LUCKY At BAT by Alisse Lee Goldenberg and Joseph Goldenberg – Sports Fiction, Children’s Fiction, Animal Fiction

Alisse Lee and Joseph Goldenberg, a mother and son team, knock their new middle-grade novel, Lucky at Bat, out of the park.

This story follows ten-year-old Jack and his pet rats. Baseball is a major theme, and with Joseph as illustrator, Lucky and Gus Gus come to life. Their mutual friendship and support raise them up against the forces that would try to bring them down.

When Gus Gus and Lucky arrive in Jack’s life, he is thrilled to have pets and wants to share his life and passions with them. One of those passions is baseball, and Lucky finds something appealing about the game. When Jack’s little league team begins playing, he invites both his pets, but only Lucky goes.

When the team meets Lucky, they make him their mascot, and turn around their losing record.

Lucky cheers them on from his pet carrier in the dugout, but when Danny, the pitcher for their rival team notices, he thinks Jack’s team is cheating. In a desperate act to save the Devil Rays, Danny attacks him, shattering Lucky’s confidence in himself and tarnishing his love of baseball.

Gus Gus steps up to the plate to help his brother, and to get some of those extra snacks Lucky is always talking about. Lucky is hurt, though, both physically and psychologically. His wounds heal, but his heart doesn’t, and Lucky sits out game after game. Gus Gus has his work cut out for him if he’s ever going to get Lucky back in the game, but with help from Jack and the entire Bulldog team, Lucky rekindles his love of baseball, and enjoys the team’s success with his brother at his side.

The Goldenbergs create a strong hero in Jack, who navigates the trials of bullying and animal cruelty. These two themes frame an endearing tale of one boy’s love of baseball, and one rat’s love of his boy and the game.

Lucky at Bat provides hope by the dugout-full. It inspires kids to dream big and shows them how to win an argument without raising a fist. This is a feel-good story about a couple of rats and a team of kids who have a winning spirit that will win your heart.