ALA Booklist (Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2007)

Sports journalist Lupica scores again with a baseball tale in the classic tradition. As his American Legion team works its way to the 17-and-under league Florida State championship series, team captain Hutch finds himself both locking horns with an arrogant, immensely talented new teammate and fuming at his father's long-standing emotional distance. Writing in typically fluid prose and laying in a strong supporting lineup, Lupica strikes the right balance between personal issues and game action. By the end, father and son have both taken steps toward each other; the team has endured a set of exciting, hard-fought play-off contests; and because Hutch is an uncommonly canny, conscientious student of the game, readers can't help but come away more knowledgeable about baseball's strategy and spirit.

Kirkus Reviews

Game by game, Keith Hutchinson's baseball team makes its way to the Florida state championships at Roger Dean Stadium. Playing on "the big field," on television, is Hutch's dream, and he'll be following in his father's footsteps. Carl Hutchinson made it all the way to Triple-A ball with the Twins, but his sad-looking eyes betray his hurt over not being quite good enough to make it all the way to the majors, and he doesn't want his son hurt the same way—by letting baseball matter too much. As in Lupica's Travel Team (2004), the father-son dynamic is at the heart of this story, a tale of baseball, dreams and what really matters most. Lupica's signature style—a weaving of long, meandering sentences and staccato bursts of sentence fragments—yields a fast-paced, completely involving story with excellent game sequences, conflicts with a fellow star player and the tension of making it to the big game and what that means for his relationship with his father. Another gift for the author's many fans. (Fiction. 10+)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Lupica's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Travel Team) formula for success seems to be this: take a kid with big athletic talent and even bigger heart, mix in some conflict at home, add a lot of play-by-play action and end with a nail-biter game where the underdog prevails. Even so, Lupica does not fail to entertain. His latest protagonist, Hutch, is a gifted 14-year-old baseball player, devoted to his sport and even more to his team. His recent demotion from shortstop to second base, however, strains his relationship with his cocky, showstopper replacement, Darryl. Hutch also simmers with bottled-up resentment toward his former-baseball-star dad, yet he desperately seeks his father's approval, illustrating once again that what makes Lupica so good is that he not only knows sports, but he also understands how kids think. Hutch's raw passion for baseball—“the feeling that you wouldn't want to be anyplace else in the world”—and his integrity, not to mention Lupica's swift pacing, will have even reluctant readers following eagerly, hoping that Hutch pulls off another victory. Ages 10-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Mar.)

Voice of Youth Advocates

Team captain Keith "Hutch" Hutchinson lives for baseball. He heads his Florida American Legion team and dreams of playing for the state championship on "the big field." But there are obstacles to Hutch's championship dreams. His father, a former major-league prospect, takes little interest in Hutch's accomplishments on the field. Furthermore Hutch must deal with the ego of Darryl Williams, the best player on the team who also happens to play Hutch's favorite position, shortstop. As his team works toward the championship, Hutch must contend with resentment for his father, forging a relationship with Darryl, and his own doubts. Lupica, author of bestsellers such as Heat (Philomel, 2006/VOYA April 2006), does not break any new ground here, but solid subplots and a few plot twists make this novel a success. He skillfully avoids focusing too heavily on the actual games. The subplots, such as Hutch's relationship with his father, create tension off the field as well as on. Teen baseball fans, however, will appreciate and absorb Lupica's baseball knowledge when he describes the action. In addition, the book passes one of this reviewer's greatest tests for sports fiction: The main character does not hit the home run, score the goal, or make the shot that wins his team the championship. Hutch is a likeable protagonist who thinks about his team first. Lupica's latest is highly recommended for libraries where sports fiction is popular.-David Goodale.