Ages 9 - 13
Junior Library Guild selection CCBC Best Books starred 2013 VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers List 2013 |
"When Allie is asked to play for Juniper Bay’s boys’ baseball team, she leaves her beloved all-girls’ team, the Angels, much to the chagrin of her friend Miles, the son of Allie’s mother’s girlfriend. Seemingly out of spite, Miles switches teams and joins the Angels. When the Little League board denies Miles’ request, he goes to the papers to protest the ruling. Is it a double standard that Allie is on the boys’ team because of her pitching skills? Is it sexist to assume that the only condition in which girls can play is in an all-girls safe space?
"The brevity of the page count belies a complex story with no clear-cut answers. Additionally, Allie is conflicted about her mom’s relationship with Miles’ mother, and she must face her own insecurities around being in a nontraditional family. Told in news clippings and text messages in addition to prose, this engaging, charming piece will ask reluctant readers challenging questions beyond the usual Title IX conversation, and that’s a home run." --Booklist |
