Mary Bowman-Kruhm, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
The privileged life of Shane Hunter changes with his father's suicide after arrest for laundering drug money. His stealing compounds the emotional and financial difficulties he, his mother, and sister face. After performing community service, he agrees to again play ball. Pitching against old teammates, Shane's fastball, high and inside--high heat--splinters helmet and head of Reese Robertson, whose family moved into his old home. Shane and Reese eventually help each other move beyond the beaning, but when they again face each other in a ball game, Shane strikes Reese out, becomes a local hero, and captures a college baseball scholarship. Only his catcher, Benny, recognizes that, although Shane worked his way back, Reese has not, and would avoid a high inside pitch. The book ends with Benny's hope that Reese will also eventually become the player he once was and Shane's poignant personal comment that he's the same but "different, too. Entirely different." Descriptions of tight games will satisfy baseball buffs and plot will satisfy everyone. A useful book for counselors and teachers whose curriculum includes analysis of behavior: How could Shane have positively worked through problems? What signs of denial and depression does Shane exhibit in Part Two? Why does his mother like the young man Shane more than she liked the boy? How did he feel when he took advantage of Reese's fear of a second beaning? This book is a winner! 2003, Houghton Mifflin, $16.00. Ages 12 up.

Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, May 2003 (Vol. 37, No. 3))
From the author of Night Hoops and Painting the Black comes another successful sports story featuring a teenage athlete in crisis. Shane is an important part of his prep school's baseball team as the closing pitcher--he has a fastball few can hit. His comfortable life is transformed when his father is arrested for laundering money for drug lords, and further turned upside down when his father commits suicide. Shane, his mother, and little sister are now without any income. They sell their lovely home and move into public housing. Shane's mother gets a job, while Shane is transferred to the local high school and must baby-sit for his sister after school. Shane's anger and bitterness--his grief at the loss of his father--cause him to sneak out to be with some other teens in the projects: the boys steal beer regularly, get drunk, and then get into trouble. The probation officer puts Shane in touch with a no-nonsense baseball coach at the high school Shane now attends. This is a fairly complex story (longer than many YA novels) in which the main character goes through many changes from the beginning to the end. Several years pass (three baseball seasons). There are no sudden resolutions. For instance, when Shane gets a real break and a scout from a college comes to watch him play, Shane does a miserable job and the scout goes away unimpressed. The baseball details are absolutely believable, as is the slow maturation of Shane. Those who like sports stories will approve, and those who like stories of a teenager in trouble with the law will also enjoy reading this book. This will probably be chosen as an ALA Best Book for YAs. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS*--Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2003, Houghton Mifflin, 277p., $16.00. Ages 12 to 18.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 2003 (Vol. 56, No. 10))
Shane Hunter’s on a fast track downward after his father, accused of money laundering, succumbs to despair during the investigation and takes his own life. With their assets seized, the family is forced from their elegant home into public housing, and Shane slides from the posh Shorelake Academy into public school. Most devastating is his loss of interest in baseball, but after a brush with the law, the talented pitcher is required by his probation officer to sign up for the school team. Shane’s talent as a “closer” propels his team to success and the rest should be a baseball fairy tale, except for the fact that Shane’s still got of load of anger to confront, and he takes his hostility out on Shorelake’s best hitter, Reese Robertson, seriously injuring him with a fastball to the head. Following the “accident,” Shane hits a slump and, after obsessing over Reese’s recovery, he determines to help the hitter regain his confidence. Reese, however, is now permanently reduced to a “charity case; the scrub who tries so hard everybody roots for him.” Their practice sessions get Shane back to the top of his game, but Reese’s career is gone for good. High Heat joins the Deuker canon (Painting the Black, BCCB 6/97, etc.) with yet another fine study of a conflicted soul whose ethical salvation is determined in a sporting arena, and once more readers are left to ponder whether a tainted success loses its sweet savor. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2003, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Houghton, 277p, $16.00. Grades 7-10.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2003)
When Shane's father is arrested for money laundering and commits suicide, Shane's distress is obvious. As his world collapses, the high school sophomore struggles with school, family, friends, and his inability to focus on the mound. Deuker effectively uses baseball as a metaphor in this engaging novel about teams, families, and individuals who thrive despite the odds. Category: Older Fiction. 2003, Houghton, 277pp, $16.00. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Donna Bode (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 16, No. 4))
Shane Hunter loves baseball. He is the “closer” for his high school baseball team at a prestigious private school. When Shane’s father is arrested for laundering money and ultimately commits suicide, life as Shane knows it changes drastically. Shane and his mother and sister move from their mansion to a run-down apartment, and Shane goes to public school. Shane tries out for the baseball team at his new school, but when they play his former team, Shane’s anger surfaces, and he intentionally hits a batter with a ball seriously injuring him. As the story progresses, Shane and the batter that he hits become friends, and both try to get their lives back on track. There are a lot of baseball play-by-plays that some readers may get tired of, but avid fans will enjoy them. Told in first person, this is a good story that has a lot of action and shows how someone can change and improve despite the odds. Fiction, Highly Recommended. Grades 6 and up. 2003, Houghton Mifflin, 277p., $16.00. Ages 11 up.

Bradley Honigford (VOYA, August 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 3))
Shane Hunter, a sophomore and star closing pitcher for Shorelake High School, a private school near Seattle, seems to have it all, until his father is arrested for money laundering. Now his teammates and friends look at him differently. Shane thinks he has become a charity case and cannot stand it. Things get even worse after his father commits suicide in their suburban home. His mother is forced to sell the house and move the family into public housing. Now attending public school, Shane falls in with the wrong crowd and is arrested for shoplifting at a local convenience store. He is put on probation fixing up a baseball field at a boys' and girls' club. There he meets Cornelius Grandison, who Shane later discovers is the baseball coach at his high school. Coach Grandison becomes a father figure to Shane, helping him deal with his new life both on and off the baseball field and saving him from a pit of self-induced apathy for life. Deuker, author of other popular teen sports novels such as Night Hoops (Houghton Mifflin, 2000/VOYA August 2000) and Painting the Black (1997/VOYA August 1997), creates another captivating story. Readers will think they are sitting in the front row with a Cracker Jack(r) box and a Coke as Shane mows them down in the last inning. They will feel the emotions right along with Shane on the roller-coaster ride his life takes. Good baseball books are in short supply for teens; do not let this one slip past. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2003, Houghton Mifflin, 288p, $16. Ages 11 to 18.