Customer Reviews
Courtesy of Teens Read Too - By: TeensReadToo.com, 19 Oct 2007 
Seth Barnam's father was a golfer, & it probably would have been Seth's game, too, but his dad died when Seth was only seven. Coming to terms with his father's death was difficult for Seth, but then he met Jimmy Winter. Jimmy has lots of baseball talent, & a father that demands perfection from him. The boys become fast friends, & both sign up for Little League, even though Seth feels inadequate compared to his new friend.
Their time together is spent practicing baseball, with Jimmy's father usually there to coach them & urge them to improve. Jimmy's intensity & self-assurance on the playing field begins to rub off onto Seth, too. He improves as a student & as a baseball player, & he dreams of being as good as Jimmy.
Then Jimmy's home life begins to unravel; his father is drinking too much & then his parents divorce. Seth is at a loss when Jimmy is caught drinking & suspended from the team. Jimmy just can't seem to get his life back on track, & his choices lead to an unexpected result.
This is an exciting novel, loaded with baseball action. It will have an intense appeal to anyone interestedin that sport, but the main focus is on the friendship that develops between Seth & Jimmy, & of coping with the consequences of foolish choices, & the grief of dealing with incomprehensible loss. It's easy to read with well-developed, likable characters, a gripping plot, & plenty of action. I highly recommend this book, especially for boys, but girls will also enjoy this story of a forever kind of friendship.
Notes: An ALA Best Book for Young Adults An ALA Best Book for Reluctant Readers A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Book of the Year.
Reviewed by: Grandma Bev
A good book about baseball - By: , 12 Mar 2001 This is a book about Seth & his friend Jimmy. Seth has never played baseball before & now Jimmy has taught him to. This is a great book for all baseball players & fans.
A great story about friendship, baseball, and growing up. - By: , 11 Jun 1999 HEART OF A CHAMPION tells a story about two very different boys, & what brings them together. Seth's father recently died, & he's feeling lost. He meets Jimmy Winter & so the story begins. Seth & Jimmy learn about life while they learn about baseball. They celebrate their victories & their failures on the field &in life. This book deals with important issues such as death, divorce, alcoholism & peer pressure. Deuker's dialogue is realistic, & you can hear the crack of the batin his baseball descriptions. The plot moves along quickly, & keeps interest levels high. This is a good book even for someone who really doesn't read much for pleasure. I highly recommend it.
This is a great story about baseball, growing up and friends - By: , 11 Jun 1999 HEART OF A CHAMPION tells a story about two very different boys, & what brought them together. Seth's father had recently died, & Jimmy's parents eventually split up. They help each other through friendship & baseball. The book has realistic dialogue between teenagers, & confronts issues like divorce, teen drinking, & popularity. Deuker describes the baseball scenes so well you can hear the crack of the bat. The plot moves right along, & keeps interest levels high. Even kids who don't normally like to read for pleasure will enjoy this book. I highly recommend it.
Heart of a Champion is a great book. - By: , 11 Jun 1999 Heart of a Champion, written by Carl Deuker, is a heartwarming, yet interesting novel. The book tells the story of two young boys. One, gifted with acedemics & good morals. And the other, truly gifted with the ability to play baseball, but sometimes gets himself into trouble. The two boys, Seth & Jimmy, become best friends throughout the novel. Despite the fact the two boys come from different types of families, they still manage to stay close throughout their years together. This novel teaches very valuable life-long lessons. It teaches you how to care for your friends & how to help them. This novel would influence many young readers & may even help themin life. Readers of all ages would enjoy reading this unique novel. I enjoyed reading Heart of a Champion, & I think you would too!
