The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz

The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz is the story of nine different generations of the same family.  Each person's story is organized in three chapters, so it's almost like a book of short stories.  All of the nine are tied together somehow by baseball.  The first inning begins in 1845 with a young immigrant from German, working to earn enough money to bring the rest of his family to America.  The ninth inning takes place in 2002, and features a boy who is working to learn what he can about each item in a box of old baseball artifacts, not knowing that each item had, at one point in history, belonged to each of the previous generations in his family.

This was a really cool book.  I'm not a big baseball fan, but that didn't matter at all.  Each of the nine stories was independent of the others, yet all were tied together in some way.  I loved the organization of the book and the author's note at the end explaining the true historical moments on which each of the nine stories was based.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt is about Holling Hoodhood and his 7th grade year at Camillo Junior High in 1967.  Holling is the only student in Mrs. Baker's class who does not attend Hebrew School or Chatechism on Wednesday afternoons.  Because Mrs. Baker loves it, Holling is assigned to read Shakespreare!  Little does he know his extra time with Mrs. Baker will lead to Holling playing a fairy in a community theater production, the escape of two giant rats, the entire class receiving fresh baked cream puffs from the local bakery, a new track star, and Holling learning more about himself and about life than he ever could have imagined.  All of this is set to the backdrop of the United States's war with Vietnam, the fight for civil rights, and America's favorite past time - baseball!

This book was awesome!  It was absolutely hilarious in some parts and sad in others.  Even though it is set during the 1960s, Holling deals with a lot of things kids are dealing with now - bullies, girls, homework, family, etc.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a funny book with a good message.

Swindle by Gordon Korman

Swindle by Gordon Korman is about Griffin Bing, the "man with the plan". When he and his best friend, Ben, spend the night in the condemned Rockford building the night before it is to be knocked down, they never knew what kind of trouble they'd find. What they did find as a 1920 Babe Ruth baseball card. They took it to the local collectible store and sold it to S. Wendell Palomino (Swindle) for a whopping $120.00. It was only a few days later when Griffin saw Swindle on tv talking excitedly about his belief that he would earn over 1 million dollars when he put it up for auction! Griffin immediately devised a plan to get the card back, hoping he could sell it and save his family from financial ruin. Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned - from a vicious attack dog, to a friend with narcolepsy, to a nosy neighbor - things just kept going wrong!

This was a great book! I really like Gordon Korman's books, and this was one of the funniest. You know an author is good when he can make you laugh right out loud! I found myself really hoping Griffin's plan would work and Swindle Palomino would get what he deserved - I never suspected the twists and turns that happened at the end of the story! Zoobreak is a recently released book by Gordon Korman, featuring the same characters. I'll be checking that one out soon!

All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg

All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg is about Matt Pin, a young Vietnamese boy who has been adopted by a family in the U.S. just after the Vietnam War. This story details Matt's struggle to fit in at his school, where the other students see him as the enemy. Many of his classmates' siblings went to fight in the Vietnam War and never came home. Their anger about their loved ones' deaths is taken out on Matt. Matt also struggles with his memories of his mother and brother. Matt never knew his father, an American soldier who abandoned them. Matt's brother was terribly injured in a landmine explosion, and Matt believes it was his fault. His mother, trying to keep him safe, sent Matt with the American soldiers to go to America for a better life. Matt, however, thinks she sent him away as a punishment for what happened to his little brother. Matt's adoptive father teaches Matt to play baseball, and he's really good. He even makes the school team! But, it's even harder for him to fit in there, because he is mercilessly taunted by his own teammates. This story is about Matt's search to fit in somewhere, to feel loved, wanted, and worthwhile.

I loved this book. It is a quick read because it is written in free-verse. The suthor does a wonderful job at weaving all parts of the story together. The reader feels so sad for Matt and all he's been through, but also feels some compassion for the kids at his school who lost siblings in the war. This is a thought-provoking, well told story about a very sad time in history.

Heat by Mike Lupica

Heat by Mike Lupica is about brothers Michael and Carlos Arroyo. They are immigrants, having come to the United States from Cuba. Shortly after arriving, their father dies of a heart attack, leaving 17 year old Carlos the head of the family. They are terrified that if anyone learns the truth about their situation that they will be separated, placed into foster care, or even shipped back to Cuba. Michael is 12 and the best pitcher on his Little League team. Their team has a chance to make it to the big championship game! Unfortunately, some of the boys on the other teams begin making trouble for Michael. Because he is trying to "lay low," there is nothing he can do about it, and ends up not being able to play baseball for several games.

This was a great story about baseball and family. It was interesting to see the sacrifices that both Carlos and Michael had to make in order to stay together. They were both so supportive of each other! There were some twists and turns along the way that made the ending that much more heartfelt. This is one of the 2008-2009 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominees.