The Girl Who Threw Butterflies (audio)

The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane. 2009.
Audience: Grades 5th-9th. Ages 10+.

My Rating: 4.5*s of 5
Summary: Eighth-grader Molly's ability to throw a knuckleball earns her a spot on the baseball team, which not only helps her feel connected to her recently deceased father, who loved baseball, it helps in other aspects of her life, as well.
Comments: A wonderfully written book--so much so that even this monotonous narrator (Maria Cabezas) can't ruin it. Captivating, real character development, well balanced, and subtly yet satisfyingly ended. A story as delicate and interesting as the butterfly pitches Molly throws. Impossible to resist the urge to play catch after reading this one!

Awards:
Read-alikes: Zen and the Art of Faking it by Sonnenblick, Dairy Queen by Murdock

You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter

You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! by Jonah Winter. 2009.

Audience: 2nd - 6th Grade; 5 and up

My Rating: 5*s of 5

Summary: In this striking picture book biography, an old-timer tells us what made Sandy Koufax so amazing. We learn that the beginning of his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers was rocky, that he was shy with his teammates, and experienced discrimination as one of the only Jews in the game. Accompanied by sidebars filled with statistics, here’s a book sure to delight budding baseball fans.

Comments: Wow! The fantastic cover (come on, who can resist a hologram of Koufax actually throwing a fastball?) pulled me into this extraordinary biography about a left-handed pitcher I had never heard of and will now never forget. The book reads like a casual and personal narrative told by one of Koufax's teammates, which allows for a perfect marriage of what Koufax did and who he was. The "stat box" style call outs throughout offer amazing info that enhances the experience. Illustrations--wow--couldn't be better. All the elements of this book come together to make something that is way more than a biography--a home run of a book!

Awards: Soon to come, I'm sure!

Read-alikes: Frida; Roberto Clemente; Fair Ball!; Muhammad Ali ; Dizzy (all by Winter); We Are the Ship by Nelson.

Swindle by Korman

Swindle by Gordon Korman. 2008.

My Rating: 3.5 *s out of 5
Audience: Ages 9-12/Grades 3-6

Summary: After unscrupulous collector S. Wendell Palamino cons him out of a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin Bing puts together a band of misfits to break into Palomino's heavily guarded store and steal the card back, planning to use the money to finance his father's failing invention, the Smart Pick fruit picker.

Comments: Face paced, predictable, morally ambiguous, entertaining, suspenseful

Awards: 2009-2010 Bluebonnet nominee

Read-alikes: Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce