Center Field

by Robert Lipsyte

Mike has his junior year well under control. He's got a solid group of friends. He's dating Lori, one of the hottest girls in school. And Coach Cody has all but given him the starting spot as the Ridgedale Rangers' varsity center fielder. And then Oscar Ramirez shows up. Oscar is an amazing ballplayer, as talented at the plate as he is in center field, and it's not long before Mike loses control. He's on the bench, he's getting into fights, and he finds himself in weekend detention with Katherine Herold, the most mysterious, abrasive, alluring girl in school. Mike is lost, confused, and looking to Coach Cody to help him get back on track. But the coach has his own set of rules for Mike to play by, and the decisions Mike makes are going to impact more than just the starting lineup. Robert Lipsyte, one of the most celebrated writers in young adult literature, has crafted a subtly intense tale of adolescent struggle, a sports story about much more than sports—one that shows us how the moves one makes off the field matter even more than the moves one has on it.

Genres: Sports, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Baseball

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 5, 2010

Reviews

[Ryan Barthelmess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was interesting and had plot twists that altered the story. I gave it 4 stars because some of those plot twists I figured out and others were unexpected. This meant that i sometimes knew what was going to happen and other times i didn’t. This book is about a boy named Mike Semnak who plays center field and as time goes on he does things that make his position on the team undetermined and another boy named Oscar causes conflicts that change the storyline completely. I would recommend this book to someone who likes reading about sports and likes a little mystery type thing.

[Joey Robertson]

Center Field Part one by Robert Lipsyte

This book is a good read for someone who enjoys stories about athletes and baseball. This book is about young Mike Semak. Mike is in his junior year of High school and is on the baseball team. He’s got the girl, the skills, and is the frontrunner for the Centerfield spot on the varsity team. He is even starting to draw interest from college scouts. But when Oscar Ramirez shows up and out performs him, Mike starts to feel his spot in centerfield is in jeopardy. Mike starts to lose control. He starts getting into fights, gets into a slump at the plate, and is even getting into detention.
Mike Semak’s character is extremely similar to myself which is one of the reasons why I connect with this book on so many levels. Mike is just trying to play baseball and live a normal high school athlete life but once something that he has worked for all of his life is now put in jeopardy he starts to crumble under the pressure. Mike shows qualities of a nice kid but also shows characteristics of the big jock on campus. He puts himself above most of the people in school and semi arrogant when it comes to sports. Mike is also a major competitor. He competes at pretty much everything. On the team runs, he races everyone and tries to be the first one done every time.
The way Lipsyte describes the situations Mike is going through is one of the reasons why this book is so good. He is able to describe the environment that Mike is so well that I can make a mental picture of what he is describing. The way he uses imagery to describe scenes and events is spectacular. For example, he described the cold mornings and the wind blowing over the trees during the ranger runs so well that I could feel the coldness of the air. The story he tells is also very good. I love the way he set the scene by saying that Mike had everything. So far the plot to this book has lived up to my expectations and I hope that the plot continues to deliver some twists and turns.

[Alexis D'Ambrosio-8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Centerfield, Robert Lipsyte tells the story of Mike, a baseball player fighting for his spot in center field with a hurt ankle. The worst part about this is the people that he has to try to keep his spot from, the Mexicans. Robert Lipsyte takes the readers on a great drama adventure of baseball and high school drama. He has us thinking hard about past events and what is going to happen next. Robert Lipsyte explains the story so well and makes you so surprised from the person Mike started as to the person he is at the end. Not everyone was equal during this time. When the Mexicans came to the local high school and wanted to play baseball obviously the coaches let them play but the white players were very mean to them and made fun of them all the time. Mike started as such a nice guy with a perfect life, perfect girlfriend, and a starting centerfielder. After the Mexicans came he turned and starting getting into trouble at school. Also, his girlfriend breaks up with him. I think the message of the story is that you need to work hard for something you want especially if you're in competition for what you want. Overall I gave the book a 5/5 on goodreads. I loved the sports theme and high school drama
mix in a book. I would recommend this book to any people 10 and up or anyone that is a sports fan. I recommend it for people 10 and up because the book uses some big vocabulary and requires you to understand them. I hope Robert Lipsyte writes more books because I really enjoyed this one.

[Ryan Buck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very good book for anyone in middle school or high school. I found the book interesting because it focused on the main character, Mike Semak's life at baseball and at school. I feel the book focuses slightly more on how his relationship with friends is going compared to his baseball season. I like how Mike is baseball sound and knows everything he needs to do a good job at his position. I personally liked the baseball part of this book more because I liked how Mike always tries to improve and how Billy Budd is his role model. I also like how Mike tries to compete with Oscar, the new player on the team, to take back centerfield. Overall this was a good book that talks about the life of a high school baseball player.

