middle grade novel – By Word of Beth

MUCH ADO ABOUT BASEBALL by Rajani LaRocca — Book Recommendation

4 Comments / Book Recommendations, Starred Books / By Beth

Title: Much Ado About Baseball Author: Rajani LaRocca Publisher: New York: Yellow Jacket, 2021 Genre: Middle Grade contemporary with a touch of magic Audience Age: 8 to 12 Themes/Topics: belonging, making new friends, magic, math, baseball, Shakespeare Opening Sentences: “Baseball is magic. Time stops between the instant the ball is released and when it makes it over the plate, between the whack of the bat and when the ball finally touches earth again. And this summer, I was holding on to that magic for dear life.” Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Trish is not happy about moving to a new town, about having to find new friends, about having to deal with finding a place in a new baseball team of boys (and about likely having to stop playing baseball after this summer.) She’s especially not happy when she discovers that one of the kids on her new team is Ben, the boy she beat to win the Math Puzzler Championship. Ben is not happy that Trish is on their team, either. He’s still mad that she beat him in the Math Puzzler, and he’s mad that she seems to be a very good ball player. He’s not happy about being on the team in the first place. He knows he sucks at baseball. He made the team lose two years ago, and hasn’t played since. Bad things happened back then, and he can’t face them. Then unusual things come into their lives – a boy called Rob, who is the best baseball player they’ve ever seen, yet who won’t join their team; a new snack place in town that sells treats that seem to influence their team’s playing; and strangest of all, Trish and Ben each receive a book of math puzzles that seem to have magical properties, and give them counsel about the problems they’re facing in life. What is going on? Will it draw Trish and Ben together, or push them further apart? In Much Ado About Baseball, Rajani LaRocca has worked some magic of her own, combining baseball, math, food, and magic, all stirred together with a taste of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. This book, told in chapters that alternate between Trish’s point of view and Ben’s, tantalizes the reader with its magic, challenges the reader with the math puzzles Trish and Ben work on, and makes the reader want to be in the stands, cheering on Trish and Ben’s baseball team. Along the way, readers will be introduced to the themes of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and will also be introduced to some of the characters from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, who were first featured in the companion novel to this one, Rajani’s Midsummer’s Mayhem. They’ll also learn about the Fibonacci Spiral and other mathematical concepts in a totally fun and enthralling way. I wish there had been books like this when I was growing up! I thoroughly and heartily recommend this book. For Further Enrichment: The first place to go for further enrichment is the back matter in the book itself. Rajani has included math puzzles, facts, and memory tips; more information about Fibonacci, the Fibonacci Sequence, and the Golden Ratio; and recipes. The second place to go is Rajani’s website, where you can watch a clip from the Today Show (where Brad Thor calls Much Ado About Baseball one of the best children’s books he’s read in the last ten years!). You can also read more about the book, find reviews, watch the book trailer and even watch a video of the in-person book launch. Check it out here. There’s a neat post about the Fibonacci Sequence for kids on CBC Kids. There are math logic puzzles and math riddles plus a whole lot more at the mashup math website. There is educational material about the original Much Ado About Nothing at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s website. Availability: This book was just published in June 2021, so should be readily available. Check out your local independent bookstore, or check IndieBound.org. There’s also a link on Rajani’s website to purchase a signed copy from the Silver Unicorn Bookstore.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington (MG)

Ahhhh — that was time well spent on this dreary late-October day. How did I spend it, you ask? Reading. Voraciously. As if the book were a scrumptious cupcake I couldn’t wait to devour. Cupcake? Yes. If you read FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON by Janae Marks, you’ll quickly learn that cupcakes are very important to Zoe. As is baking, and especially getting a chance to be a young baker on the Kid Bake Challenge on the Food Network. But something is even more important than that. When she hears from her biological father, who has been in jail all her life, she finds herself wanting to know more about him. And more. When she comes up against a double wall of her mother’s refusal to talk about Marcus and the suspicion that there’s something wrong about his conviction, she has to act. How she does that is truly the icing on the cake. I highly recommend reading FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON, published in 2020. You might want to have some cupcakes handy. (I am imagining some.) Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s the Kirkus Review, and an interview with Janae Marks on Literary Rambles. If you want to buy this book, I urge you to check with your local independent bookstore, or order online from any independent bookstore — like The Dot Central, connected to The Blue Bunny Books and Toys.

August Augmented Fifths — 2/5 — Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

20 Comments / Just Want to Say, Starred Books / By Beth

As a reminder of what these “augmented fifths” are all about, I quote from last Friday’s post: For the five Fridays of this month of August, I’m going to introduce you to some middle grade novels that to me are particularly noteworthy, that have augmented my life and led me to growth and discovery. I hope they will, among other things, lead you to the library where the anticipation of these “august augmented fifths” can find resolution as you read the book for yourself. Not only has the book that I’m sharing today enhanced and augmented my life, but the person who introduced me to it has, as well. Since I blogged about libraries on Monday, it seems appropriate to feature a book that was recommended to me by a stellar teacher-librarian who touched many lives before her own life was cut short by cancer. Connie Acton was equally at home in a canoe or a concert hall (she sang in the Philharmonic Chorus for years), happy outdoors cross-country skiing, or in a classroom sharing a beloved book. She had a real zest for life, despite her reserved nature. I was touched, extremely pleased, but not at all surprised, when I learned that the Saskatchewan School Library Association now presents an annual Connie Acton Merit Award (scroll down in the link to read about it.) She likely would be embarrassed to know that, but it shows what great esteem the provincial school library system still holds her in, that this award is named after her. She was the consummate librarian, with a great knack for matching books with readers. She was not shy about suggesting children’s books to adults, which is what she did with me. The books she introduced me to have become some of my enduring favorites. Such is the case with the one I’m sharing today.