Authors Note: This is an expository essay describing the main conflict, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. I picked this book because I really enjoy sports books.
In the book High Heat by Carl Deuker the main character Shane is a pitcher for his high school baseball team. During one of his games his dad got arrested for money laundering and doing deals with drug lords. They easily posted bail (due to all of the money from the deals) and soon he wasn’t acting the same he couldn’t handle everything that was going on, which brings me to the main conflict Shane’s dad commits suicide. In addition to that they lose of their all money to the government.
Due to the main conflict Shane’s mom is forced to sell the house and look for other housing. Shane had to transfer schools and start off fresh, but instead of wanting people to know him he wanted people to stay away from him. Shane was still trying to get over the grief of his father passing. After a few weeks he got arrested because he was doing bad things with the wrong people. His probation was to go and fix a baseball field at the local boys and girls club. He had to fix the baseball diamond. After he was done the head of the club invited him in then asked Shane the most acward question; Do you play baseball. Shane had recently quit baseball because of his dad. Shane said that he used to and the man had tried to convince him to try out for his team and Shane stormed off. Shane’s probation officer had come to his duplex to check up on him and then said that Shane would need counseling if he didn’t participate in anything. Then Shane agreed to try out for the baseball team. Then the probation officer said that you should like the coach Shane he’s a nice guy. Now it was the day of try outs Shane saw the coach it was the boys and girls club director. Within the first ten minutes he was complementing Shane, Shane easily made the team. Shane was a pitcher; he was the best on the team they were on a run until they hit a bye week. After their last practice that week they had been told by their coach that he was trying to schedule something. Shane had hurried to the library and went on his old schools site and saw they had a bye week too, he knew what coach was doing. They were playing Shorelake the kid that’s parents bought Shane’s old house was now on the team and he was some hot shot hitter, Shane remembered the last words they had said I’d like to off you sometime; his words echoed through Shane’s head he knew some how he would pitch against him and it happened. On the first pitch Shane threw a strike outside, next pitch was farther outside called a strike so the hitter peaked at the catcher and saw him outside so he crept out then Shane threw the ball high and inside.
The next thing everyone knew was that he was on the ground ambulance coming. This is the climax nothing is ever the same for Shane or the hitter ever again. Shane can never stop thinking about it. After that they start losing because Shane can’t close any games. During the next summer Shane helps the hitter get a little better at batting in the off season. Shane also played baseball every day that summer with some kids from baseball and some older guys. Then Shane comes back next year ready to pitch and does magnificent. They did so well that they were in a tournament to have a chance to go to state. In that tournament they face Shane’s old team Shane’s in as a closer and for the last out he faced the batter hat he hit before. Shane struck him out on three straight pitches but Shane still wasn’t in a good state of mind while they won the hitter still hadn’t come back to hit good again. Then there was a party for a fun filled season where Shane declares he got a full ride to the University Of Portland and everyone was happy.
The conflict was when his dad killed himself but then the climax was a conflict of its own and the climax was partially resolved when he helped the batter rehabilitate. There was one thing though that bothered me about the book. It didn’t continue with the tournament it ended right after their party. Because the author left this out of the book he left out a lot of detail. He also could have added a ton of extra pages while going through the tournament to state and to college with Shane. But with all of the missing details the book was still very good.
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