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Six Innings (2008)

by James Preller(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0312367635 (ISBN13: 9780312367633)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Feiwel & Friends

review 1: Championship Game The book I am reviewing is called Six Innings by James Preller. The book is about a championship game for a little league baseball team. This book was published in 2008. The teams are Northeast Gas & Electric vs. Earl Grubbs Pool Supplies. Sam, who has cancer and is in a wheelchair, has to call play by play instead of participating in the game. I thought Six Innings was a good book. The setting takes place at a little league park. The main character Sam is the announcer. It all starts with Northeast Gas & Electric have a fire-balling pitcher that Earl Grubbs Pool Supplies can't hit. Both teams have great hitters and pitchers. Earl Grubbs Pool Supplies has a great defense while Northeast Gas & Electric have the best hitters in the league... more! It's basically a showdown of number one offense vs. the number one defense! Trust me on this one, it was a big showdown! I agree with everything in the book. A very sweet, balanced story that baseball fans and those who have played baseball will enjoy it. There is one thing that I disagree with. The book is told from way too many point of views. The book basically suggests that just because that other team is better, doesn't mean you can't beat them. So, keep trying, don't give up and you can reach your goals. I like the parts in the book when Sam Reiser the announcer goes crazy over who was on deck or made a ridiculously good play. I recommend that you baseball fans out there read Six Innings. It tells that you shouldn't give up and just keep trying. I give Six Innings four and a half stars out of five. This is the only book in the series. I liked the author James Preller. Overall, I liked the book.
review 2: In the story Six Innings: A Game in the Life author James Preller explores the connection between baseball and the lives of the young boys who are playing for the championship. Most adults believe that childhood sports are just a way to keep our kids busy and out of trouble. However, we learn, inning by inning, that these games mirror life.Told in third person narrative, the prologue, called "Pregame," introduces the reader to thirteen year old Sam Reiser. He awakes on the morning of the big championship game to the sound of birds chirping outside his window. His first thoughts include the fact that he won't be playing in the game and that he needs to call for his parents to use the bathroom. The reader senses his love of the game and his frustration at being so dependent; "Sam never "decided" to think about baseball, just as he never "decided" to have black hair. He awoke and baseball was there, a hanging curveball in his consciousness, white leather wrapped around a cushioned cork core, hovering in the center of his mind. Baseball was always there." With a drawing of a baseball diamond to open chapter one, the rosters of each team are revealed, as well as the "Special Rules" for the game. Each subsequent chapter is an inning with a drawing of the scorecard and titles such as; "Chapter 3: Top of the Second." The innings not only reveal the events of the game, but we get a closer look at the lives of the characters as they come up to bat. The story is immersed with baseball vernacular, and we get a sense that the teams are the types of teams one would find in real life. There is the bully pitcher, the young, inexperienced outfielder, and the hotdog shortstop. Sam, who has played baseball for much of his young life, would be the announcer for the game, his only way to participate during this difficult year. Sam reminds me of my disabled nephew. Michael loved sports and was an active athlete. Eventually, his disability made him unable to play so he became the voice of his high school. As a spectator in my nephew's struggle to participate, I am impressed at how realistically Preller portrays Sam's frustrations. When his best friend Mike makes his way to the announcer's booth, he and Sam struggle to communicate. Mike is afraid to say the wrong thing, Sam doesn't want sympathy. The author demonstrates this struggle; "…the two friends sit lost in their separate thoughts. They watch through the pane as the game unfolds below." As the reader gets caught up in the game, the deeper stories of the players are revealed. Writing from the viewpoint of the youngsters, Preller captures the excitement of the game and the realism of the players' diverse family backgrounds and situations. Baseball enthusiasts will enjoy the language of the story, as will readers who like realistic fiction. Six Innings is a story about baseball, friendship, and dealing with the "curveballs" of life! less

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