Before 1947, Latino baseball players, like their African-American counterparts, found that acceptance into the Major Leagues was based on the tint of their skin rather than the talent they possessed. Many of these players were known and admired, and were able to display their impressive talents in exhibition games against star white players, but were not allowed to play on a Major League team. Winter (Fair Ball!, 1999, etc.) profiles 14 Latino ballplayers, 7 of whom never had their chance at the Majors. The author has selected an interesting, well-balanced variety of players and offers the information in an eye-catching, highly readable format. Each player is presented in a two-page spread that resembles the front and back of a baseball card. The text page is comprised of statistics and a brief biography of each personality and his career. The brightly colored acrylic illustration depicts the player in action and each “card” is placed on a bright blue or purple background and is framed in yellow. These cards introduce the reader to Dolf Luque, a light-skinned Cuban who played for several Major League teams from 1912 to 1932, and to others with darker skin like Tetelo Vargas and Martin Dihigo, who played their entire careers in the Negro Leagues and in leagues throughout Latin America. Perucho Cepeda and Luis Tiant Sr. were also barred, but lived to see their sons forge impressive Major League careers. Major League stars like Minnie Minoso, Roberto Clemente, and Juan Marichal appear here as well. An introduction by Bruce Markusen Rodríguez of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum sets the stage for what follows: an attempt to address a neglected facet of the development of baseball and its relation to American social history via fascinating anecdotes about both well-known and unknown baseball heroes. Sure to appeal to young baseball fans and their parents. (Biography. 8-12)
Pub Date: May 15, 2001
ISBN: 978-1-58430-234-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2001
Joyfully captures an all-consuming passion for an intriguing niche interest.
Puzzle cubes challenge a cast of determined contenders in a tense national competition.
Twelve-year-old Tyler Gooden loves solving his Rubik’s Cube. After his dad died three years ago, he felt adrift until he found this gift from his father, set aside years before. The mental aerobics and motor dexterity that cube-solving required gave him a sense of focus. So begins the story of Tyler’s determined journey to the national championship, sponsored by Cube-Mania. He can’t afford to attend, but Cube-Mania founder and CEO Victor Chen recognizes his “remarkable ability” and offers a surprise sponsorship. As the competition begins, Tyler meets a crew of fellow cubers, including “cubing prodigy” Eli Newton and his overbearing dad, twin sensations Lizzy and Izzy Peterson, world record holder Dirk Speedman, and the elderly Miles Wizzinski, the first great cuber of the 1980s, whose efforts have resulted in carpal tunnel syndrome. The story’s slightly stilted present-tense language will make readers feel as though they’re reading the novelization of a competition documentary (think The Speed Cubers or the Scrabble-focused Word Wars). Gamers’ backstories combine with play-by-play scenes of puzzles being solved, shocking twists, and some well-earned victories. Colorful graphic novel panel interludes bring to life the drama of gameplay—it’s hard to look away from this delightfully hyperfocused tale. Most characters present white; Tyler is of Filipino descent, the Peterson twins are Black, and Victor Chen is cued Asian.
Joyfully captures an all-consuming passion for an intriguing niche interest. (Fiction/graphic hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593531907
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship.
A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.
In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy’s home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla’s plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.
A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-949520-19-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Granity Studios
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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