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About Beanball
Product Description 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.In the bottom of the last inning against their biggest rival, Oak Grove High has two men on base and the score is tied. Luke “Wizard” Wallace is at bat, and he knows what he needs to do: drive in the winning run, save the game, and be a hero. Luke has everything under control, except the pitch. Review The story is well paced, quite satisfying, and will appeal to the reluctant reader. VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) In his debut novel, Fehler succeeds at every level. Kirkus Reviews Poet and baseball enthusiast Fehler should attract a crowd with his first YA novel, narrated by 28 narrators in free-verse monlogues. . . . Fehler does an excellent job in pacing his shifts of perspective, and the central story, of Luke's friendships and eventual recovery, comes through with drama and clarity. Publishers Weekly The short, terse narrative will attract reluctant readers, and Luke's nightmarish ordeal will keep them turning the pages. Booklist, ALA About the Author Gene Fehler is a widely-published and anthologized poet whose work has appeared in children's books, poetry collections, and college textbooks. He is also the author of five books, including two adult nonfiction titles about baseball's golden age. He lives in Seneca, South Carolina. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 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. Anyway, the minute I stepped onto the field this afternoon, I felt a lot better. Almost normal. And now this. This is what I live for: bottom of the seventh, our last at-bats. Tying run on third, winning run on second. Hitting against Kyle Dawkins, the hardest thrower in our conference. He’s a senior now. He’s fast but wild. Last year as a sophomore, I swung against him, and I couldn’t touch his heat. I might as well have been batting with a toothpick. The Compton coach just came out to talk to Dawkins. I can guess what he told him. They don’t want to risk walking me. Dawkins’s control is shaky; the last thing they want is to have the bases loaded. I’ve already pulled an inside pitch for a double, so the smart play is for him to curve me outside. I’ll be ready for it. I’ll poke it to right, and the game will be ours. Last week we won a game with defense in the final inning. Today we’ve got a chance to win with our bats. Andy Keller, Oak Grove backup infielder The Wizard’s the guy you want up in a situation like this. Gordie’s on deck. He’s our best hitter, both for average and power. But in a clutch situation, Luke’s the guy I want up there. He’s amazing. For some reasonI can’t explain it the pressure never seems to bother him. You might think I’m biased, since Luke’s my best friend. But I could fill a book with all the times he’s come through in the clutch. In fact, I can hardly remember a time he’s failed. Sure, Dawkins might get him out; he’s got the stuff to do it. But if I were going to bet, I’d put my money on the Wizard. Red Bradington, Compton coach This is one hell of a situation to be in. Their best hitter’s on deck, so we can’t walk Wallace. Wallace has already hammered Dawkins’s fastball, so the best bet is to bust him inside one time. That’ll move him off the plate. Then we’ll curve him away. Dawkins’s wildness doesn’t give us much margin for error. I wish I could bring somebody else in, but he’s still the best I’ve got. Pete Preston, Compton catcher Coach just told Kyle to brush Wallace