[Ryan Gustafson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Center Field
Written By: Robert Lipsyte
The book, Center Field, is a fiction book with many plot twists and exciting parts that will make you want to keep turning the page. What I thought the theme for this book was, that you should never doubt yourself and always stick to something that you are passionate about. Mike, the main character, was very passionate about baseball and wanted to play for the Yankee’s and has always wanted/played centerfield. He was always playing baseball wanting to make himself a better player. You could tell that he was passionate for baseball when a new player came to their practice and showed the talent that he had at the center field position. When Oscar came into their practice it showed the competitive side of Mike, which ended up with him twisting his ankle.
The book starts out on a baseball field with the main character, Mike, in center field catching fly balls. The coach hits the ball deep into left center and Mike goes all out for it. He ends up sticking his foot into the fence to climb up higher, caught the ball, then his cleat gets caught in the fence. This results in a twisted ankle. As that happens, Oscar, a kid from the Dominican Republic shows up and joins the try outs. He is a true contender for the center field position and that makes Mike even more competitive to get his favorite position. You will have to read the book to figure out what happens between Mike and Oscar. But you will all love the ending of this book and the way that it develops throughout the whole thing. This book has a lot of other events that happen throughout itself that make it a lot more than just a baseball book. No one should shy away from it because of the book cover and the title of the book. It has so many life lessons and has things that both kids and adults can learn from. The coach of the team is very sneaky and uses his players, mostly Mike, to get inside information that he knows he can’t get. You don’t find out what information he is trying to get until the end of the book which was always making me keep flipping to the next page. Mike has a girlfriend in the beginning of the book, but meets a new really good looking girl when he is getting ice for his sprained ankle…. This girl may or may not end his relationship with his longtime girlfriend.
Mike life is all about baseball. I liked to think that baseball was the main thing in Mike’s life that made his life complete. He doesn’t put up with anyones back talk or any crap that they have to say, this might get him in quite some trouble. Some character qualities that go along with him are: stubborn, competitive, and athletic. Oscar is also one of the main characters and he moved to their town from the Dominican Republic. Oscar is a very good baseball player, and I like to think his role in the book is to make Mike mad. Oscar is a quiet kid, loving, and very very athletic.
This book was very interesting and entertaining. It always had me wanting to keep reading and not put my book down. It had me guessing about what was going to happen next and how things were going to evolve throughout the book. One issue that happens quite a bit in our real world is that coaches take advantage of their players which is a huge part of the book and causes a lot of conflict, and it happens in the book. Overall, I really liked the way the author chose to write this book, as I never knew what was going to happen next and how it wasn’t always about sports. I didn’t ever dislike anything as I was reading the book, I thought it was very well written. This book had related to me quite a bit as I am very athletic and competitive with my teammates. I have a lot of the same character qualities as Mike does, which made me feel as if I was somewhat in the book. One thought after I finished reading the book was, no matter who it is, you shouldn’t let them change your life in a negative way or change the way you love doing something. Don’t let someone stop you from doing what you love, Mike was really good at that.
I would advise almost everyone to at least try and read this book, it is very well written and as I have said before, it makes you want to keep turning the page. The book didn’t ever give me a lot of emotion, it was mostly just straightforward and I guess you could call it bland when talking about emotion. I would suggest this book to all of you reading this as it is very thought out and methodical. You shouldn’t judge this book by its cover or by the title as it isn’t all about baseball. It has a lot of things that you can take away from it and put into use in your own life.

[Ethan Way · Rating 4 out of 5]

Center Field, a book by Robert Lipstye, is a great choice of reading for sports lovers and baseball players. I found the book by sifting through the bookshelf labeled fiction in our school library. I was looking for a book that would hold my interests in sports, especially baseball. The book is set in modern day America. It never specifies a state, but is placed in Ridgedale Highschool, The Ridgedale baseball field, and Mike’s house. Mike Semak is a center field baseball player for Ridgedale. The Ridgedale baseball team’s coach is Cody, A large muscular man with a hard and raw lifestyle and an intimidating effect on other people. These two characters are very crucially important to the story because Mike is the protagonist and Cody is the antagonist. Even though Cody causes the main conflict throughout the story, the reader does not know this until the end.

