It’s Another MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY!

March reminds me of two things: Spring Break and Baseball Spring Training. I’ll have to wait until the end of March for a little vacation, but the cable channels are already featuring Major League Baseball practice games as players prepare for another long season.

That’s what makes the release of another sport’s book by Fred Bowen so timely. If I counted right, LUCKY ENOUGH is his tenth baseball themed book! Visit his website for a listing of all the books he’s written for the 8 to 12 year old age group, including ones in Football, Basketball, and Soccer.

Trey Thomson is the main character in LUCKY ENOUGH. The focus is on how much does luck have in performing well on the baseball diamond, in particular a lucky charm or the same daily routine. Trey is superstitious. When he makes the highly touted 13 and under travel team, it reinforces his belief that luck is more important than hard work. But then he loses his prized lucky charm.

This book will appeal to boys who love the sport of baseball. The pages spend most of the time in either games or practices. Just perfect for those who are anxious to get their own little league season underway. Fast paced and thought provoking, not too heavy or light, and always a pleasure to slide safely into another chapter.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2018   PAGE COUNT: 128

THE OFFICIAL WORD ON THE PLOT (From Peachtree Press): When Trey’s good luck charm helps him make it onto the Ravens travel team, he is overjoyed. The stroke of good fortune reinforces his superstitious behavior—he never steps on the foul line, he obsessively taps the corners of home plate every time he’s at bat, and he always carries his lucky piece of blue sea glass in is uniform pocket. Then one day Trey can’t find his lucky charm. He searches everywhere—but it’s no use. His performance begins to slip, and he is convinced that his future with the Ravens is doomed. Will he ever get his “magic mojo” back?

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: LUCKY ENOUGH

1. Trey lives with his Mom and rarely sees his Dad. He reminisces about the tender relationship he had with his grandmother. It’s a situation many will be familiar with in their own families.
2. In the final pages after the story reaches THE END, there is a bonus chapter on the real story about baseball superstitions. A great way to make fiction meld with the truth.
3. There are some life lessons that sneak in but not in an overwhelming way. Just enough for a youngster to consider in their own life.
4. It goes to show you it takes a village…there is the coach, a groundskeeper, and his best friend’s parent’s who all spend time making Trey a better player and person.
5. The shorter length is a bonus for read-alouds and for those who would rather play baseball than read about it.

A few minutes from Fred Bowen about his coaching and writing philosophy:

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Make a comment if you have time. I enjoy reading all of them. Click on the comments link below.