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Keeping it real ~ Tackling tough topics for the youngest readers

26 Tuesday Jun 2018

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Books, Middle Grade, Picture Books, Reading

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Baseball, Coretta Scott King Honor Award, Crenshaw, discrimination, E.B. Lewis, Elizabeth Fais, Gavin Curtis, homelessness, Horn Book, Horn Book Magazine, imaginary friend, Katherine Applegate, Middle Grade, Music, Negro League, Picture Books, segregation, starred review, The Bat Boy and His Violin, Violin

The sweet innocence of childhood should be cherished and preserved for as long as possible, but shielding children entirely from harsh realities doesn’t do them a service. There are levels of truth. The youngest readers shouldn’t be unnecessarily exposed to gritty topics. However, there are plenty of stories that address tough topics in a way that builds empathy and understanding.

The two books I want to focus on here broach the topics of discrimination and homelessness in a gentle way.

The Bat Boy and His Violin, cover

The Bat Boy and His Violin

By Gavin Curtis, Illustrated by E. B. Lewis

The Bat Boy and His Violin, illustration by E.B. LewisReginald loves to create beautiful music on his violin. But Papa, manager of the Dukes, the worst team in the Negro National League, needs a bat boy, not a “fiddler,” and traveling with the Dukes doesn’t leave Reginald much time for practicing. Soon the Dukes’ dugout is filled with Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach — and the bleachers are filled with the sound of the Dukes’ bats. Has Reginald’s violin changed the Dukes’ luck—and can his music pull off a miracle victory against the powerful Monarchs? 

Gavin Curtis’s beautifully told story of family ties and team spirit and E. B. Lewis’s lush watercolor paintings capture a very special period in history. [Synopsis]

The Negro Leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprised predominantly of African-Americans, beginning in 1920, with a final season in 1951. On the surface, this story is a view into racial discrimination and segregation in the United States prior to the Civil Rights movement.

On a deeper level, this story addresses the all too frequent discrimination of the arts over sports. Reginald serves as a heroic role model, in that he honors his father’s wishes without giving up his true passion. In the end, father and son strengthen their bond through their acceptance and new-found appreciation of one another.

E. B. Lewis won the Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustrations for his rich and nuanced watercolors that enliven this moving, heartfelt story.

Crenshaw

By Katherine Applegate

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There’s no more money for rent. And Crenshaw, covernot much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He’s large, he’s outspoken, and he’s imaginary. He has come back into Jackson’s life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything? [Synopsis]

Katherine Applegate tackles a tough topic in Crenshaw, shedding light on the realities of hunger and homelessness. As difficult as this topic is, Applegate artfully infuses the story with empathy and lighthearted humor. I was sold with the opening paragraph:

I noticed several weird things about the surfboarding cat. Thing number one: He as a surfboarding cat. Thing number two: He was wearing a T-shirt. It said CATS RULE, DOGS DROOL. Thing number three: He was holding a closed umbrella, like he was worried about getting wet. Which, when you think about it, is kind of not the point of surfing.

Told from the viewpoint of nine-year-old Jackson, we watch as he shields his younger sister from the terrifying reality of their family’s financial uncertainty, and feel the shame that threatens to cut him off from his best friend. Applegate masterfully shows how the family’s problems play out through Jackson’s eyes, and finally resolve in a safe and satisfying ending that is true to the story’s premise.

The tone is warm and, occasionally, quirkily funny, but it doesn’t sugarcoat the effects of hunger and vulnerability. This novel adds a middle-grade perspective to the literature of imaginary friends and paints a convincing and compassionate portrait of a social class―the working poor―underrepresented in children’s books. ―The Horn Book, starred review


What books that touch on tough topics
would you recommend for young readers?


Girls with Game…how they changed baseball…& the world

18 Friday May 2018

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Baseball, Books, Nonfiction, Reading

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Audrey Vernick, Baseball, Baseball Hall of Fame, Civil Rights, Don Tate, Edith Houghton, Effa Manley, Elizabeth Fais, Horn Book, Horn Book Magazine, Negro League, Newark Eagles, Nonfiction, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Bobbies, Picture Books, She Loved Baseball, Steven Salerno, The Bobbies, The Kid From Diamond Street

Girls today are encouraged to participate in almost any sport. It wasn’t that long ago when that was far from true. At the turn of the 20th century, girls were discouraged from having careers outside the home. So you know their playing professional sports was frowned upon. Remarkably, in the early 1900’s two girls in Philadelphia made their mark in professional sports, changing baseball…and the world: Edith Houghton and Effa Manley.

The Kid from Diamond Street: The Extraordinary Story of Baseball Legend Edith Houghton

By Audrey Vernick, Illustrated by Steven Salerno

The Kid From Diamond Street coverEdith Houghton was born in Philadelphia in 1912, and she always said she must’ve been “born with a baseball in my hand.” Which may have been true.

Edith was playing baseball at the age of 3, and by the time she was 6 she was magic on the field. At age 10, Edith heard about the Philadelphia Bobbies, an all-female baseball team, she tried out, and was so good she made the team.

