Battery Brothers

Andy Lembo is bent on becoming the starting catcher on a talent-packed varsity baseball team in his senior year at a new high school — whereas his brother Daniel, still a junior, is sure to be the team’s ace. With his 88-mile-per-hour fastball, Daniel has Major League scouts drooling. The brothers are tight and share a dream of winning the state championship. They also share painful memories of child abuse. But Andy carries extra burdens, from panic attacks to a shaky relationship with their father. Then there’s that scar covering half of Andy’s face, the result of his now-absent mother wielding a hot iron when he was a toddler. To make things worse, another catcher on the team, steroid-fueled Joey, has singled Andy out for special torture. Those troubles, however, all get pushed aside when a freak accident causes Andy to lose his biggest supporter and the source of meaning in his life. As the season winds down to its final games, Andy knows he should push through his raw emotions and return to school and the team — not only for himself, but also for his brother and their shared dream. But can Andy find the strength? From Publishers Weekly Friday Night Lights meets baseball in this edgy coming-of-age story about overcoming adversity and personal tragedy. Andy and Daniel Lembo are in high school and baseball is their life. Ever since they were kids, they dreamed of winning the baseball championship together with Daniel pitching and Andy catching. Being Andy's senior year, this is their last chance, but the road to the championship is a little rocky. Daniel is the golden boy, popular at school and talented enough to be recruited by colleges. Andy struggles with his abusive mother, a father who alternates between ignoring and denigrating him, and difficulties at school. Andy works hard on the baseball team, putting up with abuse from rivals, while improving his game. Andy and Daniel are close and their relationship is heart-warming, but it's also clear they are just a pair of goofy high school boys. In a freak accident, Andy loses his biggest supporter and his reason to play ball, and his world collapses. Despite the odds, Andy claws back, finds focus and direction, and decides to take control of his life. The characters are the best thing about this book, which is geared toward baseball fans. About the Sunshine Foundation The Sunshine Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity, answers the dreams of chronically ill, seriously ill, physically challenged and abused children, ages three to eighteen, whose families cannot fulfill their requests due to the financial strain that child's illness may cause. All proceeds from the sales of this book will be donated to the Sunshine Foundation, the oldest youth wish-granting organization in the United States.