Last Man's Reward by Dave Patneaude

Last Man’s Reward
By Dan Patneaude
Published in 1996 by Albert Whitman & Company
192 Pages
Reviewed by Arthur, MAP
“’Baseball cards!’ he blurted out. If anything could make Nick stop, that was it.” It started out as an excuse to take a rest from a long bike ride but turned into a find that just might save someone’s life. Five boys, brought together by their parents work, made an amazing discovery at a yard sale, a baseball card worth $4000. Inspired by a newspaper article, they decide who ever remains in their apartment complex the longest gets the card. They hide the card in an abandoned mine on the other side of a crevasse with a deep river running through it. Mostly everyone could jump across it but Albert, our main character, who asked his blunt P.E. teacher if he’d teach him to long jump so if he’s the last man he could claim his reward.
I found Last Mans Reward to be a lofty book that struggles to keep your interest. It goes to and from loosely strung ideas and even at parts where it has the potential to be exciting it doesn’t quite make it. While a good book is a car chase through a crowded city this book was more like a light stroll through the park with your eyes closed. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone who wants to really get into a book but maybe for someone just wanting to pass the time.