The Bobbies were named for the bobbed haircuts the team sported. Edith was by far the youngest and smallest member of the team, and soon got the nickname The Kid. Because the Bobbies were one of the only female teams, they played against men’s teams all over the country.

The Bobbies were such a sensation, they were invited to tour Japan and play against the men’s teams there. It was quite an adventure. Vernick highlights the girls’ personalities during their travels, weaving playful scenes through the narrative of their spirited fun, enriched by Salerno’s lush illustrations.

In so many ways, the Bobbies were goodwill ambassadors for the United States and the equality of women. Later in life, Edith continued to break new ground for women in sports by becoming the first woman scout for a professional baseball team.

In May, 2006, Edith’s love for baseball was immortalized in the Diamond Dreams Exhibit in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

An engaging story that reminds readers that baseball isn’t just numbers and statistics, men and boys. Baseball is also ten-year-old girls, marching across a city to try out for a team intended for players twice their age. –Horn Book

 

She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story

By Audrey Vernick, Illustrated by Don Tate

She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story coverEffa Manely loved baseball. She played sandlot ball with her bothers as a young girl in Philadelphia in the early 1900’s. Sadly, this sparked racial prejudice because her bothers had darker skin like their father, and she had the light skin of her mother.

Effa loved watching baseball as much as playing it. So it was perfect that she met her husband at Yankee Stadium. Together they organized labor protests in Harlem and founded the Negro League team, the Newark Eagles.

Even after becoming a team owner, Manley sat in the stands “where the seats vibrated from foot-stomping excitement.” When the score was close, she’d get so excited that she’d have to peak between her white-gloved fingers, as delightfully portrayed in Don Tate’s rich illustration.She loved baseball

From her groundbreaking role as business manager and co-owner of the Newark Eagles, Effa Manley always fought for what was right.

She fought for fair salaries when some of her Eagles players moved to newly integrated major-league teams. In later years, she lobbied for her players’ recognition in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Then in 2006, Manley became the first woman to ever be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Manley was a trail blazer, fighting racial injustice throughout her life, and clearing a path for women’s equality a male-dominated field.


My Best Mistake

20 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Baseball, Inspiration, Middle Grade

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Tags

Baseball, Bobby Sox Softball, Elizabeth Fais, first base, fly ball, Inspiration, junior high, Middle Grade, My Best Mistake, outfield, pop fly, Southern California, sports, summertime

We’ve all made mistakes. But if we’re lucky, we have at least one mistake that turned out right, a favorite mistake. My best mistake happened during a Bobby Sox Softball playoff game when I was 13.

baseball glove and ball

The mistake that won the game

My older sister was an ace at softball, one of the best first base players in the Bobby Sox Softball league in our small, Southern California farming town. She played on the team that made it to the All Stars the previous season, and my parents suggested (more like insisted) that I play softball too. On the same team.

That was the beginning of a season-long mistake. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t totally suck at softball.

I was pretty good hitter, and a fair infielder. I was not All Stars material, though. When you join a team of that caliber, you have to prove yourself. Which is why they put me in the outfield. Unfortunately, I had a depth perception problem at night games. On top of that, the fly balls kept disappearing against the banks of bright white lights and swarms of bugs as big as my shoe. I missed every fly ball hit my way in the outfield. Game, after game, after game.

In spite of the public humiliation, I made every practice and played every game. The team needed a certain number of players to stay in the league, and by showing up I kept them in the running. I ‘took one for the team’…every week. Amazingly enough, even with my outfield fails our team still ended up tied for first place in the league.

On the night of the playoff game, the coach kept me on the bench until the last possible moment. Each player had to play at least one inning in every game, so he waited until it was safe for me to go in. We were ahead by a two runs. We just had to hold our lead. How hard could that be? Apparently, very…with my luck.

The other team was pumped, and got a run before we knew what fly ball at night gamehappened. Not long after, the bases were loaded with two outs. That’s when they brought in their best hitter. I prayed for mercy, but she was on break. When this girl connected with the ball, the crack resonated across two counties. A blur came whizzing straight at me. A line drive to my face. I didn’t have time to blink. I put my mitt up to protect myself. I wish I could say I tried to catch the ball. But no. Putting the mitt in front of my face was pure self-defense. The ball slammed into my hand with a burning thud and I clamped the mitt shut.

I caught the ball that won the game and the league championship…by mistake!

That was the only ball I caught the entire season. I’m glad it was one that saved the game…even if it was by mistake.


YAppiest Giveaway! ~ 7th Inning Stretch

02 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Giveaway, YAppiest

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Tags

7th Inning Stretch, Baseball, Book Reviews, Chris Howard, Elizabeth Fais, Gretchen McNeil, Jennifer Bosworth, Jessica Brody, Rootless, Struck, Ten, Unremembered, YAppiest Giveaway, YAppy Dance

Taking a Short YAppy Break…

Ball games and shows have breaks, whether it’s half-time, intermission, or whatever.

