 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Clarion Books; 1 edition (March 17, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0618927999
ISBN-13: 978-0618927999
Book
Description
From Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park, an engaging novel
about a girl who doesn't play baseball, a team that doesn't win, and a war
that isn't a war. Both Maggie Fortini and her brother, Joey-Mick. were named
for baseball great Joe DiMaggio. Unlike Joey-Mick, Maggie doesnt play baseballbut
at almost ten years old, she is a dyed-in-the-wool fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Maggie can recite all the players statistics and understands the subtleties
of the game. Unfortunately, Jim Maine is a Giants fan, but its Jim who teaches
Maggie the fine art of scoring a baseball game. Not only can she revisit every
play of every inning, but by keeping score she feels shes more than just a
fan: shes helping her team. Jim is drafted into the army and sent to Korea,
and although Maggie writes to him often, his silence is just one of a string
of disappointmentsbeing a Brooklyn Dodgers fan in the early 1950s meant season
after season of near misses and year after year of dashed hopes. But Maggie
goes on trying to help the Dodgers, and when she finds out that Jim needs
help, too, shes determined to provide it. Against a background of major league
baseball and the Korean War on the home front, Maggie looks for, and finds,
a way to make a difference. Even those readers who think they dont care about
baseball will be drawn into the world of the true and ardent fan. Linda Sue
Parks captivating story will, of course, delight those who are already keeping
score. Authors note.
Review
School Library Journal : This finely crafted novel should
resonate with a wide audience.
Kirkus Reviews
In 1950s Brooklyn, everyone is baseball mad. Maggie says daily prayers and
follows careful rituals to "help" the Dodgers. She listens intently
to games on the radio, often with her friends at the firehouse. With firefighter
Jim's help, even if he is a Giants fan, she learns to score the games meticulously.
Jim is drafted and sent to Korea, where his experiences lead to a severe breakdown.
Maggie writes to Jim faithfully, scores Giants games for him and says heartfelt
prayers for his recovery. But her efforts meet with little success. She is
disillusioned and heartbroken by the war, by Jim's inability to cope and by
the constant disappointments provided by the Dodgers. But she never completely
gives up, and there is a ray of hope for both Jim and the Dodgers as the 1955
season begins. Park's deeply layered plot is built as slowly and as meticulously
as Maggie's scoring. As Maggie matures from age nine to 13, she never loses
her compassion and openhearted nature. An author's note adds historical information.
A winner at every level. (Historical fiction. 9-12)