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Safe at Home (Comeback Kids) Paperback – September 3, 2009


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From #1 New York Times bestseller Mike Lupica!

Nick Crandall feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. He doesn't fit in with his new foster parents. They don't know the first thing about sports - and he's not exactly the model student they want him to be. It's only a matter of time until they realize he's not the right kid for them. And Nick certainly doesn't belong playing varsity baseball. He's only twelve years old! His teammates want a catcher their own age. But Nick needs to prove that he belongs - to his parents, to his team, and to himself.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the Comeback Kids:
  
“Lupica portrays the action clearly and vividly, with a real sense of the excitement and unpredictable nature of the games. These are worthy additions to collections seeking to draw in middle-grade boys with an enthusiasm for athletics.” –
School Library Journal
 
“These should score big with middle-graders looking for alternatives to Matt Christopher's titles.” –
Publisher’s Weekly
 
“This title is a good choice for reluctant readers with a background in baseball.” –
School Library Journal

About the Author

Mike Lupica is the author of multiple bestselling books for young readers, including QB 1, Heat, Travel Team, Million-Dollar Throw, and The Underdogs. He has carved out a niche as the sporting world’s finest storyteller. Mike lives in Connecticut with his wife and their four children. When not writing novels, Mike Lupica writes for New York's Daily News, appears on ESPN's The Sports Reporters and hosts The Mike Lupica Show on ESPN Radio. You can visit Mike Lupica at mikelupicabooks.com
 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0142414603
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (September 3, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780142414606
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0142414606
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 960L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.48 x 7.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

About the author

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Mike Lupica
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Mike Lupica is one of the most prominent sports writers in America. His longevity at the top of his field is based on his experience and insider's knowledge, coupled with a provocative presentation that takes an uncompromising look at the tumultuous world of professional sports. Today he is a syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News, which includes his popular “Shooting from the Lip” column, which appears every Sunday. He began his newspaper career covering the New York Knicks for the New York Post at age 23. He became the youngest columnist ever at a New York paper with the New York Daily News, which he joined in 1977. For more than 30 years, Lupica has added magazines, novels, sports biographies, other non-fiction books on sports, as well as television to his professional resume. For the past fifteen years, he has been a TV anchor for ESPN's The Sports Reporters. He also hosted his own program, The Mike Lupica Show on ESPN2. In 1987, Lupica launched “The Sporting Life” column in Esquire magazine. He has published articles in other magazines, including Sport, World Tennis, Tennis, Golf Digest, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, ESPN: The Magazine, Men's Journal and Parade. He has received numerous honors, including the 2003 Jim Murray Award from the National Football Foundation. Mike Lupica co-wrote autobiographies with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells, collaborated with noted author and screenwriter, William Goldman on Wait Till Next Year, and wrote The Summer of '98, Mad as Hell: How Sports Got Away from the Fans and How We Get It Back and Shooting From the Lip, a collection of columns. In addition, he has written a number of novels, including Dead Air, Extra Credits, Limited Partner, Jump, Full Court Press, Red Zone, Too Far and national bestsellers Wild Pitch and Bump and Run. Dead Air was nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best First Mystery and became a CBS television move, “Money, Power, Murder” to which Lupica contributed the teleplay. Over the years he has been a regular on the CBS Morning News, Good Morning America and The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour. On the radio, he has made frequent appearances on Imus in the Morning since the early 1980s. His previous young adult novels, Travel Team, Heat, Miracle on 49th Street, and the summer hit for 2007, Summer Ball, have shot up the New York Times bestseller list. Lupica is also what he describes as a “serial Little League coach,” a youth basketball coach, and a soccer coach for his four children, three sons and a daughter. He and his family live in Connecticut.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
247 global ratings
Ordered New - Sent Used
2 out of 5 stars
Ordered New - Sent Used
May be a cheap book (son needs for school), but the book has a lot of wear on the outside and is not in new condition. I don’t feel it should have been advertised as such. This review is not about the book itself.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2020
So in the beginning it was an OK book but then once I got to the end it was super AWESOME!

