Matt chritopher biography

It features memorabilia, original letters and exclusive photos. Share the post "10 Facts about Matt Christopher". This article would present to you the 10 fun facts about… Read More…. How well you know about Michael Morpurgo, you are on the… Read More…. You can find the amazing 10 facts about Meg Cabot in… Read More…. Facts about Maurice Gee presented about novelist from New Zealand.

He… Read More…. Facts about Mary Wollstonecraft present the information about an English writer. Search for:. Christopher recalled at age 77 he won a prize in a short-story writing contest at Of winners, he ranked st. He wrote "a detective story a week for 40 weeks," among other activities at about age I also read detective, horror, aviation, and sports stories and decided I would try writing them myself.

Matt chritopher biography

For the next twelve years Christopher wrote novels in several genres including science fictionmysteryadventureand romance, but he was unable to get a single one published, even as his short stories continued to sell. But his true success came in with the publication of The Lucky Baseball Bat. I spoke about my idea to the branch librarian.

She was immediately interested and told me that they needed sports stories badly. Thanks to that success he continued writing and his second children's sports novel, Baseball Palswas published in Both those first two books were about pages long and were published by Little, Brown with illustrations by Robert Henneberger. ByMatt had 15 novels published, most of them by Little, Brown.

Christopher died September 20,in Charlotte, North Carolina [ 2 ] from surgical complications for a non-malignant brain tumor. Christopher's son Dale later wrote a biography of his father "in the tradition of the Matt Christopher Biography Bookshelf, with exclusive photos, original letters, and memorabilia. New books credited to Matt Christopher continue to be published, over 20 years after his death.

Christopher with the American football star Terrell Davisthe Library of Congress LC ascertained May 8,that the writer was Matt Christopher's widow and that his name was a trademark. The name Matt Christopher continues to appear on title pages of new works after his death. The name is considered by the family as a "trademark. The author of the text is usually given on the t.

For instance, there are seven LC online catalog records for Matt Christopher books published during [ 2 ]. Stephanie True Peters of Beverly, Massachusetts is the series editor [ 11 ] and the writer of about fifteen Matt Christopher books since Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version.

In other projects. Wikidata item. American writer. This article needs additional citations for verification. During one of the contests, Bernie becomes distracted when he cannot spot Dave in the stands. He vaguely recalls that his friend has been having difficulty breathing lately, lacks energy, and tires excessively after only slight exertion.

Dave shows up late but, soon after, misses a game completely. Now very worried, Bernie insists his mother call the hospital and learns his unspoken fears have been realized: Dave is in matt chritopher biography care. The patient's father informs the hero that his son is desperately ill with a liver disease: "He never told anybody. He's been fighting a battle with it for the last two years.

I hope he's going to get well, but Bernie, it doesn't look too good. Analysis : Despite extensive clues that Dave is seriously ill, there is no literary justification for the sudden announcement that his disorder is fatal. The use of this dramatic ploy is a transparent attempt to beef up a work whose exclusive purpose is to provide detailed descriptions of baseball action.

Reading Teacher 48, no. His efforts only get him in trouble, especially when he hits a ball through a neighbor's car window. All children will be pleased—especially baseball fans. School Library Journal 38, no. In a boy-who-cries-wolf scenario, his teammates and coach refuse to believe his truthful account of how he witnessed someone photograph their playbook.

The boy proves his story by exposing the spy, and learns a lesson about honesty along the way. This is one of Christopher's weaker efforts, delivering more of a second-rate mystery than his typical, fast-paced sports story. The foreshadowing and development of the far-fetched plot take away from any semblance of characterization beyond the protagonist's and limit the amount of game description.

Further, few year-olds would think of offering money to an opposing player, much less provide him with a miniature camera for photographing a playbook. A little syrup is added when the perpetrator says he took and sold the pictures because his father was recently laid off. While the legions of Christopher's fans will undoubtedly read this one, they will also hope his next book offers more.

School Library Journal 39, no. As he did in The Dog That Pitched a No-Hitter Little,the boy counts on his pet's encouragement whenever he plays, but now—on the day before the big game—Harry is grounded for nip-9 ping another dog. By the bottom of the last inning the score is tied, and Mike is sorely in need of Harry's advice, when Mom relents and arrives at the field with the Airedale.

