"HEART OF A CHAMPION is a heartbreakingly beautiful book; it is everything that art should be: it instructs, communicates a human condition, and it elicits emotion. Much applause to Deuker for his fine achievement. . . Many thanks to Deuker for a beautiful book."--VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

EXCERPT

Sometime in there winning the games became as important to me as it was to him. I could feel how badly he wanted to beat me, and that made me want to make sure he didn't.

They were stupid Wiffle-ball games in the garage, but we played like they were the World Series. We crashed into the wall to take away doubles and triples; we argued about balls that hit on the line; we shredded our elbows trying to throw rainbow curves and hard sliders. We must have played twenty games that weekend, and I won all of them. when Jimmy left Sunday, we were hardly talking.

SUMMARY

Seth and Jimmy have the kind of friendship you can't put into words--the kind you think only happens in movies. They both live and breathe baseball, but while Seth struggles to be good enough to make the varsity team, Jimmy, a natural, looks like he's on his way to becoming a major league star some day. On and off the field, their passion for the game gets them throughsome of life's bittersweet struggles and unites them in a once in a lifetime friendship that is meant to last forever. . .

READER REVIEWS

"I have read a lot of books this year but the one I enjoyed the most was Heart of a Champion. This was a great book because it put each game into detail and used great words like 'pounded' and 'crushed' to make each hit and each catch interesting."--Collin, Massachusetts

"In your books, the characters seems real. You wrote about the students on high school making them sound like teenagers I know. You amke me feel like i'm in the book. When you describe the games, it seems like I'm watching it from the stands. I like how when people are talking in the book they say things like real people would say. The teenagers act like real kids."--Peter, Colorado

REVIEWS AND AWARDS

"The sensitive, moving portrait of adolescence is combined with dramatic sports action in a book which adolescent boys, especially those graduates of Matt Christopher, will enjoy."--The Horn Book Magazine

"Compelling!"--Horn Book

"Baseball becomes a metaphor for life in Deuker's thought-provoking testimonial to friendship and filial love. . . .The sensitive examination of the importance of a father--or lack of one--in a boy's life is where Deuker really hits a homerun."
--Publishers Weekly

"Readers who enjoyed ON THE DEVIL'S COURT will be lining up to read this one. . ."--Booklist

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

An ALA Best Book for Reluctant Readers

A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

Golden Sower Book of the Year 1996 (Nebraska)

Pennslyvania Young Reader's Choice Book of the Year 1997

Volunteer State Book Award 1995-96 (Tennessee)