Switch-Hitter (Jeter Publishing) - Softcover

Jeter, Derek

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1534499784 ISBN 13: 9781534499782

Verlag: Paula Wiseman Books, 2023

Inhaltsangabe

In the ninth book in the New York Times bestselling middle grade series inspired by the life of iconic New York Yankee Derek Jeter, Derek must learn how to be a team player from the dugout and the importance of taking care of his body.

Seventh grade is off to a rocky start for Derek Jeter. But he’s soon distracted by all that’s going on in his own life…which includes basketball and baseball team responsibilities. He’s talked about it with his parents, and he’s certain he can play both sports while also doing well in school. Quickly, though, the two sports begin to take their toll, and Derek finds himself on the bench with an injury. How can Derek show his commitment to his teammates, his coaches, and the sports he loves when he can’t actively participate?

Inspired by Derek Jeter’s childhood, Switch-Hitter is the ninth book in Jeter Publishing’s New York Times bestselling middle grade baseball series that focuses on key life lessons from Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Derek Jeter is a fourteen-time All-Star and five-time World Series winner who played for one team—the storied New York Yankees—for all twenty seasons of his major league career. His grace and class on and off the field have made him an icon and role model far beyond the world of baseball.

Paul Mantell is the author of more than 100 books for young readers, including books in the Hardy Boys and Matt Christopher series.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Chapter One: A New Season Chapter One A NEW SEASON
“Hey, old man. It’s Vijay on the phone—for you!”

Derek Jeter dropped the pile of folded clothes he’d been holding. They fell right back into the suitcase he’d been unpacking, and he hurried downstairs to pick up the phone from his mom.

“Hey, Vij!” he said breathlessly. “How’s it going?”

“It’s all good now that you’re back,” said Vijay with a little laugh. “How was your trip home?”

“Long and boring,” Derek said. “But the summer was good—always is.”

“Hey, how about we meet up on the Hill, and you can tell me all about it?”

“Ah, I’d love to, but I’m just unpacking. Anyway, after twelve hours in the car, I’m kind of beat.”

“Tomorrow after school, then?”

“For sure. Back to St. Augustine, huh? I can’t believe school’s already starting. I just got home.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you stay on vacation till the last minute,” Vijay pointed out. “Anyway, see you in class.”

“Seventh grade. Unreal, huh?”

“I know. Crazy. Where did all those years go?”

“Really. Well, see you tomorrow.” Derek hung up, and turned to find his mom standing there, her arms crossed and an amused look on her face.

“Seventh grade,” she said. “You two are all grown up!”

Derek laughed, but in a way it was true. He did feel suddenly grown-up, or at least on the verge of it.

In other places kids went to different schools starting in sixth or seventh grade. He was still at St. Augustine, so going back shouldn’t have felt much different.

And yet somehow it did. Derek actually felt more nervous than usual about the first day of school. The workload in seventh grade was rumored to be a lot harder. And it was definitely going to be weird going back to school and not seeing Dave there.

Dave Hennum was Derek’s other best friend besides Vijay. But in June the Hennum family had moved all the way to Hong Kong. Dave’s dad had been transferred there for work, and the family was going to live there for the next two years.

Derek wondered how Dave was getting along, with all his friends so far away, and him living in a strange new place, where people mostly spoke a different language. (Although, Dave had assured him that they spoke English, too.)

Derek hadn’t gotten a letter from him for over a month. In that time, Derek had sent Dave three letters—not easy, considering he didn’t like letter writing to begin with.

During the summer he hadn’t noticed Dave’s absence much. Days at the lake in New Jersey with his dozens of cousins were full, noisy, and busy. He’d even gone into the city with his grandma a couple of times, to play ball with the city kids he’d met the summer before.

Overall he’d had his usual great time. He’d practically forgotten about Dave, except when Dave’s letters had come—which hadn’t happened since the end of July.

But now, back in Michigan and with school about to start again, things already felt different. Not having Dave around, it felt like a big part of Derek’s world was gone, and it made him sad in a way he’d never felt before.

Just then, though, Derek’s dad came into the house, carrying a white plastic tub full of mail. “The postman was here and dropped this off,” he said, setting it down on the floor. “I saw your name on one or two envelopes.”

Derek sat down beside the tub and started rifling through the piles of envelopes, magazines, and catalogs—four days’ worth, from the time when his parents had taken off in the car to pick up Derek and his little sister, Sharlee, and drive them home from New Jersey.

Soon Derek found the buried treasure he was looking for—two picture postcards from Dave, and a letter!

One postcard had a picture of a beautiful mountain, with skyscrapers crowding it from top to bottom. It was dated August 10—four weeks ago!

On the back of the card, Dave had written: “This is Victoria Peak, the most famous view in Hong Kong. We went up there on cable cars! It was cool, and a little scary. This place is amazing—very different from the States in a lot of ways, but the same in others.”

That was it. There wasn’t much room on the back of a postcard, after all.

The second card was dated August 15. It showed a beautiful golf course with a pagoda in front of it, and the same mountain, but in the distance this time. “This is the best golf course I’ve ever played,” Dave had written on the back.

Golf was Dave’s passion, in the same way that baseball was Derek’s. That’s why the two of them had always understood each other so well.

The rest of the postcard said: “My dad’s company pays for his membership in the club, so I’ve already played there five times—in just three weeks! It’s a hard course, but I love the challenge!”

Yup, thought Derek, smiling and shaking his head. That’s Dave, all right.

But it was the letter that Derek wanted to see most. Pictures were one thing, but he wanted to know what it was really like for Dave, being in another country thousands of miles away from America.

Derek couldn’t imagine himself in that kind of situation. He hadn’t moved since he was four years old—and he had no intention of moving again anytime soon!

The letter was dated August 25. It read:

Dear Derek,

Well, I finally have time to sit down and write to you. You wouldn’t believe how busy it’s been! I have Cantonese language classes after school—yes, school! They start here at the beginning of August! Can you believe it?

School is harder here than at St. Augustine, and the teachers are really strict too. My parents are always busy—my dad at work, my mom with starting up her own business—so they don’t have much time to do stuff with me. And Chase isn’t here, so I haven’t had too much fun, other than golf.

Chase had been the Hennum family’s driver and had often been in charge of watching Dave, since Mr. and Mrs. Hennum were out working most of the time. But he hadn’t joined the family in Hong Kong.

The best times I’ve had here are on Sundays, when my parents and I go touring around the city and the harbor. There are floating markets, where it’s crowded with boats, all loaded with stuff for sale. We brought home all kinds of foods we’d never seen before, let alone eaten! Most of them taste good, but some are not so great to look at—I’ll leave it at that.

Derek had to laugh. Dave’s sense of humor had obviously survived the trip to China.

But the worst part is not being back home, with you and Vijay and the rest of the kids, hanging out on Jeter’s Hill and playing ball, hitting golf balls at my house.… You know, all that stuff. I get sad sometimes, but I’m sure once I make some friends here, it will get easier.

Derek noticed that Dave still referred to Kalamazoo as “home.” Good. That meant he still missed his old life, and his old...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Paula Wiseman Books
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1534499784
• ISBN 13: 9781534499782
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 192
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: preigu GmbH & Co. KG; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; Niedersachsen; 49078; Deutschland