Mike Semak, a Junior, thought he had an almost guaranteed spot in center field on opening day. That is until Oscar Martinez showed up. Oscar Martinez was a very skilled baseball player. Oscar was talented in all three of the essentials catching, throwing, and hitting. As it turns out, Oscar was also a center fieldsman. Mike felt threatened by Oscar’s involvement and so did the rest of the team. Mike and Oscar battle through practices and runs to prove who is more fit for center to coach Cody. After Mike defeats Oscar and gains center field on opening day, a new challenge arises. Coach Cody asked Mike to investigate and rat out a cyberclub that Cody thought was changing school grades. Mike verified the information, but didn’t yet rat them out. Before Mike had the chance to report, another mole from Cody had responded. Mike was then framed for ratting out the club. Mike eventually figured out that it was Cody behind this. Interestingly enough, Mike had also figured out that Cody was committing illegal acts such as identity theft and impersonation. Mike reports Cody to the authorities. Mike is satisfied to help his team, but sad to see the trusted person that he admired leave.

The book ended fairly well. The book was brought to a balanced ending, with the protagonist saving the team and his school from tragedy. The book ends with a very intelligent line from a famous song, Centerfield, by John Fogerty. The line reads, “We're born again, there’s new grass on the field.” This line was a great way to bring conclusion to the book by giving a continuing story. This line obviously symbolizes that after a time of mourning and death something can truly regrow and rebuild.

Overall, this book was great. The book had exciting moments from catches to injuries. If you are looking for a good read (no pun intended) this is the book for you. This was exciting and thrilling. With twists and turns that throw you around, and you are left guessing. If you are into sports, much like me, this is a book especially written for you.

[Robert A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave the novel Center Field by Robert Lipsyte a 5 star rating. First, I like the theme of courage and personal growth in the story. When Coach Cody is talking to Mike after practice on the baseball fields, Coach Cody tells Mike, “Sometimes you have to take a stand, even if you're not sure you're ready.” (Lipsyte 122) This quote is a perfect example of courage because although Mike is not ready to take the next step. Coach Cody tells him to take the stand helping Mike build up the courage for the next step in his life. Next, I like the crisis in the story. When Mike is alone in his room the Author says, “He didn't know who to trust anymore not his coaches, not his friends, maybe not even himself. (Lipsyte 173) This quote shows how Mike is feeling during the difficult times he is going through during baseball season and in life. Furthermore, I liked the way the Author uses characterization. When Mike is experiencing some problems at school the narrator says, “Baseball was everything. As long as he was in the game, nothing else mattered.” (Lipsyte 55) This quote reflects Mike's focus is on baseball and although he has problems he only cares about Being on the field. To add on, later on in the book when Mike is at the fields during his game Mike says to himself, “Maybe baseball wasn't the only thing that mattered. Maybe standing up, even if you struck out, mattered more.” (Lipsyte 222) This quote tells us how much Mike changed throughout the novel. At first he was very selfish and really only cared about baseball even if he had problems. Then he realized that there is more in life than just baseball and having fun and enjoying life really mattered more. With Mike having this big change throughout the novel and finally knowing the importance in life, Mike is a dynamic character. Lastly, I like the resolution in the book. At the end of the novel when Mike is walking onto the field the narrator says, “He walked onto the field not just as a player but as someone who knew who he was and what he stood for” (Lipsyte 250) This is the resolution of the story because throughout the book Mike didn't know who he was and only cared about baseball. And now he plays baseball, knowing the importance of life and knowing the real person he truly is.

[ABendahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quarter, I read a book called Center Field by Robert Lipsyte. I love baseball, so this book was quite interesting to me, but I also enjoyed the realistic plot of the book. It was about a Mike Semak, a varsity baseball player who wanted to get the center field position on the Ridgedale Rangers' team. He tries to look his best towards the beginning so that coach Cody might consider putting him in center field, but everything really starts to change when Oscar Ramirez shows up because he plays center field as well. Mike also starts dating a girl named Lori, as well as getting into fights all the time. He is jinxing his center field chances, so he needs to step up his academic game.
My favorite part of the book was actually when Mike found out that Oscar plays center field because it changed the plot a bit, and this event happened towards the beginning of the book. Mike had been wanting that position for a while, and then this other kid just shows up out of nowhere, invading his territory. This caused Mike's attitude to change a lot, so it ended up being partially Mike's fault for this because he let this small thing take him down. But just like any other baseball player, Mike can get back up again, and it is just that that makes him better and better. What happened to Mike happens to us all the time, and he knows that he can get over it. Plus, this part of the book contributes to the book very much.
As I already said, I enjoyed this book because I play baseball in the center field position. But that doesn't mean that Center Field is only for those who like or play baseball. It is also for people who like a nice plot twist in a book, a plot twist that forms the rest of the story. But it is definitely for baseball players who may be struggling because the conflict in this book is very realistic. I gave this book 3 stars because I enjoyed it, but there were some parts which were a bit hard to understand. But besides that, the book was pretty good overall, especially at teaching a good lesson. So if you like this type of book, then read it!

[Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book for a few reasons. Number one it showed a lot of the struggles baseball players deal with on and off the field. Second I really like how he changes mike throughout the book. At first he is a mean jerk and has a Jock personality and is dating a cheerleader. Then he changes and becomes a kind loving person that doesn't care what the other jocks say about him. He has to help the cyber club for his community service time after punching their leader in the face. He learned that life doesn't revolve around baseball field. One reason why I didn't like the book is because at times it is a slow book. Hard to keep turning the pages. It is a really good book for everyone to read if you don't mind reading through slower parts.

[Jacob Metzelfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this was a very interesting read. I enjoyed the story because it's about a sport i'm really into, and it was welly written. I would recommend reading this book if you are an athlete or into sports. I enjoyed how to book describe ryans life in school and outside of school, and not just on the baseball field. The battle to see who would start center field, really made the book more interesting. In conclusion it was a easy and fun read and I recommend it for others.

[Yaseen Soliman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot as I like books about sports. This book is about a high school junior named Mike Semak, who has fight for his starting job on the Rangers baseball team. The book has many plot twists and kept me anticipating from what happened next. I would reccomend this book for middle schoolers and high schoolers who enjoy books about sports

[Sebastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Center Field is a fiction book about a boy who's life changed after his spot in center field was challenged. He later feels blank emotions toward his girlfriend and he gets in trouble at school. His life starts to tumble. This book was very intriguing because there was lots of action and drama that happened. Its good for high school students who want to enjoy drama and baseball.

[Landen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great book. Mike the main character goes through a lot of adversity to get where he wants to be. this book represents a hero's journey through life. If you want to find out what happens read the book.

[Brayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good because it brought the reader on an emotional journey and you could experience what the characters were going through with all the details. I gave it a 5 star because I didn´t see anything wrong with the book and I thought it was very good.

[Landon Guisinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a really good book and probably one of my favorite ones and I really enjoyed reading it and it was just able to put me in the shoes of the main character and how he overcame his struggles is similar to the way I would've done it and it was just an overall good book.

[Rhea Allais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful, given the subject matter/audience. I was stuck in the library all day yesterday, picked this up at random. It was worth the read.

[Ryanm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good and I highly recommend it.

[Daniel Giroux-Pare · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one went back and forth for me. I obviously liked the baseball aspect, but I didn't like the rest. Even though it was called Center Field, it took about 5% of the book's time there.

[Connor Brucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pacing

[Max Bakke · Rating 1 out of 5]

tries so hard to be about something other than or deeper than baseball, but the non-baseball parts are such trash. 🗑️

[Cody Mangold · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Center Field by Robert Lipsyte, is a great read for people that love baseball and relate to some of the characters in the book. The setting takes place in Ridgedale High School and Mike is the main character in the book. He loves baseball and everything about Billy Budd, his favorite player on the Yankees. Mike plays Center Field on the varsity team there. He loves to talk to people about baseball and especially center field. Mike is a junior in high school. I would recommend this book to teens, not just baseball fans. It has a great story line to the book. I love how so many people love to talk and play the greatest game of baseball. Mike in the book has to deal with sacrifice and determination to strive to be the best he can be for his teammates. The book also talks about his friendship with his friends and how it changed with one problem he encountered in school that changed him school life in some ways. The book could have talked a little more about baseball and how he started to love the game. I would rate the book a 4 because it gives great detail in the book and the book is about baseball, how could you go wrong with that. The characters in the book are very important to the theme and the events in the book. I would recommend this book to baseball fans and the teens that play baseball and know what it is like to play the game and be in school and balance the two every day. The book category I choose for the book was historical fiction because I love the theme in the book and the great and insight it has in explaining the book for people to understand and enjoy to read. I don’t really like to read, but I am starting to enjoy reading with this book. The book give me strategies and tips to be a better teammate and a better player to be the best and positive player I can be in high school.

[Hunter Ethridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good, in ways it was also really confusing. I liked how mike became friends with Zach and brought Cody down together and how in the end everything was better than before but what happen to Lori? I still don’t get that.

