Shakespeare Bats Cleanup

by Ron Koertge

Book Overview

This funny and poignant novel celebrates the power of writing to help young people make sense of their lives and unlock and confront their problems. -- School Library Journal (starred review) When MVP... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763629391
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Candlewick
• Length: 116 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.7" x 0.4" x 5.2"

Customer Reviews

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup: book review

14 year old Kevin Boland's life, recently devastated by the death of his mother, grinds to a complete halt with his contracting mono. Friends, school, and his starting spot on the centerpiece-of-his-life HS baseball team are all on hold. Confined to bed and home, his dad, concerned over his son's physical and mental health, suggests he keep a sort of therapeutic diary. The literary trick here is that Kevin's efforts not only be heartfelt and entertaining, but that they be written as a beginning writer-poet might create them. That author Koertge pulls off this feat with aplomb is remarkable. A love interest in the second half is a solid plus. You're really rooting for this kid. An overly strict father's cell call on a first date is hilarious. Lots of humor here and amongst all the teen and team anguish is an astute baseball novel. Mr. Koertge knows the game, lovingly so. SBC is wonderfully creative and astute. Don't miss it. Beware the white owl.

Book Review

This book follows the life of a kid at the age of fourteen. He is diagnosed with Mono and is but in bed for the remainder of the school year. He finds a poetry book in his Fathers collection and starts testing his own skills out. He tries Pastoral, using couplets, a sestina, and blank verse to name a few. Koertge formed his character through different kinds of poetry and I believe does and amazing job. After the first few poems you really start seeing this character come to life. I would recommend this book to any reader.

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup

Shakespeare Bats Cleanup is a funny, breezy, cute book. I don't think it relies as much on the themes of baseball, or even poetry, as it does on the theme of young love. Occasionally this theme becomes inappropriate as he writes poems about making out with girls in the bamboo forest and, in a sick metaphor, reaching Home Base. Nevertheless, Shakespeare Bats Cleanup will cast a sort of spell over you. Well worth a read.

KEWL BOOK

I liked this book alot it reminded me of my of my bestfriend with mono. Its a really bad sickness. That the main character in the book get. He also tells tha story of how his momie dies. Its a kinda sad and cheerfull book!!!

Easy to Enjoy

Although I never thought of myself as a fan of poetry or novels in verse, I have to admit this genre is growing on me. When Kevin is forced to stay in bed for a month with mono, the prospect of missing out on baseballs games and hanging out with his friends does not excite him. But when he casually starts writing some words down on a page, and secretly borrows one of his writer father's poetry guides the exile starts to become more bearable. He slowly recovers, all the time writing about the death of his mother, past and present loves and his discovery of a whole new way of expressing himself. If I had to describe this book in three words it would be 'short and sweet'. It's fun and cheerful (although I have to admit I didn't "get" the title until I was finished reading it).