King of the Mound

Gr 4–7—Pitch-perfect pacing is just one of the high points of this novel. It is 1935, and Nick, who used to be the best pitcher in his youth league, is returning home to Bismarck after having spent the last year in the polio ward of the Mayo Clinic. His father, the catcher for the semipro Bismarck Churchills, sees Nick's brace as evidence that he is a cripple who will never amount to anything. Hired to do odd jobs around the stadium, Nick meets the great Satchel Paige, who has agreed to join the integrated team for the summer. He befriends Nick and helps him to realize that the only thing holding him back is his fear of failing. More than Paige's words, though, it's seeing the athlete transcend injustice on a daily basis that convinces Nick that he has the power to shape his future. As readers watch Nick's slow but steady development over 18 chapters (the top and bottom of each inning), there is plenty of sports action, and Tooke brings to life the excitement of the Bismarck team's incredible summer, when they barnstormed the countryside and ended up winning the semiprofessional national tournament. Tooke admirably conveys Paige's larger-than-life personality, and a historical note will give readers new appreciation of just how much the man accomplished during his career. An excellent combination of historical fiction and sports fiction.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA