
Reach for this book when your teen is grappling with a life-altering setback, a sports injury, or the heavy weight of guilt after an accident. Beanball explores the fallout of a single high school baseball pitch that leaves star athlete Luke Wallace with a traumatic brain injury and a permanent disability. Told through multiple perspectives, the story examines how a community processes shared trauma and how an individual reconstructs their identity when their greatest talent is suddenly stripped away. It is a poignant, realistic choice for ages 12 and up that addresses resilience and the difficult road to forgiveness without offering easy answers. Parents will appreciate its honest look at how one moment of impact ripples through the lives of teammates, family, and even the opposing pitcher.
The initial injury on the field and subsequent hospital scenes are intense.
The book deals directly with the consequences of a traumatic brain injury. The approach is secular and very realistic, focusing on the medical realities and the psychological toll. The resolution is hopeful but grounded: Luke finds a new path, but his life is irrevocably changed.
A middle or high schooler who defines themselves through sports and may be struggling with an injury, or a student who is learning about empathy and the way their actions affect others.
Read the first few chapters to gauge the intensity of the injury description. The book can be read cold, but it is an excellent candidate for shared discussion regarding sportsmanship and guilt. The inciting incident is a violent sports injury. Parents of athletes may find the descriptions of the medical emergency and the loss of a child's dreams difficult to read.
Younger teens will focus on the 'fairness' of the injury and the sports action. Older teens will better grasp the nuance of the multiple perspectives and the complex theme of unintentional harm.
The use of 28 distinct voices in verse allows for a panoramic view of a tragedy, making it a study in community empathy rather than just an individual survival story. """
Luke Wallace, a multi-sport star, is hit in the head by a fastball during a high school baseball game. The injury is severe, resulting in the loss of sight in one eye and the end of his athletic career. The novel is written in verse from 28 different perspectives, including Luke, his family, teammates, and Kyle, the pitcher who threw the ball. It follows the immediate medical crisis and the long-term emotional recovery of everyone involved.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Your experience helps other parents find the right book.
Sign in to write a review