Out at Second

Gr 4—7—Catcher Manny Griffin and second baseman Stu Fletcher help Sean Wilson learn to play shortstop. Their practice goes well until a wild ball hits Stu in the head. Though dazed and disoriented, Stu makes Manny promise not to tell Mrs. Fletcher, who will ground him for not wearing his batting helmet. The next day Stu has a monstrous headache, is nauseous during lunch, and goes straight to bed when he gets home. During a scrimmage, Stu's blurry vision keeps him from hitting and catching the ball. Suspecting his friend has a concussion, Manny looks up head trauma on his computer and learns that a second blow to the head could have serious—even fatal—consequences. Rather than lose Stu's friendship by telling the coach or his mom, Manny tells Sean. The boys alert their teammates and plan moves to protect Stu during the championship game. Realizing that keeping quiet is a serious mistake, Manny bobbles a catch on purpose, bringing their loud-mouth coach down on him. In the ensuing commotion, Manny gets Stu out of the game and tells his mother. The doctor says Stu must stay off the ball field for a month. Joshua Swanson narrates Matt Christopher's novel (Little, Brown Books, 2011), giving each character a distinctive voice. Especially convincing is the coach who, realizing he ignored important signs when Stu began to act out of character, gets a second chance to earn his players' respect. With so much concern for the lasting effects of concussions, this is a good choice for elementary school libraries.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN