Book: The Only Game

Mike Lupica always seems to bring out the best in sports.  I have read a few of his books, and even though I do not enjoy sports (never have), I always enjoy reading his books.  I especially liked the first half of The Only Game, a character-driven baseball and softball story.

There's more to The Only Game than a story about sports.  The first half of the book sets up the story quite well, with the star pitcher quitting the team after his brother dies in an accident.  The reader questions the reason for his quitting the team, as do his teammates, and his new friend - a girl who stars on her softball team.  His new position on the sidelines gives the main character a different perspective than he had before.  Another character, an unlikely fellow student who is not physically fit and is often bullied, rounds out the story.

The second half of the book reads too much like a play-by-play radio broadcast and doesn't feel like part of the story that Lupica started to write.  The play-by-play always shows up in Lupica's books and often moves the story along, but in The Only Game it got in the way.  There was just too much of it.

From the publisher's website:

Jack Callahan is the star of his baseball team and seventh grade is supposed to be his year. Undefeated season. Records shattered. Little League World Series. The works. That is, until he up and quits.

Jack’s best friend Gus can’t understand how Jack could leave a game that means more to them than anything else. But Jack is done. It’s a year of change. Jack’s brother has passed away, and though his family and friends and the whole town of Walton thinks baseball is just the thing he needs to move on, Jack feels it’s anything but.

In comes Cassie Bennett, star softball player, and the only person who seems to think Jack shouldn’t play if he doesn’t want to. As Jack and Cassie’s friendship deepens, their circle expands to include Teddy, a guy who’s been bullied because of his weight.

Time spent with these new friends unlocks something within Jack, and with their help and the support of his family and his old friends, Jack discovers sometimes it’s more than just the love of the game that keeps us moving forward—and he might just be able to find his way back to The Only Game, after all.

I'm glad Lupica's books have made the Mark Twain Award list (Missouri's middle-grade literature awards).  They aren't books I would pick up to read on my own.  In fact, I couldn't help but think that Mike Lupica is probably a pretty nice fellow.  His books show the most romantic and idealistic parts of sports.  They also display kids who have great character and citizenship.  The characters in this volume are especially supportive to each other.  I like that.