Published in 2016, Joan Bauer’s young adult sports novel Soar tells the story of 12-year-old Jeremiah Lopper, a heart transplant recipient with an encyclopedic knowledge of baseball. When he and his adoptive father move to the baseball-obsessed town of Hillcrest, Ohio, Jeremiah finds the community reeling from a steroid scandal that has disgraced its celebrated high school team. Unable to play the game he loves due to his health, Jeremiah decides to channel his passion into coaching the neglected middle-school team, hoping to restore the town’s spirit. By paralleling personal journeys with those of an ailing community, Soar explores themes of Redefining Winning Beyond the Scoreboard, Finding Strength in the Face of Adversity, and The Healing Power of Found Family and Community. Already a Newbery Honor winner for her novel Hope Was Here, Bauer garnered the Christopher Award for Soar.

This guide refers to the 2017 Puffin Books edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of emotional abuse, illness, and death.

Plot Summary

Twelve-year-old Jeremiah Lopper recounts being left as an infant in an office snack room and discovered by Walt Lopper, a computer genius who adopted him. Jeremiah’s only possessions were a note from his mother and a stuffed eagle he names Baby. At age 10, Jeremiah receives a heart transplant for cardiomyopathy, a condition that requires him to manage his health carefully. When Walt, a consultant, takes a two-month emergency job in Hillcrest, Ohio, to fix a company’s failing robots, Jeremiah, an avid baseball fan, convinces Walt to let him come along. He is eager to see the town’s famed high school team, the Hornets, and to avoid staying with his overprotective Aunt Charity. Jeremiah’s transplant team, led by Dr. Feinberg, approves the trip but warns him against overexertion.

Upon arriving in the baseball-obsessed town, Jeremiah and Walt find themselves locked out of their rental house. Jeremiah meets his neighbors, Franny Engers and her older brother, Bo, and successfully picks the lock with a paper clip. Franny tells him the middle school only has a “kind of” baseball team. Jeremiah and Walt attend the Hornets’ opening day game, where they witness the talent and volatile temper of star pitcher Hargie Cantwell. Soon after, Jeremiah has his first appointment with his new cardiologist in Cincinnati, Dr. Sarah Dugan.

At Hillcrest Middle School, the vice principal, Mr. Hazard, tells Jeremiah the baseball program is under review. Jeremiah finds a few boys, including Sky and Logo, playing on a neglected field and offers a pitching tip that works, introducing himself as a coach. Walt learns from a coworker that the previous middle school coach, Bordin, was fired for his high-pressure tactics, which caused player burnout and turned many parents against the sport. Then, the community is shattered by the sudden death of Hargie, the star pitcher. At his funeral, news breaks that the Hornets’ head coach, Delmar Perkins, has been arrested for providing players with performance-enhancing drugs. An investigation reveals that steroids likely contributed to Hargie’s death, and the Hornets are suspended from league play, plunging the town into an identity crisis.

Jeremiah encourages Sky, Logo, and other boys to form a team, arguing that the adults’ mistakes should not ruin baseball for them. At their first practice, he introduces his “Want, Work, Wow” (124) philosophy. The team, calling themselves the Muskrats, loses several games. Feeling discouraged, Jeremiah gives them a speech, insisting that they do not quit. At an away game, the home crowd boos the team. Walt walks onto the field and threatens the home team with a forfeit for unsportsmanlike conduct, successfully silencing the crowd. During this time, Walt begins dating Dr. Dugan. Shortly after, Jeremiah is briefly hospitalized for a sinus infection.

Bo tells Jeremiah that his own pitching arm was ruined by the high-pressure culture under Coach Bordin. Soon after, the middle school principal, Dr. Selligman, asks Franny’s grandfather, Ellis “El Grande” Grand, a respected former coach, to take over the team. El Grande agrees on the condition that Jeremiah serves as his full-time assistant coach. In his first address, El Grande inspires the players, and at Jeremiah’s suggestion, they change their name to the Hillcrest Eagles. During a game, the team discovers that a young fan with disability, Benny Lewis, has a savant-like ability to recall baseball statistics. Franny reveals her exceptional hitting talent during batting practice and officially joins the team.

The Eagles continue to lose but show marked improvement, gradually winning the town’s support. A viral editorial in the Hillcrest Herald urges the community to show courage and rebuild, helping to shift public sentiment. Support grows as Rabbi Tova gives the team a pre-game blessing, Mr. Hazard becomes their costumed eagle mascot, and Dr. Selligman organizes a cheering section. A scrimmage against former Hornets players boosts the team’s morale and inspires the high school players too. Jeremiah publicly and respectfully confronts a community member for insulting the middle school team. During a game against St. Peter’s, Jeremiah feels ill and is taken to the hospital, where he is kept overnight for observation. He later sees a photo of the team celebrating their first victory, 3-2, without him.

Jeremiah convinces a key player, Benchant, not to quit the team despite pressure from his father. He then shares his life story with Franny, who in turn confides that her father abandoned their family four years earlier. Meanwhile, El Grande secures a final game for the Eagles against the formidable Millville Marlins. The Eagles start poorly, but Jeremiah rallies them with an impassioned speech. Acting on a tip from Benny that Franny hits better when she is angry, Jeremiah deliberately provokes her by imploring her not to play like a girl. Enraged, she hits a game-tying home run. Donald Mole makes a crucial double and a spectacular game-ending catch, securing a 6-5 victory for the Eagles. The team celebrates by playing catch with a joyful Benny.

Walt announces that his company is moving its headquarters to Hillcrest, allowing him and Jeremiah to stay permanently. He and Sarah plan to get married. The Epilogue notes that Coach Perkins is set to stand trial for second-degree murder. At the team’s awards dinner, held in the hospital cafeteria during another health scare for Jeremiah, El Grande names him the team’s Most Valuable Player. As he holds the trophy, Jeremiah realizes that baseball, and the community he helped to rally, have healed his heart in more ways than one.