Rating: Needs Parent Supervision

Reading Level: Late Elementary

I enjoyed this book (especially that it centers around love of playing baseball), but it has some tough topics.

Possible Concerns:

  • Death of mother; seeing and talking to her in dreams
  • Death of an elderly friend (and the 12-year old main character was there, alone, when it happened)
  • Racism, especially in baseball 
  • Sexism, especially in baseball

Other potential concerns:

  • Rumors of baby-eating hermit,
  • Rumors of ghosts in house
  • A statement that the kids walked slowly as if going to their own hangings.
  • Stuff about the world working together in a symphony; sort of spiritual but without references to God

Overall the messages about race and friendship make the other stuff worth it to me.