The Super Sluggers: Slumpbuster

By: Kevin Markey

Summary:

Eleven-year-old Banjo H. Bishbash is a phenomenal hitter for the Rambletown Rounders Little League team. His teammates call him “The Great Walloper” because of his prowess with a baseball bat. Things were going well when, out of the blue, The Great Walloper fell into a serious batting slump. The Rounders had expected to win the championship this season but without Walloper’s bat the team’s chances were very bleak. Can the Rounders find a way to bring a championship home to Rambletown?

Reader Enjoyment Factors:

Humor, realistic events, and solid characters combine in this baseball story fans will enjoy.

Content Awareness Factors:

None.

Young Reader Reaction

Slumpbuster is a simple, entertaining read. All hardball fans will appreciate this, and it would make a perfect gift for any baseball playing kid. My only critique is about the characters; they seemed a little outdated (compared to today’s kids). It has the vibe of the classic movie The Sandlot, which makes that outdatedness work.

I’ve been through a disastrous hitting slump and remembering myself in Banjo’s shoes brought on a few laughs. In the days when strikeouts could mean tears, this book would have been soothing for my lacking confidence. My ugly swing needed saving, and had I let Banjo’s journey inspire me it might be.

Parent Reaction

This book is a fun read, especially for boys and girls who play little league baseball. Readers will get a lot of belly laughs from the crazy stuff that “The Great Walloper” and his teammates try to get out of his batting slump.

Type of Book:
This is a first-person story about baseball, friendship, and self esteem.

Educational Themes:

Baseball probably has more superstitions than any other sport, and this is a great book to talk about those. Did (or do you) you have superstitions about things? What about your kids? As our Teen Reviewer explains: Non-sports fans will still find the storys messages valuable to other aspects of life. Kevin Markey frequently harps on the point of never giving up, regardless of the difficulty of the task at hand.

Reading Level:
4.1

Recommended Age To Read By Yourself:
9 and Up

Recommended Age To Read Together:
8 and Up

Age of child:
Teen STAR Review Team, Be the Star You Are!™

Purchase Recommendation:
Buy. This is a fun read for anyone who has played little league baseball. The plot and characters are exaggerated a bit but that’s what makes them believable and funny. The book is worthwhile and enjoyable and would make a great birthday or Christmas gift

Title	The Super Sluggers: Slumpbuster
About	The Super Sluggers, Book 1
Author	Kevin Markey
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers © 2009
Illustrators	Royce Fitzgerald
ISBN	9780061152184
Material	Hard Cover
Cost	$15.99
Genres	Humor, Sports