Book for Your Sports Loving Son

Christmas is coming and you need some gifts that will be home runs.  Well, look no further because today I have a great book for boys who love the game of baseball.  This new series by Derek Jeter shares many of the values he imbibed during his long career and I appreciate that he sharing them with kids.

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Title: The Contract

Author: Derek Jeter

Target: Grades 3-7

Series: This is the first book in a planned series

What this book is about: 

These books are about Jeter and his experiences in Little League.  This particular book focuses on an essay he writes in English about his plans for the future.  He writes about wanting to be the shortstop for the New York Yankees.  His parents take him seriously and put together a contract for him to sign.  The contract outlines how he needs to conduct himself in order to reach his goals.  The contract is tested when baseball gets in the way of his schoolwork, when he finds himself at second base instead of shortstop on his little league team and when his team proves initially not to be the most successful.

Why I love this book: 

I really liked the baseball sequences in this story.  They were exciting and I got completely caught up in the game.  I also liked hearing about the friendships and team dynamics with boys.

The big draw for parents are the life lessons in the book.  Life is not always fair, even for Derek Jeter, so it is up to each kid to do the best they can with what life hands them.  Umpires are not always right, but you must always respect them.  Homework matters, even though it gets in the way of baseball.  And you may not always like what the coach does, but you are a member of the team, so act that way.  Great way to reiterate what you are always telling your kids.

If I have one fault with the book it is that Derek is almost too positive sometimes.  I thought a blowout was probably in order at least once in the story, but Derek remains on the right side throughout.  

Finally, Derek Jeter is such a wonderful role model for kids that I have no hesitation giving them this book.

Who this book is for:

Great for any kids who love baseball.

Final thoughts: 

The co-author Paul Mantell has written for the Matt Christopher series so he is well adept at writing sports books.  That makes this offering quite strong.

To purchase this book:

Click on the following link to connect to Amazon: The Contract (Jeter Publishing)  A portion of each purchase goes back to support this blog at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support.