There are more books coming out in this series and I plan to buy them all.
September 4, 2017
Moore, Steve King of the Bench : No Fear 216 pgs. Harper Collins, 2017. $13.99. Language: G ( 0 swears 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.
Steve is a pretty good athlete. He plays both basketball and baseball, but currently he’s a bench warmer. During baseball tryouts a wild pitch hit a batter in the face, and now Steve has Bean-o-Phobia, the fear of getting hit by the ball. Even though he made the team, he spends every game sitting on the bench unless his team is about 100 points ahead. He dives from the ball, he throws his bat at the ball, it’s a disgrace. Now, with no hits at all for the whole season, he may be the first player in Spiro T. Agnew Middle School to earn a goose egg (a zero batting average).
This is a funny, quick read. Steve is charming and hilarious and the book is full of pictures (ala Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and middle school boy humor. The book spine says it is vol. 1, so leave room on your shelves for a series!
MS - ADVISABLE Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
Steve is a pretty good athlete. He plays both basketball and baseball, but currently he’s a bench warmer. During baseball tryouts a wild pitch hit a batter in the face, and now Steve has Bean-o-Phobia, the fear of getting hit by the ball. Even though he made the team, he spends every game sitting on the bench unless his team is about 100 points ahead. He dives from the ball, he throws his bat at the ball, it’s a disgrace. Now, with no hits at all for the whole season, he may be the first player in Spiro T. Agnew Middle School to earn a goose egg (a zero batting average).
This is a funny, quick read. Steve is charming and hilarious and the book is full of pictures (ala Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and middle school boy humor. The book spine says it is vol. 1, so leave room on your shelves for a series!
MS - ADVISABLE Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
June 9, 2017
Steve is a pretty good athlete. He plays both basketball and baseball, but currently he’s a bench warmer. During baseball tryouts a wild pitch hit a batter in the face, and now Steve has Bean-o-Phobia, the fear of getting hit by the ball. Even though he made the team, he spends every game sitting on the bench unless his team is about 100 points ahead. He dives from the ball, he throws his bat at the ball, it’s a disgrace. Now, with no hits at all for the whole season, he may be the first player in Spiro T. Agnew Middle School to earn a goose egg (a zero batting average).
This is a funny, quick read. Steve is charming and hilarious and the book is full of pictures (ala Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and middle school boy humor. The book spine says it is vol. 1, so leave room on your shelves for a series!
Cross-posted to http://kissthebook.blogsopt.com CHECK IT OUT!
This is a funny, quick read. Steve is charming and hilarious and the book is full of pictures (ala Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and middle school boy humor. The book spine says it is vol. 1, so leave room on your shelves for a series!
Cross-posted to http://kissthebook.blogsopt.com CHECK IT OUT!
June 21, 2017
I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
This is a book for middle schoolers. It has funny illustrations throughout that add a lot to the story. It is a humorous story. It's about trying out for the baseball team and being a benchwarmer. It's written from a boy's POV, but any girl interested in sports would enjoy it too. The suggested age range on the book is 8-12 and I would agree with that age range fitting the book.
This is a book for middle schoolers. It has funny illustrations throughout that add a lot to the story. It is a humorous story. It's about trying out for the baseball team and being a benchwarmer. It's written from a boy's POV, but any girl interested in sports would enjoy it too. The suggested age range on the book is 8-12 and I would agree with that age range fitting the book.
Read
January 31, 2018This is a really good book and its really funny too.It about Steve how he wants to be a hotshot athlete
so he tryout for baseball and his mom freaks out because she over protective.He has bean of phobia which he tries to get rid of.Steve dad was hotshot athlete when he was young and he wants Steve to be a hot shot athlete like him.Steve gets rid of the bean of phobia with a letter that dad gave him which relaxed him.
so he tryout for baseball and his mom freaks out because she over protective.He has bean of phobia which he tries to get rid of.Steve dad was hotshot athlete when he was young and he wants Steve to be a hot shot athlete like him.Steve gets rid of the bean of phobia with a letter that dad gave him which relaxed him.
