A young baseball prodigy dreams of following in his famous father’s footsteps and playing for Cuba’s national team in this suspenseful novel of loyalty and survival.
“Top-notch sports fare coupled with a deeper story of family and fidelity.”—Booklist
He’ll risk everything on a dream . . .
Julio has always lived in the shadow of his famous father, who fled Cuba to pitch for the Miami Marlins, leaving Julio and his mother and sister branded as the family of a traitor.
Now sixteen, Julio dreams of playing for Cuba’s national team—but his father’s defection may have destroyed his own chances. When he’s given the opportunity to flee Cuba, he has to make the toughest choice of his life. For a chance at freedom, he’ll hazard the perilous journey and risk imprisonment. But even if he arrives safely, will his papi be waiting for him on the other shore, or has Julio Senior forgotten about his son?
Paul Volponi is a writer, journalist, and teacher. He has taught incarcerated teens to write on Rikers Island and he taught adolescents in a drug-treatment program in New York City.
Praise for Game Seven“An entertaining tale of baseball, family and loyalty.”
—Kirkus Reviews“Volponi once again delivers top-notch sports fare coupled with a deeper story of family and fidelity . . . Readers will identify with Julio as he juggles dreams, bitterness, and family loyalties in this lyrical, spare novel.”
—Booklist“A poignant story . . . this is a must-read for any teen who not only loves stories about sports but also enjoys reading about families.”
—VOYA Praise for The Final Four by Paul Volponi“A triple-overtime game keeps readers on the edge of their seats.”
—BCCB, starred review“This gritty, realistic, and riveting novel deserves the wide audience it will no doubt attract.”
—School Library Journal, starred review
"Volponi nails it when it counts in this dynamic story.”
—Booklist, starred review“Volponi, a multiple award-winning author, keeps the tension high from the first to last page ...
The Final Four is definitely a winner."
—VOYA, starred review “Volponi's latest combines in-the-moment action, basketball history and the points of view of four college ballplayers with very different lives . . . No story or character is simple."
—Kirkus Reviews“A rocket ride of a plot that rips you into the story from the first line.”
—Paul Griffin, author of Stay With Me
“Paul Volponi delivers a high-octane basketball story fans will cheer for.”
—Tim Green, author of Deep Zone, a Football Genius novel