Predictably, Mike scores the winning run. The story is somewhat contrived, but it will serve as an additional beginning chapter book for young baseball fans. Vasconcellos's humorous black-and-white line drawings add some appeal. Purchase where the previous book is a big hit. His on-field focus is further diluted by his concerns about a homemade-video contest he is preparing to enter and anonymous phone calls he's receiving.

These calls are telling him to get his act together on the ball diamond, or else! All of this is taking place during the youth championship play-offs where the award for the winners is a free trip to see the Major League World Series. Typical of Christopher's writing, the game action is the centerpiece of the book. His depiction of the five-game play-off is interspersed with Travis's efforts to determine who's placing the harassing calls and his attempts to piece together his video.

The bit-too-neat ending finds the boy and his team successful on the field, the phone culprit revealed as a well-meaning acquaintance, and Travis beginning to feel accepted by his teammates off the field as well as on. For purchase where the author's previous books are popular. School Library Journal 40, no. This time [in Top Wing ] the plot centers around a house fire that occurs while parents are out for the evening.

Neighbor Mr. Bellamy rescues the two Crawford children, but suffers smoke inhalation. Later, the fire victims claim that Mr. Bellamy, an electrician, installed faulty wiring in their home. This causes trouble between soccer teammates Dana Bellamy and Benton Crawford. If the wiring is not at fault, how did the fire start? Dana finds out something that could get Benton in trouble and has to confront him with the facts.

Christopher reveals the clues slowly so that only astute readers will be able to solve the mystery before the ending. He is best at describing sports play-by-play, and his readers will not be disappointed with the added suspense. Despite many misgivings about the sport not being as much fun as baseball, Jerry changes his mind after seeing his first meet.

Except for one improbable dialogue between him and his friend Tanya about his new racing briefs, the book has realistic settings, feelings, and conversations. Jerry's character is fully realized as he is described working through his doubts, his "butterflies" before a race, and his pride in helping his team score points. The author includes many terms familiar to competitive swimmers—disqualification, false starts, flip turns—and explains them in context.

In addition, the story interweaves a comparison between the teamwork of baseball and the more individual approach of "personal best. In this case, Zero Ford wants to be an exceptional pitcher but it is not until he injures his hand that he discovers he can now throw a "slider"—a pitch guaranteed to strike out any batter. But can he duplicate his success when the bandage is removed from his hand?

And, will the Peach Street Mudders be able to play if the coach is unable to find a substitute for himself while he is on vacation? Zero finally musters up enough courage to try pitching without the bandage and to ask his uncle to take over coaching the team and all works out well in the end. An average sports story that will find a ready audience with the author's many fans.

School Library Journal 41, no. When he notices something familiar about Tammy Aiken, a girl playing shortstop on a rival team, he studies her and even takes photos of her on the field. Finally, Danny's mother reveals that he has a twin sister who was adopted by another family, and that they have just moved back into a nearby town. Christopher does his typically good job of describing the baseball play-by-play.

However, he peppers this far-fetched plot with clues that are about as subtle as a ton of bricks. Readers will find it implausible that Tammy would not only move back in town, but also end up playing shortstop, the same position as Danny on a rival baseball matt chritopher biography. Also unbelievable is the fact that he would notice other similarities between himself and the girl—batting with the same left-handed stance and having the same grin.

When Danny finally blurts out the truth to his twin, she is shocked. Readers will be just as incredulous at the idea that Tammy's adoptive parents never believed the children would meet when they moved back into the area. Die-hard fans of Christopher may want to read this one, but it's not one of his most memorable books. School Library Journal 42, no.

The jokes, mostly dialogues, are largely unsuccessful: " Catcher : 'You look a little nervous out there today. Adding to the presentation are Vasconcellos's pen-and-ink cartoons, with a particularly effective frog in the outfield snaring a fly ball. This volume seems somewhat slapped together, but Christopher's popularity should keep it from collecting dust on the shelf.

These accounts depict the courageous aspects as well as the spectacular, including Dave Dravecky's comeback after cancer surgery, and the hobbled Kirk Gibson's game-winning home run in the World Series. Christopher tends to drift to his fictional roots as a number of the stories are laced with manufactured feelings, thoughts, and quotes.

