It's
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
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at
and #IMWAYR day
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February 4, 2025 by HarperCollins
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Timothy "Pumpsie" Strickland's Music City Legends team is having a decent year, but he is not. Every time he gets up to bat, he freezes and finds himself unable to hit the ball, striking out. His friend Shep has tried to talk him through it, but nothing seems to help, and he's in danger of being benched if he can't get over it. In the meantime, he and his mother get to go to see his favorite player, Carter Langston, who has a chance of finally getting to the playoffs with the Nashville Wildcats! It's a nice break from his five siblings, which include 2 year Jasmine, twin sister Tiana, and older brother Miles ( a science geek) and Isaac (a sixteen year old sports start who is mean to him). Pumpsie, who is nicknamed after the first Black player on the Boston Red Sox, who were the last team to get a Black player in 1959, has been at the stadium before, and when his mother needs to use the restroom (and he's spilled mustard on himself), he takes her up to a VIP bathroom that he's been invited to use any time that security guard Jack is there. He is, and let's Donya Strickland in, but while Pupmsie is waiting, he meets two men, Travis and Jordan, who work with the Portland Hemlocks team, which is playing the Wildcats the next day. Something feels off about the two, but he doesn't think much of it. Returning home, the two are regaled by the news that Tiana has been hired to do a commercial for the Wildcats at the stadium the next day, with Campy the dog, even though she is scared of all things canine. Pumpsie thinks this in unfair, but since she also gets tickets to the Ball Club, he gets ready to go the next day, armed with Miles' new science-y upgrades to his shoelaces and sunglasses. During the game, Pumpsie shuts off his phone because the battery is low, and when he goes to the photo shoot, it starts to rain. This puts everyone in a panic, and when Campy runs off, Pumpsie chases him into the stadium. He lures the dog to him with leftover hot dogs, and since there are free leftover hotdogs, eats a few himself. When he goes to leave, he realizes he is locked in! He panics a bit, and we also see the scene at his house as his family settles in for the night even though something feels a bit off. Eventually, Pumpsie decides to check things out, eat a few more hotdogs, visits the press box, makes some annoucements, plays with the pitching machine, and has an encounter with the animatronic mascot, Willie the Wildcat, that is a bit scary. Even scarier is meeting up with Travis and Jordan. They are planning something evil to take the Wildcats out of commission, but Pumpsie manages to sabotage them and run. The next day, he meets Jack as well as his idol, Carter, who assumes he is the new bat boy and gets him a uniform as well as a phone charger. His parents, meanwhile, have called the police and arrive at the stadium just as Pumpsie calls his mother. She agrees that he can stay, and Pumpsie is glad that he hasn't yet been tied with all the destruction in the Club Room the night before. In the dugout as bat boy, he starts to notice that all of the players are getting sick. Before he knows it, the coach is putting him into the game, since he's in uniform. He gets up to bat and has two strikes, and as he is waiting for his next pitch, manages to see Travis and Jordan in the stands with Miles' telescopic sunglasses. After getting a home run that puts the team into the playoffs, he manages to hunt down the evil doers, and Jack helps him bring them in.
Strengths: This is what middle grade novels should be: Amazing adventures that just don't happen in real life... but could. Getting locked overnight in a baseball stadium when you are a big fan? With a dog, since you aren't allowed to have one because of all of your obnoxious siblings. And your parents are so frazzled that they don't even know you are missing. Williams has clearly had more access to the inner workings of stadia than most of us have, so the behind the scenes adventures are fantastic. Combine that with some somewhat goofy villains as well as unlimited hotdogs, and this will be such a hit with young baseball fans. Wrap this up with a pair of tickets to whatever local game you can afford, and give to your favorite young fan with a promise of a special outing. This is a must purchase for every elementary and middle school library.
Weaknesses: While Miles' gadgets were clever, they weren't really necessary. Also, there were tantalizing glimpses of the grandfather but not nearly enough of him. How cool if he had been locked in the stadium WITH Pumpsie! Also, I sort of hoped he would save the day before the players got sick, but the target demographic will enjoy the ensuing barf fest more than I generally do.
What I really think: Williams, who wrote the excellent nonfiction baseball title Baseball's Leading Lady : Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues as well as We Are Family (with LeBron James), absolutely knocks it out of the park with this wish fulfillment novel rich with elements of Scooby-Doo, Home Alone, and Matt Christopher, taking us out to the ballgame with plenty of cinnamon rolls and hot dogs. The only thing missing in the Cracker Jack.
Weaknesses: While Miles' gadgets were clever, they weren't really necessary. Also, there were tantalizing glimpses of the grandfather but not nearly enough of him. How cool if he had been locked in the stadium WITH Pumpsie! Also, I sort of hoped he would save the day before the players got sick, but the target demographic will enjoy the ensuing barf fest more than I generally do.
What I really think: Williams, who wrote the excellent nonfiction baseball title Baseball's Leading Lady : Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues as well as We Are Family (with LeBron James), absolutely knocks it out of the park with this wish fulfillment novel rich with elements of Scooby-Doo, Home Alone, and Matt Christopher, taking us out to the ballgame with plenty of cinnamon rolls and hot dogs. The only thing missing in the Cracker Jack.
Game Changers: Stories of Hijabi Athletes from around the World
February 1, 2025 by Orca Book Publishers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
This collective biography showcases thirteen different young hijabi women from various points in the world who were groundbreakers when it came to competing in sports. There is an amazing variety in the sports included, from the more obscure like beach volleyball and archery to more common ones like basketball and soccer. The table of contents is very clever, with each woman given a "trading card" with her name, sport, and country which she represents. There's an introduction that discusses how the women were chosen, and photographs of many of them, which is somewhat unusual in a collective biography like this, but VERY welcome! Each player gets a portrait and three pages of information that discusses her involvement in the sport, challenges she faced, and successes. The end of the book has some additional information about why some women wear the hijab, and a good glossary. There are even print resources that include Maddox's 2020 graphic novel Running Overload which I had missed but will absolutely buy, since my goal is to get as many middle school girls to run cross country as possible!
The only quibble that I have with this book is that it doesn't give the years of birth for these women, which is helpful to put their progression in sports into context. This is a great choice to show students that athletes come from all manner of different backgrounds, and goes along well with other titles in the 920s like Roberts and Jacobs' 100 Athletes Who Shaped Sports, Buckley's Fearless Firsts, or Allen's Girls Race: Amazing Tales of Women in Sports.
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