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(Paperback - 50th Anniversary Edition)
Martin is new to the neighborhood, and wants to make a good impression on his new teammates. But when he loses his lucky baseball bat, Martin fears that he has also lost his ability to play baseball. Will Martin be able to continue his winning streak without the bat?
Marty loses his lucky baseball bat, and his confidence along with it, and wonders if he will recover both in time to help the Tigers win the championship.
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
More Reviews and RecommendationsMatt Christopher is the best-selling name behind more than 120 sports books for young readers.