Roy Morelli Steps up to the Plate

Eight-grader Roy Morelli can’t wait for baseball season to start so he can take his rightful place as shortstop for the Pilchuk All-Star team.. But when Roy’s divorced parents find out he’s failing history, they make him quit the All-Stars. Now Roy is stuck on a losing team in the wimpy rec league, and instead of playing ball every spare minute, he’s spending his afternoons with a tutor—who just happens to be his dad’s brainiac girlfriend. If Roy’s going to impress the varsity baseball coach, he’s sure he should be looking out for number one, not wasting his time studying. After all, baseball is what Roy does best. But when his grades continue to slide and his teammates get tired of his know-it- all attitude, Roy Morelli will need to step up to the plate. . .

Praise for Roy Morelli Steps Up to the Plate

A .370 average is great in baseball but not so great in history class, and since Roy Morelli is failing history, his parents won’t allow him to play for the Pilchuk All-Star team; he has to get a tutor and raise his grades first. Ray has the tools to be a fine player—average, power, base running, speed and arm strength—but, as Coach Harden tells him, there’s a sixth tool—the mental game—and this is precisely what Roy most needs to develop. Roy’s quest for that sixth tool is the heart and soul of this fine baseball novel. Heldring effectively captures the wise-guy, self-righteous attitude of an eighth-grade boy and carefully delineates Roy’s change of character as he comes to understand what it takes to be a team player. With plenty of well-described baseball action and a protagonist to care about, this will be a hit with young baseball fans. – Kirkus