August 4, 2014
Eight-year-old Derek Jeter has a lofty dream: to play shortstop for the New York Yankees. While his friends and even his teacher belittle his goal, Derek’s parents’ mantra is “you can do anything you want in life, if you work hard enough and stick with it.” They put together a contract for Derek—its rules include “Respect Others,” “Respect Yourself,” and “Work Hard”—which is predictably tested when Derek is assigned to a Little League coach who favors his own son to the detriment of the team. There’s a noble message in this series opener and first title from star shortstop Jeter’s publishing imprint, but it’s delivered too cleanly. Derek is a picture-perfect kid (with picture-perfect parents), a third grader who constantly takes the moral high road and reasons things like, “He knew his dad was only trying to teach him a valuable lesson.” Knowing the (real-life) outcome of Jeter’s story helps offset the book’s lesson-in-disguise qualities, but it may be hard for readers to find common ground with a character who always makes the right decisions. Ages 8–12.
November 24, 2014
Eight-year-old Derek Jeter dreams of becoming a shortstop for the New York Yankees. His parents respect his dreams and develop a contract with him to help him get there with strong moral grounding. But before Jeter can make it to the Yankees, he has to survive a season with the Tigers, a little-league team with a coach who plays favorites. Reader Williams narrates Jeter’s semi-autobiographical novel decently. He keeps the narration moving forward and captures the fictional Jeter’s enthusiasm and emotion well. However, when voicing the other characters, he doesn’t offer much range and the story grows stale. It is at times surreal to hear the narrator refer to the fictional character as “Derek Jeter,” knowing the author has the same name. Ages 8–12. A S&S/Jeter hardcover.
September 1, 2014
Gr 4-8-This first book in Jeter's middle grade baseball series offers an inspirational, fictionalized account of Derek's third grade year when his dream of a baseball career meets the realities of schoolwork and Little League competition. To help Derek achieve his career dream (playing shortstop for the New York Yankees), his parents draw up a "contract" of positive expectations, values, and rewards that the boy signs. Selected to play on Kalamazoo's Little League Tigers, Derek is disappointed when the coach's son is given the shortstop position. Derek's parents and the contract help him channel his frustration into team play, hard work, and excellence as a second baseman. When his math grades dip, he recognizes the need to improve and gets extra help. Derek's determination, positive attitude toward others, and exceptional athletic talent ensure his success. His parents are a remarkable reservoir of wisdom, guidance, and support: defending his baseball dream to a doubtful teacher, suggesting a positive spin on racial slurs directed at their biracial son; and, arranging Derek's reward of seeing a Yankees game. Factual biographical information and real relationships are smoothly blended with fiction. Engaging descriptions of young Derek's aspirations and vulnerability, vivid Little League baseball action, and realistic peer and coach conflicts will resonate with middle grade fans. This purposeful, celebrity-authored book focuses on the first of Jeter's 10 Life Lessons, "set your goals high."-Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 1, 2014
For his eponymous imprint, the New York Yankees star leads off with a self-referential tale of Little League triumphs. In the first of a projected 10 episodes based on the same number of "Life Lessons" espoused by the lead author's Turn 2 Foundation, third-grader Derek turns in an essay announcing that his dream is to play shortstop for the New York Yankees (No. 1 on the Turn 2 list: "Set your goals high"). His parents take him seriously enough not only to present him with a "contract" that promises rewards for behaviors like working hard and avoiding alcohol and drugs, but also to put a flea in the ear of his teacher after she gives him a B-minus on the essay for being unrealistic. Derek then goes on to pull up his math grade. He also proceeds to pull off brilliant plays for his new Little League team despite finding himself stuck at second base while the coach's son makes multiple bad decisions at shortstop and, worse, publicly puts down other team members. Jeter serves as his own best example of the chosen theme's theoretical validity, but as he never acknowledges that making the majors (in any sport) requires uncommon physical talent as well as ambition and determination, this values-driven pitch is well out of the strike zone. Plenty of baseball action, but the paint-by-numbers plot is just a vehicle for equally standard-issue advice. (foundation ad and curriculum guide, not seen). (Fiction. 7-9)
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January 1, 2015
A boy named Derek Jeter chases his dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. The author's note states the story is "based on some of my experiences growing up and playing baseball," and the book's "theme" is: "Set Your Goals High." Third-grade Derek (the character) is remarkably--and unrealistically--self-possessed and self-aware, but fans will get a kick out of this kid-version of their hero.
(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
September 1, 2014
Grades 4-7 In the debut novel from Jeter's post-retirement venture, the Jeter Publishing middle-grade series, third-grader Derek dreams of a career playing shortstop for the New York Yankees. His parents even have him sign a contractthe first of manystipulating expectations for his schoolwork, good sportsmanship, self-respect, and so on, with rewards if he succeeds. No multimillion-dollar contracts just yet! He will have to settle for dinner at his favorite restaurant. But when his grades start to suffer and he ends up stuck at second base on a losing Little League team, Derek begins to doubt if his dream will ever become a reality. At times, Derek's rosy homelife and relentless positivity can be a little grating, especially considering the autobiographical nature of the book. Still, the ball game scenes are particularly well done. Jeter is adept at adding nuance to team dynamics; for example, the coach's son continually receives undeserved accolades. With an automatic audience for this book, libraries would be hard-pressed not to have a copy on the shelf.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)