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Gr 8 Up—Ricky Hernandez has dreamed of pitching ever since, at nine years old, he astounded the grown-ups with his throwing speed at a carnival game. Now almost 14, he's still got the speed, but has never learned to control his pitches. His mom is his biggest fan, and she scrapes together enough for him to play on a youth league team and acts as its assistant coach. But in affluent Jacksonville, Florida, where the other rising freshmen attend elite sport camps and have personal coaches, Ricky and his mom know that he needs more if he's going to have any chance at the high sch...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Readers will be rooting for underdog Ricky every time he steps onto the mound and tries to control his wild pitch. Baseball becomes a metaphor for the characters’ many challenges. For example, “The Pitcher” Jack Langford advises Ricky, a Hispanic teen with dyslexia: “You are all alone on the mound and it’s all stacked against you. You gotta prove yourself with every pitch.” William Hazelgrove examines the culture of youth sports. Ricky faces ongoing discri...Log In or Sign Up to Read More