''Free Baseball'' is a

children's A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Sue Corbett Sue or SUE may refer to: Music * Sue Records, an American record label * ''Sue'' (album), an album by Frazier Chorus * " Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", a song by David Bowie Places * Sue Islet (Queensland), one of the Torres Straits isla ...

, first published in 2006.

Plot summary

Felix is a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

boy who came to the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

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.

Reception

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' described the novel as an "engaging, well-written story with a satisfying ending." ''

The Topeka Capital-Journal ''The Topeka Capital-Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Topeka, Kansas, owned by Gannett. History The paper was formed following numerous name changes and mergers, including the merger of ''The Topeka Daily Capital'' and ''The Topeka State Jour ...

'' called it a "wonderful mix of self-discovery and baseball." '' Kids Reads'' thought that Felix was a "richly drawn character".

Awards and nominations

*2006 Selected by the

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samuel W. Craig and H ...

*2008 Nominated for the Young Hoosier Book Award (final results not yet announced) *2008 Nominated for the Virginia Readers Choice Award (final results not yet announced) *2009 Nominated for the

Nutmeg Book Award The Connecticut Library Association (CLA) is a professional organization for Connecticut's librarians and library workers. It is headquartered in Belchertown, Massachusetts. It was founded on February 23, 1891, in New Haven, Connecticut, with the ...

(final results not yet announced) *2009 Nominated for the South Carolina Children's Book Award (final results not yet announced)

References

{{reflist

External links

Official site
2006 American novels American children's novels Baseball novels 2006 children's books Children's books set in the United States Children's books about baseball