Jason is dropped from his little league baseball team, and sets out to start a new team, but he needs a coach. He thinks he's found the perfect one in Mack Henry, the old black custodian of an elementary school, when he discovers that Mr. Henry is actually the great Buck McHenry, a star of the Negro Baseball League many years ago. But Mr. Henry denies that he is the great ball player from the past. Eventually, he admits he is Buck, but makes Jason, as well as his two teammates, Kim and Aaron (Mr. Henry's grandson) promise never to tell anyone who he really is. The kids make the promise, and then break the promise immediately, and repeatedly.
Mr. Henry seems unusually forgiving of their dishonesty, but (spoiler alert) it turns out he's being a bit dishonest himself. He actually is not Buck McHenry, although he did play a lot of baseball in his younger years. And since it's an elementary age book, everything is happy in the end.
This is a simplistic story about racism and baseball, which it handles pretty well; and about honesty, which it addresses poorly, since neither the dishonesty of the characters, nor others reactions to their dishonesty comes across as believable. ( )

I'm not interested in baseball, but this was a surprisingly engrossing story. ( )

I like this book becuase of when the coach says Jason is thinking more about baseball-cards collecting then about playing ball. He cuts Jason from the team. Jason will have to play on the Little Leagues new expanison team. Jason thinks hes found a coach for the school custodian Mack Henry, who might really be the great Buck McHenry, who pitched in the old Negro Leagues.
I liked this book because it cought my ation. LIke the first sentence said Dad says it's wrong to make up scematios for real life. that first sentence had my ation and i thought this would be a good book for me to read.It also was a good book when the coach cought my ation my saying Jason was kicked of the team i was like what ( )

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