Free Baseball

By: Sue Corbett (2006)
This book by Sue Corbett is about a young Cuban American boy, Felix, that came to the United States as a refugee with his mother when he was a baby. He loves baseball and his whole life he has heard stories about his father who was a famous Cuban baseball player, that stayed back in Cuba. Felix becomes bat boy for a minor league baseball team and that has some players from Cuba on it. He loves this new job as it brings some love and human interaction that he did not have previously with his mom working and going to college. Through the team's manager, players, and eventually his mother, Felix learns of the selflessness of his father as he vowed to stay back on the island, staying off the boat that carried his wife and child on because there was not enough room for him. Felix is proud of his father and is now happier with his life as he now knows the truth about his father and gets to spend more time with his mother because she accepted a job with the team that his is the bat boy for.

I really enjoyed this book because it displayed the feelings that an adolescent boy can have, even though it may seem like they are tough and at times disinterested. I liked how Felix's mother stressed the importance of education and I think that this is one of the many important smaller messages in this book.
I think that this book could be used in the classroom in many different ways and for many different reasons. This book could be very popular with students that may be missing a father or parent, helping them relate to Felix and his struggles. I think that this book could also be used as part of a social studies lesson on Cuba and their relations with the United States. Some students may not understand why we don't allow everyone to move and this would be a good way to discuss immigration.