Return of the Home Run Kid

May 4, 1992
The prolific Christopher has written yet another action-packed sports story, this one a sequel to The Kid Who Only Hit Homers. A new baseball season has started, but Sylvester Coddmyer III is not hitting homeruns like last year. In fact, he is hardly hitting the ball at all, until mysterious Cheeko appears and teaches Syl about aggression on the field. Though the boy begins to play well, he cannot help but question Cheeko's advice and is even more confused when his evasive coach from last season appears and advises him differently. Ultimately Syl must make his own decisions about how to play the game. This tale aptly explores the intangible aspects of baseball: attitude, confidence, camaraderie and respect. The author successfully balances sizzling play-by-play accounts of games with brief, general descriptions, thus creating a quick-paced story that vividly captures the sport's sights, sounds and spirit. With many facets of his life addressed, Syl becomes a believable and likable protagonist. Ages 8-12.

May 1, 1992
Gr 4-6- -After starring as a power-hitting outfielder the year before, Sylvester Coddmyer finds himself relegated to the bench at the start of the new season because of a prolonged slump. He misses the coaching he received the previous season from the mysterious Mr. Baruth. Soon the boy is approached by the equally mysterious Cheeko, who offers to pick up where Mr. Baruth left off, and soon Sylvester is clobbering homers again. However, Cheeko also encourages him to play-some would say-an aggressive, dirty game. Sylvester's tricks and lack of team spirit eventually alienate him from everyone, including the reappearing Mr. Baruth, and these threads are not resolved in the conclusion. Also left ambiguous are the true identities of the coaches: Mr. Baruth is perhaps none other than the ghost of Babe Ruth, while Cheeko is probably the ghost of a pitcher discredited in the Black Sox scandal. All of this may be leading to a sequel that's reminiscent of the movie, Field of Dreams. This book, however, leaves everything hanging. -Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL

Starred review from April 15, 1992
Gr. 4-7. Coaching by the mysterious Mr. Baruth made Sylvester Coddmeyer III the Redbirds' home-run king in "The Kid Who Only Hit Homers" (Little, Brown, 1972). The sequel opens at the start of the new season with Sylvester, dejected that he can't seem to hit or field, questioning his own abilities. This time, a man calling himself "Cheeko" encourages Sylvester to be more aggressive and confident. While Sylvester's aggressive play pays off on the field, his friends criticize his new style, and he's troubled when he finds old baseball cards whose portraits bear an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Baruth (Babe Ruth) and Cheeko (Eddie Cicotte, the 1919 White Sox pitcher). Christopher reprises the plot gambit that served him well in the first novel, and despite the hiatus, Sylvester remains an appealing character, learning to play his best despite pressure and self-doubt. Fans will welcome his return, delivered with Christopher's reliable pace, style, and action-packed text. ((Reviewed Apr. 15, 1992))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1992, American Library Association.)