Roy Morelli Steps Up to the Plate Book

Eight-grader Roy Morelli can’t wait for baseball season to start so he can take his rightful place as shortstop for the Pilchuk All-Star team. Being on the All-Stars is just the warm-up for the big leagues: the varsity baseball team at the high school Roy will go to next year. But when Roy’s divorced parents find out he’s failing history, they make him quit the All-Stars. It’s not his fault the only thing interesting about history class is Valerie Hopkins, and she won’t even give Roy the time of day.

Now Roy is stuck on a losing team in the wimpy rec league, and instead of playing ball every spare minute, he’s spending his afternoons with a tutor—who just happens to be his dad’s brainiac girlfriend. If Roy’s going to impress the varsity baseball coach, he’s sure he should be looking out for number one, not wasting his time studying. After all, baseball is what Roy does best. But when his grades continue to slide and his teammates get tired of his know-it-all attitude, Roy Morelli will need to step up to the plate. . . .

Children's Literature

Eighth-grader Roy Morelli's sole goal is to impress the high school baseball coach enough to land a spot on the varsity team in the fall. He's been playing well with the All-Stars and will have plenty of time to practice and show off his skills before he is scouted. Then he earns Ds in American History and is sent to the principal's office for pestering Valerie, the girl he likes. His parents, who are divorced, pull him off the team. They send him back to the rec league to play with kids who do it for fun rather than victory, and they make him study history every day. Worse, Roy's father arranges for his girlfriend Camille to tutor both Roy and Valerie. Rather than study, Roy takes advice from a classmate on how to ace multiple-choice tests (e.g., the answers are never the same letter two questions in a row). The results are disastrous. On the field, his new, bumbling teammates complain about his lack of sportsmanship. By the end, Roy learns to appreciate history and to bunt a sacrifice out for the good of the team, thus impressing the high school coach. He learns the lesson: "The harder the trip is to get there, the better it feels when you do." The characters, though not vivid, are believable. The tensions, though not suspenseful, are real enough. Most of the relationships, though not fully developed, are workable. The baseball games are described in such detail that any athlete will enjoy the book and find it a worthwhile read. Reviewer: Cynthia Levinson