Heat

Lupica, M. (2006). Heat. New York, New York: Scholastic.

Brief Annotation: A young Cuban refugee, Michael Arroyo, feels the best when he is pitching on the field. His dream is to lead his team to the Little League World Series. He had lost his mother to cancer and loses his father to a heart attack, which leaves his brother and him to struggle on their own. In fear of being separated from his brother or being sent back to Cuba, the boys hide their father’s death. Michael can pitch a solid game with a strong arm and because of this a rival coach makes up rumors that he is older than he appears. He is benched until he can prove his age through a birth certificate from Cuba. Will he get to play in the big game?

Genre: Sports Fiction

Grade Level: 2-5

Readers who will like this: Readers who enjoy baseball. Readers who enjoy sports stories.

Response/Rating (1-4): 3. A great story about a young boy who is not willing to give up on his dreams.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What does it mean to have a dream?