A Season of DaringGreatly

Gr 8 Up—Jill Cafferty, 17, is about to make history for becoming the first woman to be drafted into Major League Baseball, playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates with a $2 million contract. But rather than give interviews, she's more interested in pitching a shutout game. While the media and fans swarm, Jill navigates the tricky waters of displaying her expertise in a male-dominated sport, being away from home for the first time, and starting her professional career before she even goes to college. The friends she makes along the way give Jill's story more dimensions, expanding the narrative about her workout routines and sports activity. White writes confidently and with great detail about the mechanics of the game. The descriptions of life as a traveling baseball player are eye-opening and shine a realistic light on the so-called glamor of professional sports. Jill is a strong, centered, and witty character, and it's refreshing to read her smart comebacks to blatant sexism and her even-tempered reactions whenever disgruntled teammates or fans unfairly provoke her.