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By John Coy
Reviewed by TFK Kid Reporter Nabor Mireles
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Number of pages: 182
What's the basic story line?Top of the Order is a story about Jackson Kennedy, a fifth-grade boy who is dealing with his parents' divorce, his mother's dating and his own dread of middle school. Jackson loves baseball more than anything. He tries to bring together the best players to take his team, the Panthers, to the national league. He finds Diego, a power-hitter who just might be the team's secret weapon. But when the team cannot find a replacement for second base, a girl named Sydney tries out, and the team's coach is impressed with her skills. Will she make the team? Could a girl with pink gloves be the one to take the Panthers to the top? You'll have to read it to find out.
Were the characters believable?The characters were very believable and face real-life challenges. This is what made the book so appealing to me. The kids all have their own obstacles. Gig's dad is sent to serve in the Middle East. Diego works for his uncle in roofing and can't make it to every practice. Isaac's dad wants him to go to another school away from his friends. But aside from all of these problems, when the team plays baseball, they play with a lot of heart and their chemistry is unstoppable.
On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best), how would you rate this book?On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate this book an 8 because it is so realistic. The boys deal with many real-life challenges. My only disappointment was the ending. I felt as if I was left hanging. I was left wondering what happened to the friends as they began middle school. Overall, though, this is a good read. I found it to be inspirational. Jackson Kennedy has so many obstacles, but he never loses sight of his goal. As he says, "When everything goes right, baseball is better than anything."
