Beanball
 
...a free verse novel for young adults, with more than 28 characters
telling the story in more than 120 free verse poems...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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bulletBinding: Hardcover
bulletEAN: 9780618843480
bulletISBN: 0618843485
bulletLabel: Clarion Books
bulletManufacturer: Clarion Books
bulletNumber Of Pages: 144
bulletPublication Date: February 18, 2008
bulletPublisher: Clarion Books
bulletReading Level: Young Adult
bullet
Studio: Clarion Books
 
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“Tough, smart, and thrilling. You don’t even need to love baseball to love this
clear-eyed yet inspirational story and its gutsy heroes.”

—Robert Lipsyte, New York Times Sports Writer
and author of The Contender and Yellow Flag

A compelling sports story told in stark, powerful free verse.
 
    Tim Burchard, umpire
 
    It’s the worst sound I’ve ever heard
    in all my years of umping. 
    Oh, I’ve heard plenty of pitches hit a helmet.
    But this . . . this fastball, up and in.
    This one hit bone, right in the face.
    Not even a scream or grunt from the kid.
    He went down like he was shot.
 
It's the last inning of a high school baseball game between archrivals Oak Grove and Compton. Center fielder Luke 'Wizard' Wallace steps up to the plate-and is hit by a beanball, a wild pitch that shatters his skull, destroys the vision in his left eye, and changes his life forever. In this riveting novel, the events surrounding this pivotal moment are recounted through free-verse monologues by 28 different voices, including those of Luke and his Oak Grove team-mates; the pitcher, Kyle Dawkins, and other Compton players; the two coaches; Luke's family members and teachers; and Sarah Edgerton, a new classmate who seems more affected by Luke's injury than his girlfriend is.
 
With its unusual format, gripping subject matter, and economy of language, 'Beanball' is a thought-provoking, fast-paced read.
 
Courtesy of AmericanPoems.com
 
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Excerpt: 

Luke “Wizard” Wallace, Oak Grove center fielder

A ballfield’s the best medicine I know.
I’ve been sick as a dog since last night.
I had to run out of class third period.
I didn’t even stop to get the teacher’s permission,
because I thought I was going to throw up
right there at my desk.
Talk about embarrassing!
Luckily, I didn’t.

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