SHAKESPEARE BATS CLEANUP by Ron Koertge

 

I was introduced to author Ron Koertge when I read The Brimstone Journals and Stoner & Spaz. His novels in verse capture his characters in brief but vivid detail. SHAKESPEARE BATS CLEANUP didn't disappoint.

Kevin Boland is fourteen. His baseball season comes to an abrupt end when he is diagnosed with mono. Doctor's orders require him to take it easy and rest. When he isn't sleeping, he spends time writing in the black and white marbled journal his father suggests might fill his time.

Having a father who is a full-time writer might have something to do with it, but Kevin finds writing helps him forget about baseball. The strange thing is the writing comes in the form of poetry. Using a book from his father's bookshelf as a sort of guide, Kevin experiments with a variety of poetry formats to delve into the subjects that fill his thoughts. He writes about baseball, of course, and girls and dating and his mother who recently died. When he is finally able to begin working out with the team again, he finds that he misses writing like he missed baseball.

Just over a hundred pages, Koertge's novel pulls readers into the thoughts and dreams of a likeable teen living with typical teen issues. I'm now reading the sequel titled SHAKESPEARE MAKES THE PLAYOFFS.