The Only Game, Mike Lupica
The Only Game, Mike Lupica
6 Rating(s)
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

The Only Game

Author: Mike Lupica

Narrator: Keith Nobbs

Unabridged: 6 hr 8 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/17/2015


Synopsis

Can a young baseball star maintain his love of the game after the loss of his brother? Find out in this start to the Home Team series about a small town with high hopes, from New York Times bestselling author and sportswriting legend Mike Lupica.

Jack Callahan is the star of his baseball team and seventh grade is supposed to be his year. Undefeated season. Records shattered. Little League World Series. The works. That is, until he up and quits.

Jack’s best friend Gus can’t understand how Jack could leave a game that means more to them than anything else. But Jack is done. It’s a year of change. Jack’s brother has passed away, and though his family and friends and the whole town of Walton thinks baseball is just the thing he needs to move on, Jack feels it’s anything but.

In comes Cassie Bennett, star softball player, and the only person who seems to think Jack shouldn’t play if he doesn’t want to. As Jack and Cassie’s friendship deepens, their circle expands to include Teddy, a guy who’s been bullied because of his weight.

Time spent with these new friends unlocks something within Jack, and with their help and the support of his family and his old friends, Jack discovers sometimes it’s more than just the love of the game that keeps us moving forward—and he might just be able to find his way back to The Only Game, after all.

About Mike Lupica

Mike Lupica is the author of multiple bestselling books for young readers, including the Home Team series, QB 1HeatTravel TeamMillion-Dollar Throw, and The Underdogs. He has carved out a niche as the sporting world’s finest storyteller. Mike lives in Connecticut with his wife and their four children. When not writing novels, he writes for Daily News (New York) and is an award-winning sports commentator. You can visit Mike Lupica at MikeLupicaBooks.com.

About Keith Nobbs

Keith Nobbs has appeared on Broadway in The Lion In Winter and off-Broadway in Dog Sees God, Romance, The Hasty Heart, Bye Bye Birdie, Dublin Carol, and Four (Lucille Lortel Award, Drama Desk Nomination). His film credits include Phone Booth, Double Whammy, and 25th Hour. Television credits include The Black Donnellys (series regular), Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and The Sopranos.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Oliver

The book The Only Game by Mike Lupica is a very interesting and exciting realistic fiction book about a boy who loves baseball, but one day decides to quit and no one understands Jack's decision, not even his teammates or his best friend. Because he quit baseball he started making less friends and b......more

Goodreads review by Josiah

Mike Lupica has written a quality series or two (the best being his Comeback Kids middle-grade novels), and he kicks off another with The Only Game, his first Home Team offering. Tragedy hit twelve-year-old Little League baseball phenom Jack Callahan and his family months before the book begins, but......more

"It was like they were back to speaking their own language, through the game they both loved the way they did." Sometimes you need a book with a little heart with a subject that won't scare away a kid. This is that book. There are so many valuable lessons within The Only Game. On the surface, this is......more

Goodreads review by Carl

Terrific book, particularly for middle school late elementary school boys who think they don't like to read. All the various parts of the plot tie together very neatly, and the sequel is set up without leaving this book feeling unfinished.......more

Goodreads review by Zach

Personal Response:I really like this book because not only do I like baseball, but I liked how Cassie, Teddy, Gus, and Jack all became friends. Plot:Jack had just entered his sixth grade baseball season. He felt that this was his year to go to the World Series. This was his year to go undefeated and......more