{"product_id":"9780440239789","title":"Roy Morelli Steps Up to the Plate","description":"\u003cb\u003eFans of John Feinstein will love Roy Morelli's exciting year and don't miss Thatcher Heldring's newest novel,\u003ci\u003e The Football Girl\u003c\/i\u003e--about a girl who follows her passion for the game and tries out for the football team!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEighth-grader Roy Morelli can’t wait for baseball season to start so he can take his rightful place as shortstop for the Pilchuk All-Star team. Being on the All-Stars is just the warm-up for the big leagues: the varsity baseball team at the high school Roy will go to next year. But when Roy’s divorced parents find out he’s failing history, they make him quit the All-Stars. It’s not \u003ci\u003ehis \u003c\/i\u003efault the only thing interesting about history class is Valerie Hopkins, and she won’t even give Roy the time of day.\u003cp\u003eNow Roy is stuck on a losing team in the wimpy rec league, and instead of playing ball every spare minute, he’s spending his afternoons with a tutor—who just happens to be his dad’s brainiac girlfriend. If Roy’s going to impress the varsity baseball coach, he’s sure he should be looking out for number one, not wasting his time studying. After all, \u003ci\u003ebaseball \u003c\/i\u003eis what Roy does best. But when his grades continue to slide and his teammates get tired of his know-it-all attitude, Roy Morelli will need to step up to the plate. . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eHeldring effectively captures the wise-guy, self-righteous attitude of an eighth-grade boy \u003c\/b\u003eand carefully delineates Roy’s change of character as he comes to understand what it takes to be a team player. With plenty of well-described baseball action and a protagonist to care about,\u003cb\u003e this will be a hit with young baseball fans.\u003c\/b\u003e\"-\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Random House Children's Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47013386748144,"sku":"9780440239789","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780440239789_p0.jpg?v=1763702010","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780440239789","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}