Rating: 
Summary: ????
Review: After reading all these 5-star reviews I expected this book to be a grand slam, but all I got was a walk to first. The characters come across like cutouts from a comic book, in a story that reads like something a 12 year old kid might dream up for English class (and get a C in-- OK, maybe a C+). I suppose the author was trying to convey something like the poignancy and cuteness of the old Little Rascals series, but he ends the book with a completely predictable "tragedy" which plunked no heartstrings here. Phony, contrived and lifeless. Forget it.
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Summary: Funniest novel in years
Review: I could into great detail of the remarkably unique format of this book or the touching relationship between Joey and Charles, but I would rather just state that this has got to be one of the funniest novels I have read in years! Totally "laugh out loud" kind of funny. Do not read this book in public places because YOU WILL embarrass yourself (I should know, I did!)
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Summary: A great story- not your typical baseball story
Review: This is one of the best baseball books I've read in a while. I read baseball books on a regular basis, and I have to say I absolutely loved it. When I first picked it up and started reading it, I didn't think it was the greatest. But as I progressed further, and the relationship between Charlie (the ballplayer) and Joey (the kid) became more complex and evolved, I becamse hooked. The end was not what I expected, and left me in tears. I recommend this to all baseball fans, as well as anyone just looking for a good read.
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Summary: One to Pass On
Review: This was one of the funniest books I have read in years. I picked it up on a whim at the library-the format was different. It was a quick read. I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face, and in the next page or two the tears kept coming. I have passed this on to all my friends and family and everyone, including my teenage non-reader, has enjoyed it tremendously.
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Summary: A leader in the field.
Review: This book was introduced to me in the best way possible. Someone read excerpts from it to me for 30 or more minutes. At that point it became a highly addictive drug. I've pushed this book on several people in exactly the same way.It is heartwarming, funny, touching and sad all at the same time. The only complaint that I have with this book is that it ended. If you read no other book this year, read this one.
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Summary: The BEST days of summer are spent reading this book!!
Review: This is one of the best books I've read in years. The format is *fresh*, with letters, telegrams, notes, transcripts, and the like. I could not put it down. I usually read Mary Higgins Clark, and various popular novelists; yet this one jumped out at me, and it was worth every penny. This novel isn't mainly about baseball; it's about a boy and his hero. There were some surprising twists and turns, with each of the main 2 characters trying to outwit the other, yet all they do is love each other more. Not only do you get to know Charlie and Joey, you get to know their friends and family as well, even though the majority of it is written from Charlie's and Joey's points of view. This helped me to love this story. I did not laugh out loud, as the cover suggested. However, I was touched by the poignancy of the story. It was very believeable, and harkens back to the days where you could believe that a 3rd baseman for the NY Giants baseball team WOULD write a kid back. I came to care about the characters in this book, and that is no easy task. I did cry, of course, due to being so touched by certain parts of it. I would recommend this book to men, women, teenagers, anyone. There is some foul language, but in the context that it would fit. Enjoy!!!
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Summary: A Wonderful Read, even if you're not a fan of Baseball!
Review: I have passed this book on to several friends, who in turn, have passed it on even further. We're all different in our reading preferences, but we all agree that this is a beautifully-crafted tale of the love that emerges between a lost little boy and a misguided hero. The epistolary form of the novel is fun; we feel like we're peeking into someone's personal things and the story that evolves from the clippings and letters and reports is charming, heartwarming, and genuine. I immediately cared about the characters and was disappointed at how quickly it read. It's definitely one of those books that you're sad to see end.
Rating:
Summary: excellent read
Review: I first got this book from the library, and I thought it was so amazing that I bought a copy soon after. The format of letters, news articles, telegrams, report cards, etc. made it very easy to read, I zipped through it in a day or so. I haven't laughed this hard out loud over a book since I was a kid, and the end had me crying my eyes out. I made most of the members of my family read it and they all loved it. I would highly recommend it, it's a sweet, spunky, smart story, especially for people who like it when characters do everything right (for example the movie the Fugitive, when the main character was escaping, he did everything right to get away from his captors, in the same respect the kid in this book does everything right with his crazy escapades).
Rating:
Summary: Good Beach Read; Bring the Kleenex
Review: Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger has to be on of the best books that I have read this year. I am not usually a big fan of baseball books but initially I found the layout of this book to be intriguing. The story is told through a series of letters, notes, report cards and newspaper clippings. Although there is a rich cast of supporting characters the basic story line follows the friendship of a lonely boy named Joseph Margolis a precocious, 95 pound, Jewish weakling, living in Brooklyn during WWII and a fowl mouthed baseball player named Charles Banks. It tells the story of how family can be made anywhere and it really did make me laugh and cry. This was fantastic.
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Summary: A book to be passed on to friends
Review: I heard a brief review of this book on public radio and, being at my public library, checked it out. I haven't laughed so hard in years and was in tears at the end. I can't say that this is a "great" book as in: "will be a classic" but it is wonderful, terrific and a "must" read. I am buying three copies, one to send to a favorite aunt, one to loan to all my friends and one to send to my kids in another state. I haven't done anything like this with a book since "Last Open Road". This book deserves to be more widely read. I'm certainly going to look at the author's other books. Don't miss it.
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