Rating: 
Summary: This book got my 9-year-old to read...Hooray!
Review: One does not think of Stephen King stories as appropriate reading material for young kids. This novel, however, is an exception. My little boy, who is learning disabled and finds reading torture, loved this book. After he finished the novel, I was especially pleased to find that he recognized the creature Trisha battles at the end for what it was...a symbol for all the horrors Trisha faced and conquered on her journey. Swarming insects, the bog, lightning, and the horrible spectre of the death of the deer were all brought together in the "bear." Any book that gets kids reading and thinking is invaluable. Thanks Mr. King!
Rating: 
Summary: The Girl Who Loved T.G. & Wasted My Time
Review: I had not read any Stephen King and picked up this novel as a sample. A huge disappointment. The story is weak and contains little suspense. Given the nature of his success, I assume this work is not indicative of Mr. King's abilities.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the usual Stephen King, but still very good.
Review: Stephen King takes a step away from his usual horror novels to write a story of survival and the blurred line between fantasy and reality. The story of slightly trouble-making yet lovable nine-year-old Trisha McFarland is not as much a story of horror as it is a story of humanity. For a 250-page book, I found the middle a bit slow, but by page 175 I was definitely hooked, and I found myself so deeply absorbed in the book as I usually get when reading Stephen King. As usual, King shows off his uncanny skills in characterization, as the reader finds themself caring deeply for Trisha within the first pages. Overall, it was an outstanding book and a nice refresher from the usual 500-page novels. I would definitely recommend it.
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Summary: A masterfully crafted tale by the master
Review: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is another success in my eyes by Stephen King. A little 9-year-old girl, who is completly innocent and in some cases ignorant to the unfair events in her life, is spending another weekend with her mom, who is bound and determined to spend quality time with her children on the weekend. However, the repeated challenging and rechallenging of decisions made by both her mother and her brother drives Trish crazy on a hiking trip. Looking for a break in the action as it were, Trisha steps off the trail for a moment so she can relieve herself. The result however, gets her very lost, very fast in the woods. As the days wear on for poor Trisha McFarland, and the batteries on her walkman (her only link to the real world) slowly begin to fade, Trish begins to de-evolve. The doubt that slowly begins to eat through her mind, and up to the conviction that is she is going to die, followed by a stupour and related halluciantions begin to drive Trish insane. Stephen King has again vividly described an excellent story of fiction in the horror genre. I highly recommend this book to any fan of the genre, and particualry to those, who like me, just LOVE the writing of Stephen King.
Rating: 
Summary: This book was overhyped and not scary enough
Review: Stephen King's horror/sports dramatization fails in my book. The story is terrible, and does not even get scary until the end. It is mostly suggestion. Suggestion can be more scary than truth, but in this case, it is not. Dont buy this book, it is not worth the small amount of money that it costs.
Rating: 
Summary: Not too bad
Review: I'd give this book (CD) 3 and a half stars if I could. I thought it was well-written, and the characters (even those not present throughout the course of the story) were developed beyond adequately. I do, however, think that this would have been better if it were a shorter story. There were a lot of details that were hardly intrinsic to the outcome, and it seemed to drag a bit in the middle. It was, of course, a bit predictable, but that didn't keep me from finishing or enjoying it as it went along. I also thought that Anne Heche performed wonderfully in expressing Trisha's thoughts.
Rating:
Summary: Short but Fulfilling
Review: King writing short stories, of which I consider this to be, taking into account the majority of his novels, generally does a superb job with them - and this is no exception. He still has the evocative descriptions that populate all of his novels, but in Tom Gordon he has kept the story to basically one level, with none of the intertwining tales he generally includes in his longer books. There's no outright "boogeyman" in this story, it's left up to the reader to decide if there's really something out there, or if its the state of the girl's mind, and she's imagining it all after being in the woods alone for so long. An enjoyable read, easy to get through in an afternoon sitting, and without any of my usual reactions to his books, ie. have I REALLY locked all the doors? and what's that noise I'm hearing?
Rating:
Summary: Trisha gets the save.
Review: As far as a Stephen King book goes, this is a little one - 262 pages in paperback, but a keeper. Within, young 9-year old Trisha becomes lost in the Maine woods after leaving her Mom and brother on the Appalachian Trail to answer Nature's call. By the time she emerges from the wilderness more than a week later, she's mosquito ravaged, nearly starved, suffering from double pneumonia and hallucinations, filthy, ragged, and in the process of being stalked by a malevolent bear. Not an adventure for sissies. I cannot remember a King novel that presents the reader with such an attractive main character. And, in this book, Trisha is, for all intents and purposes, the only character. A bravura one-girl performance. The fact that she survives at all is due mostly to an incredible amount of pluck that would make even the most indifferent of parents proud. She is also buoyed-up during moments of despair by the presence of her Walkman, on which she listens to broadcasts of games played by her beloved team, the Boston Red Sox. On the team is relief pitcher Tom Gordon, on whom she has a Major League Crush. It's not surprising, therefore, that some of her hallucinations feature her stalwart hero. The odd thing is, though, his ghostly presence at one point specifically directs her to the right path towards rescue. Hmmm ... This is not a "scary" tale in the Stephen King tradition. Rather it's one of True Grit in the face of almost overwhelming adversity, with just a hint of the paranormal. A cautionary tale ("Stay on the path!") with a feel-good ending that might inspire you to touch the visor of your favorite team's baseball cap, and point your index finger to the sky.
Rating:
Summary: No reason for this to be put on paper.
Review: This short (224 pages) novel begs the question, WHY? Why wasit written, published and sold to the public. It's about a girl whogets lost in the woods and listens to Red Sox baseball games to get her through her ordeal...THAT'S IT! A short story at best! Some King *scholars* will no doubt talk about the piece as being about survival, etc. I found it to be a quick read with no redeeming rewards. Just a cash cow. That being said, I love King's work. But this novel and his short story, "L.T.'s Theory of Pets" have just been worthless slices of the King pie. Not recommended to even your worst enemy.
Rating:
Summary: Before reading this book - make strong coffee
Review: I found this book very long and drawn out, with absolutely no suspense to keep the readers interest. King's format of organizing the beginning of each chapter with baseball "Lingo" was very inventive. However, I did fine that forcing myself to finish reading his novel was close to a self-torturing act. Just ask my husband.
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