Lupica, Mike. The Big Field. New York: Philomel Books, 2008. 243 pages. (Sports Fiction)
This baseball book's characters are Hutch, which was the main character of the book; Cody, Hutch's best friend; Carl Hutchinson, Hutch’s dad; and Darryl, the self – centered shortstop that only thought about himself. If Hutch was the star of the game, he was very jealous. Hutch's old position was shortstop but when Darryl joined the team and took his place, he wasn't too happy, but he made some adjustments and became good at that position. Later in the book, Hutch and his team got to a crucial game in the tournament, and Hutch needed to come up big with two outs and no men on base. He hits a home run to win the game and of course Darryl was full of jealousy. Hutch's dad was emotionally detached. He never wanted to watch games with Hutch or play baseball with him, but when Hutch snuck down to the batting cage in a local town, he was surprised to find his father taking swings. Hutch's team finally made it to the championship game. In the ninth inning, Hutch’s dad told him to bunt. He got on base and Darryl steps up and hits a home run to win the game.
I liked this book because it told that no matter where you grow up, how you live, or where you play, you can always become the greatest. It is inspiring to anyone who likes baseball, and possibly plays. This author also wrote Heat, Travel Team, and Miracle on 49th Street which are great sports books. This book will make you cheer for Hutch and his team throughout the whole book.
Reviewed By: BlueHairCommity
