James Preller

I just reread this old favorite of mine and, damn, it's short but as good as I remembered.

It's just the story of a baseball match, a little league final between two teams called "Northeast Gas & Electric" vs "Earl Grubb's Pool Supplies". It's basically a play by play description of the game, from the point of view of the "Earl Grubb's" players.

That sounds awful, I know, but it's written with so much passion for the game, and with such a heart-felt examination of the characters, their motivations, their hopes and fears, that it's more entertaining and moving than it has any right to be. It's a book about baseball, of course, but also about friendship, and the joys and sorrows of team sports.

If you have no familiarity at all with baseball you can get a bit lost in the technicalities, but the passion still comes through.

Just another reminder that really good children's literature can be enjoyed by adults, and if you have a kid who likes sports, this is a great choice as a gift.… (more)