The Batboy

By: Mike Lupica

Narrated by: Lucien Dodge

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Heat, Travel Team and Million-Dollar Throw.

Brian is living every baseball kid's dream: he is a batboy for his hometown Major League team. Brian believes that it's the perfect thing to bring him and his big-leaguer dad closer together. And if that weren't enough, this is the season that Hank Bishop, Brian's baseball hero, returns to the Tigers for the comeback of a lifetime. The summer couldn't get much better! Until Hank Bishop starts to show his true colors, and Brian learns that sometimes life throws you a curveball.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Batboy:

“A pennant winner.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Lupica. . .giv[es] his readers a behind-the-scenes look at major league sports. In this novel, he adds genuine insights into family dynamics and the emotional state of his hero.” –Booklist

“[T]his novel will undoubtedly appeal to those who equate summer with baseball, it should also win over readers who appreciate finely crafted storytelling and engaging characters.” –School Library Journal

Home run

I liked the whole book and I really liked when Hank taught Brian in the cage

I connected with me and did not stay on one topic

This is a very good book and understandable to many people I rate it a 10/10

predictable but fun baseball novel

If you know and enjoy baseball, and like kids fiction, I expect that you will enjoy this story a lot. I did. It is quite predictable, but pulls the right strings, and I enjoyed it. It combines a 14 year-old boy's youth baseball experience with his chance to be a major league bat boy. Also, we have the a baseball star who becomes a fallen idol and an estranged father who happens to be a former major league baseball player. While I could see all the twists coming at each turn, I enjoyed it anyway. There is a lot of baseball in this, and knowing and appreciating the game is a key to enjoying this novel.

The biggest problem - the reader spoke much too fast. He did okay for the conversation, but was terrible when he read the rest. Maybe you should look for the regular print book. Still, I did finally get used to the reader, and liked the book in spite of him.

Batboy review

I enjoyed listening to this book. It was easy to follow and very interesting. I think middle schoolers, high schoolers and adults who like sports would enjoy this book (as reviewed by a 12 yr old)

younger kid

The book itself was really good but I would recommend it to a younger kid in maybe the 4th grade or 5th grade (Thank you Mike Lupica for another exellent book)☺