Chin Music - Jack McKenna - Bog

15-year-old Joe Taylor is quiet and shy, but he has a blazing fastball and pinpoint control. In 1957 he's one of the best pitchers in the state of Wisconsin. As a freshman at Wautuk High School, he and his best friend, catcher Hank Allyson, spend most of their days on the baseball diamond. While Joe has no lack of confidence on the baseball field, the same can't be said when it comes to girls. His biggest fan, Jayne Littlefield is not just a neighbor, she's also in his homeroom at school.
When an opposing pitcher starts deliberately throwing bean balls and nearly injures Joe, he and Hank grapple with a desire to retaliate. Come summer, when Joe attends summer camp, he encounters not just a pack of bullies and a boy from the state reform school, but a large black bear which attacked people in a neighboring campground.