[Elijah Zarate · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so unengaging and lifeless to the point where I started to get irritated with it and felt a wave of relief when I finished the final page. Also, the way the author switches between first and third person POV without warning and without "good" format for it... Just no. It doesn't make sense with the way they go about it. I found it amateurish and stupid. I was hoping for more from this book, and sadly it's just not it. 4/10

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Mike Semak's dream is to play center field. His idol is Yankee centerfielder Billy Budd. He lives and breathes any advice he can find from the great Billy Budd.

Mike's focus is directed at playing his best, which means clearing his mind of anything that is not baseball. He tries to steer clear of too-serious relationships with girls. He avoids involvement in his parents' latest project - opening a new floor covering store - and he pushes the problems of his sister, a single young mother living in New York, and his older brother, a championship cello player, to the back of his mind.

Unfortunately, Mike comes up against several distractions that may threaten the intense focus on his goal. One obstacle standing in his way is a new player named Oscar. He is a new kid from the Dominican Republic who shows up and looks to be a challenge for the center field position. Coach Cody lets them both know they will have to prove themselves to earn the position.

All the pressure Mike is feeling about baseball comes to a head in a silly incident with a notorious school geek named Zack. In a moment of lost control, Mike shoves Zack and ends up regretting it when, as punishment, he finds himself helping the Cyber Club provide Saturday computer instruction at the local senior center. Having the little computer nerd boss him around is almost more than he can take. The only highlight about the community service becomes another distraction for Mike's center field dreams - Katherine Herold.

Kat is a track athlete with an interest in photography and filming. Her membership in the Cyber Club surprises Mike, but he's glad to have a chance to get to know her. As people notice them together, word gets back to his cheerleader girlfriend, but Mike never thought of their relationship as particularly exclusive and his fascination with Kat seems worth the price he might pay with Lori.

Complicating matters even further is Coach Cody. Mike has always looked up to Coach, so when the man approaches Mike with a request, it is natural that Mike wants to help. Cody wants Mike to infiltrate the Cyber Club in an effort to bust them for hacking into the school computer system. Problems arise when Mike begins to suspect that Coach is using him in exchange for the center field position. Even more suspicious is the fact that as Mike begins to become friends with Zack, he learns that Coach Cody might not be exactly who he says he is.

Robert Lipsyte has filled CENTER FIELD with more than just baseball action. Mike's performance on the field is illustrated in excellent play-by-play narrative, but there is much more to this novel. There is intrigue as Coach Cody uses Mike to investigate the possible computer hackers, and additional suspense comes from new member of the team, Oscar, as well as the not-so-perfect Kat and her intoxicating power over Mike. CENTER FIELD has a little something for everyone. Readers who are not sports enthusiasts should not shy away from the title or cover art. It is definitely an entertaining read.

[LaVance White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a boy in high school named Mike Semak trying to compete for a starting spot on the baseball team and dealing with his personal life. His position in baseball is center field. While the team was practicing, someone came out of no where and played some really good baseball. The person who came out did not look like a teenager so throughout the book, the team questions how old is he and if he has his green card. Mike also injures his ankle causing some really bad pain. He doesn't want to show coach Cody that he is weak, so he plays through it. His idol is Billy Budd who is a Yankee center fielder. His parents work a lot so he is home alone most of the time. He likes to spend his time watching baseball and learning more about Billy Budd. One day at school, Mike punches a nerd named Zack. This changes his whole life because Zack made it look like it hurt but it didn't causing Mike to go through some community service. He works with the Cyber Club which Zack. While doing community service, he is worried about losing his starting spot at center field. Mike is not focus which is making him worst at baseball so he is now a left fielder and he moved down in the batting order from the first one batting to the seventh. Coach Cody believes he can be the best because he coached Bill Budd but he needs to stay focus to get better. I will let you read the book to see the rest of the book. Mike could get worst at baseball and he can get even more distracted by Zack or he can get better and get Zack to stop messing with him. I thought the book was pretty good but I'm not really into baseball but I like sports overall. I recommend this book to baseball players and people who like sports. The book contains curse words and references of alcohol.

