Alex
Rodriguez knows how to hit the ball out of the park. He hit 400 homeruns before the age of 30. Alex was voted American
League MVP - Most
Valuable Player – as a New York Yankee (twice). He was drafted straight out of high school by the Seattle Mariners. But before millions of fans began calling him “A-Rod”, Alex was just a little boy living in the Dominican Republic…who happened to love baseball!
“I think I’m setting a record for errors and strikeouts in the same game,” says a boy named Alex, the main character in
Rodriguez' book, a fictional story based on his real-life experiences. Nervous during a playoff game that his entire family came to watch, Alex lets an “easy” grounder bounce through his legs and into the outfield. His team still wins, but all of the mistakes he makes during the game make him determined to work harder. He and his teammate / best friend, J.D., get up at 5:00 in the morning to hit balls before school. At ball practice he tries to “throw harder, hit farther, and run faster.” Finally, at the championship game, his hard work pays off!
Hard work is important to Alex Rodriguez. In the back of the book is a personal letter to the readers in which Alex shares his “recipe for success”: work hard, study hard, stay away from drugs, and show respect to friends and elders.” The ending is somewhat predictable (hint: every ball player dreams of winning the game like this!) but the moral of the story is written with humor so that it is not too preachy. There are also some interesting photos from Alex’s childhood in the Dominican Republic and Miami, Florida. With colorful, dynamic illustrations by Frank Morrison (who created the artwork for children’s book
Queen of the Scene by Queen Latifah), this book is an “out of the ballpark” hit!