School Library Journal (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Gr 5-8 As this installment opens, Josh LeBlanc's father is in the process of abandoning his family for femme fatale Diane Cross. It is eventually revealed that he has also become involved in her sketchy gas-drilling lease operation, endangering future earnings from a lucrative Nike contract he secured in a previous book. Phenomenally talented Josh, meanwhile, has been chosen to join an all-star Little League team that he hopes to lead to the national championship. In a transparently artificial plot device, the 12-year-old is assigned Diane's son, Marcus Zamboni Cross, as a roommate. Zamboni is a nasty piece of work who taunts Josh, smokes cigarettes on the sly, and flicks boogers to express his disdain for the world at large. He undergoes a change of heart (and personality), however, when Josh gives him some tips on improving his game. Incredibly, Zamboni agrees to help unmask his divorced parents' plan to cheat Josh's father. While fans will enjoy the sports action and the interaction between Josh and series characters Jaden and Benji, they may well be put off by the adult themes. Richard Luzer, Fair Haven Union High School, VT

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

This third Baseball Great novel finds talented young shortstop Josh's performance on the field affected by his parents' marital problems. While his team shoots for the Little League World Series, Josh must figure out how to get his head in the game. As usual, the plot lines and characterizations are rather thin, but the baseball writing is solid.

ALA Booklist

The follow-up to Baseball Great (2009) and Rivals (2010) takes 12-year-old superstar Josh to the Little League World Series while saddling him with the even tougher challenge of coping with his parents' breakup. Though the domestic drama occupies the foreground and takes on a melodramatic tone, the baseball action is both exciting (nearly every short game chapter ends in a cliff-hanger) and laced with savvy tips about playing, coaching, and showing team spirit. The major adult and preteen characters continue to show some complexity, too, bumping this toward the top of the sports fiction lineup.

Kirkus Reviews

Another episode in the life of 12-year-old baseball phenom Josh LeBlanc, introduced in Baseball Great (2009). While still a superstar on the field, off the field Josh has problems. His father is investing money from Nike in what seems like a questionable deal, and the realtor, perky Diane, is turning his father's head with more than real estate.  As his parents' marriage falls apart, Josh and his good buddy, Benji, are finagled onto a local team with a chance at winning the Little League World Series. His dad still wants to be his coach, but Josh is rebellious and frustrated with him. Compounding his woes are his demanding lawn-mowing business, trying to support his mother and little sister in this hard time and the need to stay on top of his game. His best friend, Jaden, a girl with dreams of becoming a reporter, helps out. Plenty of baseball-insider detail and knowledge of the game is imparted as the run to the championship unfolds. The slightly dishonest proceedings that allow both boys to play parallel the equally suspect shenanigans in the adult world. The money involved in sports, even at the kid level, is carefully emphasized, as is the pressure to win. Ethics in sports lifts this above the usual sports saga. (Fiction. 10-14)