Coach Amos

Culpepper Adventures #18

by Gary Paulsen

Asked by their school principal to coach a local t-ball team, Dunc and Amos must contend with players who know nothing of the game, a sinister local gangster, and overanxious family fans. Original.

63 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

Gary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad guys operate in all arenas, but behind the scenes of a T-ball team? This is the situation Dunc Culpepper and Amos Binder stumble onto after Amos gets in trouble with Ms. Fishbeck, the school principal. Amos didn't mean to destroy the office area, it just happened; he heard the phone ring and assumed as always that Melissa Hansen was trying to contact him, even though she barely knows he exists. To pay for the damage caused when Amos barreled haphazardly into the office, he agrees to coach a T-ball team of five- and six-year-olds. Dunc is doubtful about the whole thing, but grudgingly offers to help. The players need to be taught all the basics before the season starts, so Amos and Dunc have their work cut out for them.

Dunc's nose for finding a mystery never fails, and he detects one when a man in a limousine threatens Amos if he doesn't quit as coach of the T-ball team. Dunc envisions a sinister, complex plot that only he and Amos can unravel in time to save the kids' season. While Dunc snoops around at Posey's Sporting Goods—the team's sponsor—Amos concentrates on convincing the children to listen to him. They're aggressive, surly, and totally ignorant about baseball. Amos has to teach them the most fundamental aspects of the game, and these kids aren't good listeners. Meanwhile, as Dunc unearths evidence that the team is being targeted by violent professional gamblers, he coordinates a trap to be sprung on the season's opening day. Will he and Amos catch the ruffians so the kids can play ball in peace? And will the team be good enough to impress Melissa, which is Amos's real goal?

I'll rate Coach Amos one and a half stars, but I almost rounded up to two. It's one of the funniest books in the series; Gary Paulsen isn't always an effective comedian, but I laughed out loud during this story. The reason for my low rating is the implausibility of the narrative. It's hard enough to believe big-money gamblers would bet on T-ball kids, but the villains are such loose cannons that it's impossible to accept they've gone this long without getting caught. Like the majority of Culpepper Adventures, this one is too lazily constructed for its own good, and Gary Paulsen is capable of much better. Still, if you like the series generally, Coach Amos is probably your kind of story.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this one was the best of the series!