Author: Bob Temple
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press

Aaron is a 12-year-old baseball phenom, but only when he’s playing in the field. At the plate, he struggles. Now, it’s the last inning of the last game of the season, and Aaron’s in the batter’s box, down by one with the bases loaded.

Just as he steps up to the plate, Aaron spots his superstar-athlete older brother, Will, who completely abandoned him at the worst possible time. Can Aaron come through in the clutch when his team needs him most, and will his brother come through for him and their family?

This fourth book from the In the Clutch series hooks readers with a do-or-die moment from youth sports, then rewinds to show how the book’s young athletes find themselves needing to perform under pressure.

This is a plain but moving short novel. As a sports fan, I applaud how the author shows both the upsides and downsides of sport. The characters are relatable and the plot is engaging.

The tempo is pretty basic: no twists or turns, no flashbacks. But what it lacks in structure it makes up for in plot. I am sure readers will agree it is very authentic, the message and intent clear throughout the story.

I’d recommend it not just for sports fans but for all middle grade readers. Here is a glimpse of what is in store:

I never told Will how much that bugged me. It wouldn’t have mattered if I did. Will’s baseball season couldn’t have gone any better, really. He ended up being named All-State, and his team won the state championship. If he wasn’t a superstar in town before that, he definitely was after.

He ended up getting listed on some big-time recruiting lists as a top prospect. Some people even thought he might get in the Major League Baseball draft the next year, because he was turning eighteen soon and would be eligible. It was crazy.

The more fame Will got, the harder he worked. That summer, with everything he had going on, he had almost no time for me. Dad and I kept going to the ball field to practice, but Will almost never came with. If he wasn’t off at one of the top football camps in the country, he was traveling for a basketball tournament or playing on his baseball team.

That is, until that one Saturday morning that I’ll never forget.

- Kevin Velayo