Heat

Heat

By Mike Lupica

14 ratings 14 reviews 23 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grades 10 - 8V5.358934
The #1 New York Times bestseller inspired by the true-life story of a former little leaguer

Twelve-year-old Michael Arroyo lives in the shadows of Yankee Stadium, home of his heroes, but a place that might as well be on a different continent since he can’t afford to see the inside. He also lives in the shadows of his Bronx neighborhood, hiding from the bill collectors and the officials who would separate him from his seventeen-year-old brother if they knew the two boys were living on their own. Baseball is Michael’s only salvation, along with his dream of playing in the Little League World Series—until a rival accuses Michael of being older than the league limit. With no parents and a birth certificate that is stuck in his native Cuba, the shadows in Michael’s life grow darker. But that is when heroes emerge, and for Michael, heroes don’t come any bigger than the Yankees.

Praise for HEAT

* “The dialogue crackles, and the rich cast of supporting characters nearly steals the show. Top-notch entertainment in the Carl Hiaasen mold.”--Booklist, starred review
 
“Lupica scores another hit with this warmhearted novel.”--School Library Journal
 
“[C]onvincing characterization and exciting on-field action help Lupica throw out a baseball story with heart.”--Publisher’s Weekly
 
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Published on 3/1/2007
Binding: Paperback

Book Reviews (14)

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It is a great book for anyone who is into sports. I highly suggest it.

Lara Lara

😊 heat is a really good book even though I don’t play ⚾️ baseball.

The “No-Neck”, fire hydrant-shaped yet graceful, loyal, chatterbox, (drum roll), Manny, is by far my most favorite character in the book. He’s been sent by the angels to help Michael in Michael’s dark times of distress. Michael knows that a world without Manny is like pizza without the cheese. If Manny weren’t there for Michael, what would become of him? They do everything together, and Manny is willing to do anything for Michael. What more could a friend want than Manny? He’s a very relatable character; you’ve probably got one of these Manny’s in your life. One reason specifically why I like Manny so much is because he’s a lot like me. We’re both huge chatterboxes and crack jokes in unnecessary situations. He’s the finishing masala to the book, which of course would never be complete with Manny. “Heat” without Manny would be a heart-wrenching tragedy story, with Michael constantly under clouds. The comedy factor combined with the drama is what makes “Heat” so special, and Manny is the definition of comedy, of course. He’ll lift his head up in the darkest of situations and is always by Michael’s side. Neither of them knows it, but deep down they are as close as brothers, Manny only being second to baseball for Michael.

My students loved this book. They could not put the book down. I had several students read ahead to find out what would happen next to Michael Arroyo. They enjoyed the book so much they want to read more Lupica books!

I read this book because I am a very big baseball player and this book is about a pitcher that is hiding a secret.

I like this book and recommend it because I like baseball. I have played baseball my whole life and am right now in little league. I always have liked to read Mike Lupica books but mostly I like his basketball books. I hope if you read this book you like it too.

I just finished the book Heat. This book was written by Mark Lupica. My book is about a character named Michael Arroyo a gifted baseball player. But there's only one problem the coaches from other teams say that he is too good to be just 12 years old. My option about the book Heat was that it was a suspenseful story. The book was also a learning book where the character learns and should make you learn to never give up no matter what anyone tells you. This book helped me learn not to give up on anything that I love and enjoy like running how you should never give up if you are a runner and to keep pushing yourself to new limits every day. This book is realistic fiction because, a kid never really had a problem that the coaches from other teams telling him, that he was to good to be 12 years old the author made so that it sounds like it could happen to but not to much so that it is nonfiction or too little like a fictional book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book that was a learning book where the character learns a very important life lesson. I would also like to recommend this book to people who like baseball, who likes suspense and action. An external conflict was that Michael and his family had a lack of money to pay their bills and was pretending that their died dad was visiting a sick relative. An internal conflict was that Michael's dad who had brought Carlos and him to America had passed away.

This book is about a 12 year old cuban defector named Michael Arroyo who plays little league baseball. Michaels father just died a few months before and him and his 17 year old brother Carlos are struggling to pay the bills. Plus to play baseball he has to have his birth certificate which is some where in Cuba. And social services might take away Carlos and Michael because there is no adult to watch over them. This is definately one of my favorite books ever.

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