[Brooks Douglass · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Center Field by Robert Lipsyte the main character, Mike Semak, is a tough, and persistent centerfielder for the Ridgedale Rangers. “He pushed past the pain to concentrate. I will have to anticipate quicker, especially if this ankle slows me down, he thought.” (Lipsyte page 5). This quote shows how tough Mike is and that he is pushing through large amounts of pain and making adjustments without ever whining or complaining. “Making junk food runs for pukes isn’t what I had in mind, he thought. Suck it up Mighty Mak. Jack keeps his eyes on the prize does whatever it takes to win.” (Lipsyte page 254). This quote shows how persistence Mike is he is willing to get off of his high horse and someone that he thinks is below him so that he can accomplish his goal which in this case is to prove his coach stole someones identity. As these quotes show Mike taught and persistent individual who uses these qualities to reach his goals.
My personal opinion of Center Field is that it is a great book. It does a great job of grabbing your attention with its fast moving plot. There are lots of twists in the plot that you don’t see coming. Another great part about the book is that the main character Mike. Mike is a realistic character with flaws but you still root for him. All of these elements make Center Field a great reading choice for any one. So if you are looking for a great sports novel be sure to pick up Center Field, by Robert Lipstyle.

[Cinnamon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mike is set to have his best season ever. He is a shoe-in for starting center field on the varsity team. Everything is going his way. Then things start to fall apart. First a new kid shows up, challenging Mike's position on the team. Then, after Mike pushes a kid in the hall, he is given community service rather than expulsion, the school's normal zero tolerance punishment. His community service has an ulterior motive, however. The Dean (who also happens to be Mike's coach) wants him to spy on the tech kids. He thinks they are hacking into school files. Mike is not comfortable doing this but is afraid his place on the team will be in jeopardy if he doesn't.
There are several subplots that go on here: illegal immigration, the reality of a hero, mental health, a love interest. None of these are really resolved by the end of the story.
Mike should have an ulcer with all the time that he spent worrying and thinking before he made a decision to do the right thing. Then the climax of the story happens a little two quickly. It took over 40 chapters for him to decide what was right, then just two chapters to rap it up.
There was way too much stereotypical jocks versus nerds, with jocks being the only ones who could be role models.

[Vincent Pallex]

In the book center field, the main character is Mike Semak. Mikes life long dream is to be the center fielder for the New York Yankees. As of the beginning of the book, mike is the center fielder on the varsity team of his high school. The Ridgedale Rangers. He is a junior and next year when he is a senior he hopes that he can be the team captain. Towards the beginning he is having the time of his life and it could not be better. Yet as time goes on, he finds more and more problems about the school that he is in. Mainly, the fact that the school counselor is not who he says he is. He claims that he is an army ranger when really he is a retiree from the army reserves, and he is beginning to take over the school.
This book was a really good book. It was a challenge to read but the story was good. It pulled me into it and made me want to read more and more of it. One thing that I didn't really get about the book, Is why the ending left a lot of questions that I had unanswered. This book is good for anyone who likes sports and books that make you think about what will happen. This book gave me clues about what was going to happen in the near future, and that's why I liked it so much. I was always thinking about what was going to happen in the book when I read it the next day.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted at my old YA Materials blog.

Center Field is centered around baseball and Mike Semak's idolization of Billy Budd, star baseball player. Lipsyte does not limit the themes to baseball, however, and discusses immigration, friendship, relationships, the need to tell the truth, and standing up for what is right.

Mike Semak as narrator could be seen as a typical teen jock who compares everything to a baseball game, but will surprise the reader when he uses math problems in almost the same manner. The writing style within Center Field is highly impacted by Mike as narrator and has a terse, snappy manner to it that mimics sports announcers: concise and unpretentious. Similarly, the dialog and dialog tags within Center Field are not complex and often choppy, including the pauses and natural breaks in conversation that would happen in real conversation. The dialog tags, however, are often lacking and because many of the characters speak in a similar fashion, it is difficult for readers to keep track of who is speaking.

[Michael Fulgieri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book. Some of the choices that the main character Mike makes are not what i would have written. The beginning of the book is very good but towards about a quarter of the way through it went downhill. This book had a strong plot and it really flowed smoothly, but i didn't care for it. I would have changed a few things. As soon as Mike was done with his "community service" with the cyber club for pushing down the leader of it, Zack he should have left right there. But he didn't he kind of made friends with them I didn't feel as if he should have done that. He got into their business about trying to take down the school vice principal which they eventually did but I think that wasn't really his spot.
There were some things that i liked about this book. I liked how the book began and how that first conflict came up. Competition for Center Field on Varsity baseball. I also liked that Mike finished what he wanted, taking down the vice principal, the Varsity coach which seemed a little strange. I didn't like his choice but he stuck with it so that was good. Overall I would recommend this book to a friend.