Free Baseball
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Free Baseball is a children's novel by Sue Corbett, first published in 2006.
Plot summary
Felix is a Cuban boy who came to the USA with his mother when he was three years old. He has a passion for baseball and wins two tickets to a minor-league baseball game via a radio competition. Going to the game with his babysitter, they become separated when Felix learns that the opposing team has a Cuban player, believing that he might be able to share information about Felix's father, a famous baseball player on the Cuban national team who stayed behind when Felix and his mother emigrated.
Development
Corbett had the idea for the book after an incident at a baseball game when she became separated from her daughter Karina and was able to find her as all of the children were wearing the cok (the team name) team shirts.{{cite web |url=http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2006/02/author-interview-sue-corbett-on-free.html |title=Author Interview: Sue Corbett on Free Baseball |accessdate=2008-06-17 |date=2006-02-06 |publisher=Cynthia Leitich Smith.BlogSpot.com}}
Reception
School Library Journal described the novel as an "engaging, well-written story with a satisfying ending."{{cite web |url=http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6304145.html |title=Grades 5 & Up |accessdate=2008-06-17 |date=2006-02-01 |publisher=School Library Journal}} The Topeka Capital-Journal called it a "wonderful mix of self-discovery and baseball."{{cite web |url=http://www.cjonline.com/stories/071106/boo_bleekers.shtml |title=Soothe baseball fever with words |accessdate=2008-06-17 |date=2006-07-11 |publisher=The Topeka Capital-Journal}} Kids Reads thought that Felix was a "richly drawn character".{{cite web |url=http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0525471200.asp |title=Free Baseball by Sue Corbett |accessdate=2008-06-17 |publisher=Kids Reads}}
Awards and nominations
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- 2006 Selected by the Junior Library Guild[http://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/ Junior Library Guild]
- 2008 Nominated for the Young Hoosier Book Award (final results not yet announced){{Cite web |url=http://www.ilfonline.org/AIME/YHBA/YHBA.htm |title=Young Hoosier Book Award |access-date=2008-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609004822/http://www.ilfonline.org/AIME/YHBA/YHBA.htm |archive-date=2008-06-09 |url-status=dead }}
- 2008 Nominated for the Virginia Readers Choice Award (final results not yet announced){{Cite web |url=http://www.vsra.org/VRCindex.html |title=Virginia Readers Choice Award |access-date=2008-06-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511165328/http://vsra.org/VRCindex.html |archive-date=2008-05-11 |url-status=usurped }}
- 2009 Nominated for the Nutmeg Book Award (final results not yet announced)[http://www.nutmegaward.org/ Nutmeg Book Award]
References
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External links
- [http://www.suecorbett.com/my-books/free-baseball/ Official site]
Category:American children's novels
Category:2006 children's books