Middle Grade Monday: Strike Zone by Mike Lupica

Image: Penguin Random House

Strike Zone by Mike Lupica. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~6 hours. Read by Anthony Rey Perez. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, September, 2019. 9780593106228. (Review of e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Middle Grade Monday features Strike Zone by Mike Lupica. There are quite a few Lupica fans at TMS. They sure do have plenty of titles to choose from! Strike Zone is a companion/ sequel of sorts to High Heat. You need not have read High Heat to enjoy Strike Zone, but it is wonderful to know Michael Arroyo's backstory. Strike Zone is about another pitching ace in Bronx, New York. Nick Garcia is pitching for the Blazers this summer He's preparing for the Dream League championship and hoping to pitch well enough to earn MVP. The league MVP gets to throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. He's also worried about his father being deported by ICE. ICE has been making a lot of raids in his neighborhood and his dad has an outstanding warrant. 

As usual, Lupica serves up fantastic baseball action along with timely topics. There is true suspense around Mr. Garcia's situation. Though there's quite the "after-school-special vibe" here*, especially the ending, middle grade fans will eat this up.

*That is not necessarily a bad thing during these weird times.