Although revised for younger readers, the book remains essentially the same. Marty gains insight into his own capabilities in a new town, on a new baseball team, with a lucky bat. While the story line is predictable, the ending offers a surprising and satisfying resolution.

Gr 3-4-- Martin is new to the neighborhood and wants to play little league. When an older boy gives him his old mitt and bat, Martin finds he can both hit and catch, and attributes these skills to the equipment, not to himself. When he can't find his bat, he accuses a teammate of stealing it. In an unbelievable sequence, he jumps in front of an approaching car to pull a younger boy to safety; coincidentally, the boy happens to be the one who took the bat. In the end, Martin hits a home run and wins the championship game for his team. The plot is as evenly paced as that in The Hit-Away Kid (Little, 1988), with a controlled vocabulary and short chapters intended to help children make the leap to chapter books. The moral is also as conspicuous. --Denise Krell, New York Public Library