May 29, 2018
A laugh out loud story of a middle-school student who tries out for his school's baseball team, and to his surprise makes the team. But after seeing one of his teammates get beaned by a pitch during batting practice, he develops a phobia that follows him throughout the entire season. During the league championship game, he finds himself in a critical situation, and the question is will he overcome his phobia to help himself, and his team?
October 25, 2018
In the style of Wimpy Kid.
Steve is a nerdy, only child with lots of unusual pets including a boa constrictor. He decides to try out for the baseball team even though he is afraid of getting hit by the ball. He makes the team but sits on the bench game after game. However, in the last game of the season he gets his chance to make up for all the embarrassing moments that have come before.
Nothing particularly stands out, but a quick fun read and a good read alike for Wimpy Kid fans.
Steve is a nerdy, only child with lots of unusual pets including a boa constrictor. He decides to try out for the baseball team even though he is afraid of getting hit by the ball. He makes the team but sits on the bench game after game. However, in the last game of the season he gets his chance to make up for all the embarrassing moments that have come before.
Nothing particularly stands out, but a quick fun read and a good read alike for Wimpy Kid fans.
October 20, 2020
I really liked this book. I play baseball so it fit into my reading category. The main character, Steve, is trying out for the baseball team when one of the players gets beaned by a pitch and starts bleeding. After that, he gets bean-o-phobia, the fear of getting hit by a pitch. Steve doesn't mind being the benchwarmer, but he has to work to get rid of his fear if he ever wants to play in the game.
May 29, 2017
Sometimes not being the jock is the best thing and for Steve, life is plenty entertaining between school, sports, and his friends, he'll get it all worked out. Readers are confident that he'll be good and whatever he puts his mind to, even if it's sitting on the bench.
Humorous with great illustrations throughout, it's a perfect book.
Humorous with great illustrations throughout, it's a perfect book.
October 29, 2018
There is this boy.thinking this might be a good year.but wait till he gets to school for tryouts! He is like the observer of the field when he’s out. Just wait an see what the king of the bench could be! Read more to find out what happens next! I love this book! I really like how the author puts himself in his younger selfs shoes. I really recommend this book!
July 24, 2020
2.5 stars
I could see the humor appealing to Wimpy Kids fans, but it was not for me. There’s not many options for kids who like sports and humor, and I would still recommend to the right reader, but I was ambivalent about it. Neither the characters nor the illustrations really captivated me.
I could see the humor appealing to Wimpy Kids fans, but it was not for me. There’s not many options for kids who like sports and humor, and I would still recommend to the right reader, but I was ambivalent about it. Neither the characters nor the illustrations really captivated me.
May 9, 2017
Great fun! Perfect for readers who've made their way through Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Timmy Failure and the like!
June 1, 2017
A humorous book for those who aren't the star athletes but still want to play the game.
Use to talk about being comfortable with yourself.
Use to talk about being comfortable with yourself.
October 3, 2017
I think this book was boring because it really never keep you hooked. Also I didn't like it because it was not that cool.
October 10, 2017
This book was a little bit stupid because it jumped around a lot and it was confusing.
November 7, 2017
I did not like this book at all, i thought it was really dumb and not interesting at all. I don't think teenagers should read this book because they won't like it.
November 14, 2017
I did not like this book. It wasn't for me.
November 15, 2017
Good for those who like Timmy Failure, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and similar.
November 22, 2017
Humorous and funny. A very Good read.
June 22, 2018
Review by C.K. : "I like to imagine the book in my head and I record it."
October 21, 2018
I laughed out loud.
September 26, 2019
This book is like diary of a wimpy kid but better. The main character wants to play baseball but the coach wont let him. So he tries to prove to the coach that he can play.
April 11, 2020
Excellent book. Good for light reading. Love the positivity of the character.
Read
October 17, 2016For professional review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews