Imagine a boy with no parents, no family, except his seventeen year-old brother living in the U.S. by themselves, ALONE. This book's genre is a Sports Novel. I really liked this book because it is the perfect story for any kid who dream of meeting the favorite sportstar or being just like their favorite sports star.

Spoiler Alert
The protagonist of "Heat" by Mike Lupica is 12-year-old Cuban immigrant Miguel (Michael) Arroyo. He is a Little League player with a pitching arm so good that rival Little League coaches ask about his birth certificate to prove he is only 12 and eligible to play. Adults wish to speak with his father about his birth certificate but Michael cannot let anyone know his father died several months prior because his brother Carlos is only 17 and they are trying to avoid foster care by not letting people know until Carlos is 18. Michael is forbidden to play baseball until the birth certificate is presented. The problem is resolved when a Cuban, New York Yankee's pitcher got in touch with somebody to find Michael's birth certificate so that he can play in a crucial Little League game. Later, A Little League official takes temporary custody of Michael and Carlos until Carlos turns 18.

The story is in first person and that affects the story because the reader experiences everything firsthand. A major event that changed the character was when Michael wos forbidden to play baseball after his birth certificate was not present that made Michael really Angry and Frustrated with his brother. The title "Heat" relate to the book because when a pitcher is playing good he has a hot hand which is a sport term that means that the pitcher is playing really good. The narrator is reliable because he is telling the story nobody is telling the story for him. He already experienced those events. A major symbol in the story is a baseball because earlier in the story Michael stops a theif by throwing a baseball a his back and knocking him down Michael also plays baseball so that is why a baseball is a major symbol in the story.

I was surprised when I found out that Michael was living alone with his brother. I was Angry when I found out that the League official had forbidden Michael from playing because he was really good. I was satisfied when the Yankee Pitcher came and helped Michael get his birth certificate and was able to play again. My favorite part was when Michael stopped the thief by throwing the baseball to his back. One thing that I found interesting was that nobody knew where Michael and Carlos lived and the job that Carlos had did not even ask for his birth certificate which seemed unrealistic.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5 because it is the best sports novel I have ever read and it was also really interesting but in some part is did not seem realistic but overall it was a very good book. I would recommend this book to my friend Petr because I think he'll like it and it seems like the type of books he is into. How would you imagine your life as a boy no parents, no family, except his seventeen year-old brother living in the U.S. by themselves, ALONE.

Michael can really throw some heat. His talents in baseball never go unnoticed. In fact, one vengeful little leaguer, Justin, gets his dad (also his coach) to write a letter to the little league board. The letters says that Michael needs to produce his birth certificate in order to continue playing. This isn't good news for Michael. Michael (known as Miguel in Cuba) immigrated to the United States illigeally with his dad and his brother, Carlos.

This is an excellent book--a 10 on our classroom rating scale. It is realistic fiction (it could happen but this story is made up).

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Heat by Mike Lupica was, in my opinion a good book. this is a story of a young boy(12 years old) who is an extremely gifted baseball player. he lives with his brother who is only 17 in the Bronx away from his family in Cuba. obviously this is a problem because he is not 18 yet and that is illegal. they must try to hide their secret while Michael Arroyo is focused on baseball and about to enter the playoffs for his baseball team whose dream is to reach the Little League World Series in Pennsylvania. the coaches are starting to get very serious and start to ask for Michael's birth certificate which is back in Cuba with his family who he has lost all contact with. with all of this going on it becomes harder and harder to hide their secrets but i wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone so i will leave the rest to you.
This book was very good in the aspect that it wove many characters and their controversies together and tied it all up together in the end. because i play baseball many references enhanced the feeling for me and made it extremely exciting in some parts. i would definitely recommend this book to anyone that plays baseball or is a fan of baseball.
On the other hand it may be a slight bit confusing for people who are not as familiar with the game of baseball. some of the things that happen in the story may be harder to understand if you do not know much about the game of baseball. no matter who is reads it i still feel that it was a solidly written book and would recommend it to a friend.

I beleive that this was a very very facinating book and I like how I learned something about a new sport. This is a great book because it really teaches a lesson of not to scalpe tickets because it is elegal and also teaches us to be greatful of what we have and to never give up on what we love and who we love.This is a really great book.

Heat is a great book by Mike Lupica. It is about a kid named Michael who is an elite baseball pitcher that has lost his dad. Him and his brother are having to live by themselves. During his baseball season, the coaches for the other teams don't believe that he is 12, so he can't play. You are going to have to read the book to figure out what happens. I would give this book 4 stars. The reason why I gave it 4 stars wasn't because the book was bad, but it wasn't better than Million Dollar Arm or some of his other books. To conclude, it was a great book, but not as great as his other books.

I like this book because as a class we read a book, and since i personally have a interest on baseball and the book is a baseball story. i also like that as a class we got this book done in just a quarter with just reading 10 pages a day. The honestly only downside of the book was its quick ending and since it was quick it didn't go into as many details as i was hoping for. But i still like this book, I would give 4.5 if i could but that is not possible so i rounded down since the end details. Over all this is one of my favorite books and im looking forward to the rest of his books.

Heat, by Mike Lupica is one of the greatest books on overcoming obstacles I have ever read in my life. Lupicas use of imagery and diction makes you feel like your with the characters. The book is about a young 12 year old Cuban American boy named Michael who is a newly orphaned boy after losing his father to a heart attack at age 9. Michael lives with his older brother Carlos and they try to avoid being caught by social services and sent into foster care and possibly never seeing each other again. Michael is the best pitcher in his all star league, but with his amazing ability comes suspicion of other people. Right as the all start season is beginning the league demands his birth certificate which is somewhere in Cuba. Until it is found Michael is forced to sit out and watch the game he loves from the bench. With help from his best friend Manny and unexpected help from the star Yankee pitcher El Grande, they locate Michaels certificate and get Michael back into the game.

Lupicas use of imagery and diction made this book go from good to amazing. An example of diction is on page (5) " The cop held up a baseball that looked older than the old stadium that rose behind them to the sky. This sentence made me imagine that very baseball in my head. Lupicas imagery in this book makes you imagine the roaring train and the crack of the bat when it meets a baseball.
I enjoyed this book very much, just like Michael my life is baseball so it came to me easily. I recommend this book to anyone to enjoys the theme of overcoming obstacles and baseball. This book was almost impossible to put down

This is a great realistic fiction read. This book is very interesting.

The setting of this book takes place in Bronx, New York. The point of view in this book is from Michael Arroyo. The characters in this book are Michael Arroyo, the main character, Manny Cabrera, Michaels best friend, Carlos Arroyo, Michaels older brother, Ellie Gonzalez, daughter of yankees pitcher, el grande. There is not really a distinct mood or tone in this book. Michael Arroyo is a 12 year old baseball player from the Bronx. His idol is yankees pitcher, el grande. Michael has a big problem in his life. He has no mom or dad, and lives alone in an apartment with his older brother carlos. Carlos has to work two jobs to be able to provide for himself, and for michael. Michael is an outstanding pitcher for his bronx little league team. His best friend manny, is his catcher. Michael soon meets a girl named ellie. The first thing he notices about ellie, is that she has a great arm. Michael soon realizes that she's the daughter of his idol, el grande. Michael soon starts to get problems with money, and people with suspicion of him living by himself. Will he thrive with no parents? Read to find out.

I think that the author did reach his primary purpose. This book was very entertaining, and had me guessing about what was going to happen next. This writing is pretty powerful, because lost of kids live through life struggles, like living with no parents. There are strengths to this book but also some weaknesses. Some strengths are that there is a well developed plot in the story, but the weakness is that there is not a real good ending to this book. The author’s theme is great to me because I love baseball, and enjoy sports books.

This book left me guessing whether or not michael makes it to the Little League World Series. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves sports, especially baseball, because this book is about baseball.