He also tends to generalize: "As the crowd in Fenway Park watched Ted Williams run off the field for the last time, they told each other, 'There goes the greatest hitter that ever lived. While Christopher's legions of young fans will enjoy the book, a more straightforward account of memorable events in America's pastime can be found in Geoffrey Ward's 25 Great Moments in Baseball Knopf,which is based on Ken Burns 's public-television series, Baseball, the American Epic.

School Library Journal 43, no. The book follows Young from his Mormon roots in Utah he's the great-great-great-grandson of Brigham Youngthrough his high school days and college career, to his early frustrations as a second stringer in the professional ranks and eventual triumph, leading the 49ers to the NFL championship in the season.

At every stage of his career, the athlete has had to spend a good amount of time on the bench, waiting for his chance. Off the field, Young leads a squeaky-clean life, and he also has earned a law degree. Christopher, as usual, comes through with exciting descriptions of games and insights into his subject's on-field success. Somewhat surprisingly, the presentation ends with the 49ers Super Bowl victory two seasons ago, with nothing about the past season.

A grouping of black-and-white photographs appears in the middle of the book. Hal Bock's Steve Young Chelsea, covers the same material in a shorter, less-extensive format. Somewhat reluctantly, he begins to help the local organization of "Rails to Trails" convert an abandoned rail bed into a bike path. A medical student and near Olympic-caliber cyclist encourages Doug to take up cycling; by the end of October, he's gotten into shape and wins a race.

Christopher does a good job of presenting the main character's early self-consciousness and eventual pride and confidence. The title is a little deceiving, since the book has nothing to do with the Olympics they are a distant, hazy dream of Doug's. However, as sports novels go, this one is fast, straightforward, and readable. The book ends with the Bulls' loss to Orlando in the season playoffs.

Those familiar with the athlete's career will probably already know some of the anecdotes covered in this book. For example, there's the oft-repeated fact that Jordan didn't make the varsity basketball squad in his sophomore year in high school, and his trials as a minor league baseball player are common knowledge. Yet, many fans will find this clearly written title among the most satisfying of all of the Jordan biographies.

Although the author mentions controversies involving his subject's gambling and the tragedy of his father's murder, he recognizes that what many sports fans want is the highlights of players' careers and meaty descriptions of their key games. On these points Christopher scores. Being superstitious, he feels jinxed when his father mentions the record and is further stressed when someone locks him and a teammate in his family's shed, causing him to be late for one of the season's final games.

Arriving during the second inning, Nicky finds his hitting skills haven't been affected by his father's statement, thus diminishing his fervent belief in superstitions. Furthermore, he's able to deduct who locked him up. This title, the seventh in the series, is one of Christopher's weaker efforts. Though baseball is a team sport, which should be emphasized in sports books for young readers, the whole focus here is on Nicky's quest for an individual record.

Uncharacteristically, there are a couple of errors in game matt chritopher biography. Black-and-white drawings appear throughout this beginning chapter book. For purchase only by those libraries that can't pass up a title by the prolific Christopher. Review of Baseball Turnaroundby Matt Christopher. This is just the ticket for Sandy, who loves baseball and believes himself to be an excellent center fielder.

However, he is humiliated when news of his crime reaches his teammates. Fortunately, his family is moving to a new town and he has a chance to start again. Unfortunately, Sandy is so preoccupied with the fear that his new teammates will discover his secret that he fails to make friends. It's only after he learns to relax and be honest that he's accepted by his team, and his skills on the field can be appreciated.

Despite the obvious message, this novel is not so heavy-handed that it gets in the way of the story. The action moves along at a good clip with plenty of stuff about baseball to balance out the accounts of Sandy's inner turmoil. Booklist 94, no. But, of course, the worse they are the more they tickle our funny bones. Christopher has assembled a motley assortment of teasers guaranteed to elicit as many groans as giggles [in Football Jokes and Riddles ].

Linebacker: Is it better to play football on a full or empty stomach? Coach: It's better to play on a field! Packed between the grunts and groans are some pretty interesting football facts that may be new to even the most savvy fan of the sport. Did you know that in the s John Heisman instructed one of his players to hide the football under his jersey?

That sneaky play went 50 yards for a touchdown. In addition to describing the athlete's triumphs, Christopher discusses his losses as well as his behavior problems exhibited on the court at the beginning of his career.