NO CREAM PUFFS

Baseball provides fertile ground for exploring cultural and personal issues in this satisfying novel set in the summer of 1980. Twelve-year-old Madison, a natural athlete, learned to pitch in pick-up games with coaching from her brother. When he encourages her to try out for a boys’ team in their small Michigan town, Madison thinks it might be fun. But she finds that when she pitches well, which is almost always, people say she “throws like a boy.” If a boy pitches poorly, he “throws like a girl.” Her teammates react to her with mixed feelings; two show romantic interest. Coming-of-age themes emerge naturally at home and on the field. Madison chafes at the feminist views of her mother, a well-drawn character, but recognizes her love and loyalty. She resents her former best friend’s interest in clothes and popularity, but sees her own role in undermining the friendship. Her feelings and choices ring true as do her teammates’ complex reactions. Since controversy still surrounds girls playing football, this fine sports story is fresh and relevant. (Fiction. 10-14)