The YAppiest Giveaways have been rolling out like clockwork at two a month since April. So far, that’s 13 YAppiest Giveaways! Which is awesome, but it seemed like a good time to give everyone a little bit of a breather.

Kind of like baseball’s 7th inning stretch…

Moose mascot dancing in front of the crowd at a baseball game

So get down with your YAppiest dance. We want you in true YAppy form for the final four (yes, 4!) YAppiest Giveaways! [image from morguefile.com]

Rootless, by Chris Howard
Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth
Ten, by Gretchen McNeil
Unremembered, by Jessica Brody

Stay Tuned…

The 14th YAppiest Giveaway — Rootless by Chris Howard — will be coming your way on November 15th!

Book Covers for Giveaways


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Why Writing is Like Baseball

26 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Baseball, Humor, Writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

A League of Their Own, Baseball, Damn Yankees, Elizabeth Fais, Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, Tom Hanks, Writing

If you’ve stopped by this blog recently, you’ll remember that I’m currently under a self-imposed deadline to finish the revision of my Young Adult (YA) novel.  Now, I admit that I tend to get a little punchy at this stage of a long-haul. But no, I haven’t gone completely around the bend. Yet.

NoCryinginBaseball5

“There’s no crying in baseball” scene from A League of Their Own

Here’s eight reasons why writing is like baseball:

  1. Writers are in a League of Their Own.
  2. The publication process is a team effort — writer, critique partners, agent, editors, graphic designers.
  3. It’s an American (and a whole lot of other cultures too) dream — seeing a  story we’ve written in print.
  4. Personal history (backstory) affects baseball players as much as it does our characters. Take the players’ personal issues in Bull Durham that stop the game with a prolonged huddle on the pitcher’s mound.
  5. You need a tough hide to survive the slides. Rejection isn’t pretty. Or easy. Ever. And it’s part of the process. [A League of Their Own trailer].
    LeagueOfTheirOwnSlide
  6. You’ve gotta have heart to make it in the industry. An entire song in Damn Yankees can’t be wrong.
  7. Shoes are optional. Shoeless Joe Jackson set the precedent there. Would Damn Yankees  (Shoeless Joe from Hannibal Mo) lie? I don’t think so!
  8. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains. But it’s fun, goddamit!

I write because the “hard” is what makes it Great!

 


How about you? Why do you write?


“The Aurora County All-Stars” A Summer Fun Home Run

30 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by Elizabeth Fais in Baseball, Book Reviews, Deborah Wiles, Middle Grade

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Aurora County All Stars, Baseball, Deborah Wiles, Middle Grade, Walt Whitman

The Aurora County All-Stars, by Deborah Wiles

House Jackson, age twelve, star pitcher and team captain of the Aurora County All-Stars, has a secret. For the past year while he was sidelined with a broken elbow, he spent every afternoon at the bedside of a mysterious old man the other  kids call Mean-Man Boyd–and he doesn’t want anyone to know. Now House is finally ready to play ball again, but his team’s biggest (and only) game of the year might be canceled, thanks to the very girl who caused his broken  elbow. It’s almost too much to bear. But in the standoff that ensues, House finds a courage he didn’t know he possessed–and discovers that just about everyone in Aurora County, Mississippi has a secret. [Book Jacket Synopsis]

A Line Drive Out of the Park – Fun For All Ages

This story is about baseball … but that’s just the surface. Underneath lies a rich tapestry of friendship, betrayal, courage, family, and acceptance that is spun through with the deep mystery of life–the symphony true. I am in awe of a story that seamlessly weaves profound themes (Walt Whitman, no less) with baseball, a old Pug dog, ballerinas, and small town eccentricities … served up with with laugh-out-loud humor.

When House is finally able to play ball again, full-of-herself Frances (Finesse) Shotz waltzes back into his life to ruin it again. She insists the ball team must perform in  her pageant (for the town’s 200th anniversary) … wearing costumes! The team is horrified, but the rest of the town sides with Frances and their one-and-only ballgame is doomed. Life couldn’t get more unfair. You’d think a best friend would be sympathetic of his team captain’s predicament. But Cleebo puts the responsibility back on to House:

You have to approach your problems! You never approach your problems, House. You don’t talk about ’em … and that’s what gets folks in trouble … they don’t approach their problems.

House is pissed, but his friend’s words force him to dig deep and find the courage he needs to tackle his problems head on. And the results are nothing short of staggering. House’s belief in Walt Whitman’s symphony true saves the baseball game, and the pageant goes on in all its flamboyant glory. But more important, House sees the way to forgive his best friend’s betrayal and forget the unintentional wrongs of the past. The trials of friendship and family will resonate with readers of all ages, as will the lessons of acceptance and forgiveness.

If you’ve read Deborah Wiles’ other books set in Aurora County, Mississippi, (Each Little Bird that Sings or Love, Ruby Lavender) you’ll continue to be delighted by the rich and quirky characters she brings to life with such ease. If you haven’t read them, you’re still in for a real treat with The Aurora County All Stars!


Do you have a favorite Middle Grade summer read?

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