by Barbara Park
First published 1997
Alex Frankovitch knows he's the smallest kid on his baseball team. He also knows he's the second-worst player. What Alex doesn't know is when to keep his mouth shut. His big talk gets him into bigger trouble when he brags his way into a pitching contest against T.J. Stoner, the best athlete in school and its biggest jerk. Alex realizes he's made a huge mistake, but backing down now would mean facing the most embarrassing moment of his life. The contest looms ahead, and Alex must figure out how to survive what could become the ultimate humiliation. This story captures the anxiety and humor of childhood boasting gone wrong, showing how a kid's desperate need to fit in can lead to impossible situations.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, coming-of-age, adolescence, sports
Vibes: emotional, humorous, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
160 pages · Paperback · Yearling