Brian Hanrahan
Period 3
Mrs. Nagel
Heat by Mike Lupica
Twelve year old Michael Arroyo and his seventeen year old brother, Carlos, live in the South Bronx of New York by the all famous Yankee’s stadium. The Cuban immigrant had a gift for baseball, blessed with a pitching arm. He’s a very passionate Little League player, he listens to every Yankees game on the radio at his neighbor's house, Mrs. Cora. After his father’s death, Michael's dad carefully tells Mrs. Cora to call over a priest, and tells the priest to not tell anyone about his death, a bond that can't be broken by the holy connection to God. Michael idolizes a Cuban-born pitcher on the Yankee’s named El Grande. Michael uses his own strong pitching arm to catch a purse stealing attempt by a robber named Ramon. He hits the thief with a ball and earns respect from the local authorities. Michael's arm is so well developed, other Little League coaches begin to question if he's actually twelve years old. The only problem is with his father’s death and him only having a baptism certificate, he is suspended from play, with the playoffs just around the corner.
Michael and his older brother Carlos start to worry when adults start asking to speak to Papi about Michael’s birth certificate. It's not Michael's age that worries the two arroyo brothers, it's the news about their father’s death that's the problem. The boys can't let any cops know that their father is dead. Papi died of a heart attack several months ago, leaving them as orphans. They fear that if anyone finds out, foster care will separate them unless they can keep their big secret until Carlos turns 18, the legal age to become a guardian. Carlos works two jobs to try and pay the taxes each month. With the help of their elderly neighbor Mrs. Cora, she protects the death of her former neighbor, and treats the boys like her own two sons. Manny, Michael’s best friend, also looks out for his best friend, and also calms Michael down when life gets hard. These good people put friends before anything else, much like Carlos did, when he decided to work with the purse snatcher Ramon, in doing a fast money making operation, scalping baseball tickets. They have all convinced everyone that Papi is in Florida caring for his sick brother Uncle Timo. Until now, when an administrative protective service consultant Mr. Gibbs, approaches Michael, and keeps asking him questions about Papi, later accusing Michael of lying, saying his father left him. Protesting, he lets his tongue slip, and says his dad is returning tomorrow. Luckily, Manny has a plan.
I would rate this book a 4 out of 5, because the plot of the story makes for an interesting story. Another thing that makes this story good, is the way the author Mike Lupica emphasizes the details of how this young boy goes through this journey, and how he overcomes the obstacles that life throws him. The only thing that I didn't like about the story was the slow rising action in the story, and I think the story could have been paced faster.

Heat is a story about a young boy name Michael who escaped from Cuba and is now living in New York illegally and his dream to make it to the little league World Series with his team name the Clippers. There is just one catch, Michael is a gifted twelve year old pitcher and because of his gift the opposing teams question Michael age hence ineligible to play Little League because he is unable to prove his age and his father has been missing for several month. Thus begin Michael journey in reaching his dreams.

Heat touches on several themes from friendship, sportsmanship, loyalty to one's teammates, what it means to be a family, how hard it is for kids who don't have parents in our society, and the immigrant experience

This book is directed to a teenage audience, specifically, those teens who like sports. I can see this book being using to show children how to continue working on their dreams and hope in spite of difficulties and hard time.

The one thing I did not like about the book was how the writer did not talk about Michael’s mother very much. It seemed like she was a ghost, and I wanted to know more about her.

There is also a long description of each game with names of plays and fouls and outs and really confusing stuff to many people who aren't familiar with the rules of baseball. I just find that boring, though any big baseball fan would probably like the book.

Besides reading Heat, I view this book as an audio book. Paolo Andino tells the story with an enthusiasm and excitement that will draw in young baseball fans and has the listener rooting for Michael.

This book was very good with drawing you in and making you curious. The fact that Michael and his brother are fighting to hide the fact that their dad died and Michael isn't legally living with his brother who is 17. The way the author incorporates sports with all the problems is very good. The author is very good at making what you think wouldn't be a very interesting topic super interesting. But at time the book was a bit boring.