“Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit,” by Chris Van Dusen
Candlewick Press, Somerville, Mass., 2012, 32 pages, Grades K-3.
The use of statistics and mathematics in sports continues to grow. For example, it is hard to view a major league baseball game without hearing of an infield shift based on “percentages.”
This means that statisticians have analyzed each at-bat that a player has had in a season, to predict where he will hit the ball. Many times players will hit into a shift and make an easy out. But sometimes, the hitter will hit away from the shift and make the other team look foolish. Many fans of baseball will actually use math and statistics in fantasy baseball to choose players and managers. So baseball can be fun to play even if you aren’t very talented at the sport.
Chris Van Dusen’s imaginative combination of mathematics and daydreaming about baseball is the plot of this comical tale, “Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit.”
It is a hot summer day and Randy Riley is at bat. His horn-rimmed glasses slip down his nose as the pitcher winds up. A mathematical formula fills his head as the ball hurtles towards home plate. Randy thinks it is such an interesting math problem. But then he remembers he has two strikes already. Belatedly, he brings the bat off his shoulder to swing at the pitch. By the time he completes his swing, the catcher has already caught the third strike. Randy has failed again.
As he rides his bike home, he feels worthless about baseball. But the planets strike his fancy and he begins calculating the tilt of the celestial bodies.
At home, Randy retreats to his room and plays baseball with his newly built robots. Here, Randy is always a star. That night, as he looks up through his telescope, he sees a massive comet heading toward the earth. He quickly calculates its trajectory and concludes that it will collide with his hometown in 19 days. Hurrying downstairs, he tells his parents of this impending tragedy. They both tell Randy to go to bed because he is needlessly worrying.
Unable to get anyone’s attention, Randy decides he must act to save the planet. He goes to his back yard and begins welding a gigantic robot together. He equips it with massive arms and huge legs. Working frantically, he completes the robot as the meteor enters the earth’s atmosphere. Randy charges the robot with 97 batteries and drives the robot to confront the menacing fireball.
The robot rips a massive smokestack off an abandoned factory and stands like a ferocious hitter facing a dangerous pitcher. The comet screams toward earth and the robot takes a mighty swing.
Does he connect? What happens to the fireball? Can Randy’s great mathematical skills save the city?
Have you known how good it feels to smack a baseball? Can brains overcome brawn? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out “Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit” by Chris Van Dusen.
This is an absolutely delightful book to read with a younger member of your family. The pictures are hysterical and the story entertaining. Everyone in my family couldn’t stop laughing when reading this book. So if you want to have a rollicking good time, check out this fun title. You will be glad you did. Enjoy!
