Sliding Into Home

Gr 4-8-Joelle, 13, has just moved from Minneapolis, where she was a star baseball player on her school's boys' team, to a small, rural Iowa town. At Hoover Middle School, there is only a girls' softball team and Joelle is not allowed to play with the boys. Upset by this and the fact that no one seems to understand that baseball and softball are not the same game, she is determined to play her sport of choice. Appealing first to the coach, then the principal, and next to the superintendent, Joelle is foiled at every step. Eventually she becomes involved in starting a girls' league with neighboring towns. When the school board finally changes its rules, Joelle turns down the offer to play with the boys. Filled with realistic emotions and dialogue, this involving tale has just the right amount of baseball action. It also provides an honest look at what it's like to be the "new kid" at school. The main character's thoughts are expressed in italics, which can be a bit distracting. Still, this is a winning story that will appeal to many readers.-Kate Kohlbeck, Randall School, Waukesha, WI Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.