So my advice for readers of this book is to stick with it because it will get interesting near the end.

Basically once you get the first 3/4 read it’s the last 1/4 that is AWESOME like super awesome!

A little bit about the main character...

-name is Mike
-catcher on a baseball team
-Orphan
-Foster parents are not baseball parents

IF YOU JUST WANT TO KNOW THE STORY KEEP READING

SPOILER ALERT

So in the beginning the kid in the book his name is Mike is playing baseball on the JV team and then Mike learns that the catcher from the varsity team got hurt so he’s pulled up to varsity and Mike starts out playing really bad and he’s a really good player so he doesn’t know what’s happening he’s like overthrowing it under throwing it and not good stuff The kids on the team are pretty mean to him. Then Mike’s coach helps him by saying hey Mike can you show me my keys and it’s a perfect throw throw so then Mike starts getting better at throwing. But Mike is a little bit confused because when he was on the JV team he was a perfect catcher perfect thrower. But Mike he’s working on it and he calms down so he begins to be really good thrower and catcher. One of his best friends is the girl across the street named Gracie. My favorite part of the book was when mike’s dad came home and said hey I got a baseball glove and Mike was like I don’t need a baseball glove plus I’m a catcher and that’s the wrong kind. Mike’s dad was like oh no no no it’s not for you it’s for me. (Remember Mike’s dad was never a baseball dad and never played catch with his son so Mike is like wow you got a glove!) Mike was so excited. His dad was really bad like really really bad at throwing and catching but Mike didn’t care he just was glad his dad was out there playing with him. And his dad was like throw it like you mean it!! Mike was kind of babying it because he didn’t want to hurt him. So Mike started throwing it harder. And he would make a perfect throws every time and hit him in the chest like every time. I’m sure it hurt his dad. But his dad kept going because Mike was finally enjoying time with him and that rarely happens. This book makes me feel so happy to hear how Mike develops with his foster mom and foster dad.

Even though I kinda just spoiled the whole book I hope you will still read it

NOT SPOILING

NOT SPOILING

NOT SPOILING

Sorry for how long the review was but thank for reading it.

Have a great day!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2022
My 10 year old son loves baseball and has read almost all Mike Lupica books. He’s in advanced classes and loves the series. Great books to get your kids to read.
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2012
Bought this for my (then) 10 year old son. He read it once on his own, then I read it to him at night, and I have to say that I really enjoyed it! I really like Lupica's writing style for this age group. I've read one of Feinstein's book and enjoyed that, too, but I found him almost obsessive about baseball details. That could be a god thing or a bad thing depending on your child. Lupica writes great stories that just happen to be based around sports. Recommended. Enjoy.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2015
I read this book along with my 10 year old son and I is definitely a good book for kids to read. Hope to find another good one similiar to tthis
!!!
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2014
I love this book. But more importantly, my reluctant reader loves it too. After my grandson lost a close tournament of champs district championship game. This book's lesson's of recovering from disappointments and learning from them was a blessing for him. The book is full of life's little lessons on and off the field, like we don't always get the family we want. Can't wait to see how this ends. I already purchased more.
Lupica is a great writer.
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2018
This was a gift for a student at a school I use to work at. The teacher was getting books for them. I assume it was good
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2015
My son read this at age 9 and liked it. The story is a little more mature so we discussed it after he finished reading it and I was pleased with his perceptions.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2019
Great book series for 10-12 yr old sports enthusiasts!!

Top reviews from other countries

Happykal
5.0 out of 5 stars Baseball, fear of pitches and divorced parents.
Reviewed in Canada on June 25, 2017
The story centres around Ben and his friend Justin. Ben can't stop flinching when at bat because he was his by a pitcher. Justin is having angry outbursts at baseball.

Justin's parents are getting a divorce and he's living with his mom because his father's work requires him to travel a lot. His mother wants to move Justin and herself to her home town. There's a lot of drama in this book and I can relate to some of it.

Ben has to get Justin's help to avoid flinching at bat.

I enjoyed the book.