Lost Boy

Ryder Strong is 12 years old, and it has always been just him and his mom. On the way home from an afternoon practice, Ryder and his mom have a little argument, and the next thing he knows, his mom is hit by a truck and is in the hospital, near death. The only thing that will save her is a $200,000 operation. Doyle MacDonald, a fire-fighter at the scene, vows to raise the necessary money. Doyle convinces Ryder’s neighbor, Mr. Starr, a grouch in a wheel chair, to help look after the boy in order to keep social services at bay. Ryder and Mr. Starr uncover information that a major league baseball player may be Ryder’s father, and they set off to find him and get money for the operation.

Generally, when a new Tim Green sports-related book comes out, it is a home run. Unfortunately, this one is more like an inning-ending double play. The adults in the book lie, obfuscate, and game the system for what they see as the greater good. Ryder cries enough to feed Niagara Falls, and does little to solve his problem. This is a blueprint for the motto, “the ends justify the means.”