XDouble Play

by Sara XCassidy

Overview

Allie loves baseball. It's the one thing that has been consistent in her lately complicated life. Allie's father left recently, and now Allie has a new family -- her mother's new girlfriend, Phyllis, and son Miles have moved in. It's taking some adjustment, mostly because Miles seems determined to get under her skin. Things start looking up when Allie gets invited to join the boy's baseball team as their new pitcher. But then Miles announces he's quitting the boy's team and tries out for Allie's old team -- a girl's team!

Allie is sure he's doing it just to annoy her, but Miles insists that he just likes the girl's style of play better. As Allie struggles to find her place on the boy's team, she starts to see that Miles is just trying to fit in as well, and that it may be even harder for him than it has been for her.

[Fry reading level - 4.2

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459403802
Publisher:	James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers
Publication date:	03/01/2013
Series:	Lorimer Sports Stories Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
Lexile:	700L (what's this?)
File size:	275 KB
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

SARA CASSIDY teaches creative writing at Camosun College and is the director of the Victoria Writers Festival. She has published two previous novels for teens as well as dozens of newspaper and magazine articles and short stories. She lives in Victoria, BC, with her family.

SARA CASSIDY teaches creative writing at Camosun College and is the director of the Victoria Writers Festival. She has published two previous novels for teens as well as dozens of newspaper and magazine articles and short stories. She lives in Victoria, BC, with her family.

www.saracassidywriter.com

Editorial Reviews

"A quick, light story that has an easy flow...The sports theme is also good for the reluctant reader."

Resource Links

Allie, who narrates this tale, is a baseball pitcher praised for her talent and skill. She is so good, in fact, she is asked to leave her all girls team to join the Wolverines, a boys’ team. Not only is she conflicted about now playing against her brother’s team, she also endures teasing and bullying from her friends and new teammates. Adding to the tension in the family is their mother’s new and serious relationship with another woman; neither Allie nor her brother is sure how this will play out in their small town. They are torn between their allegiance to their mother and their apprehension that their respective teams may not accept the women’s relationship. Before long, the women marry—now they have a stepmother as well as a pet-stealing stepbrother, who now wants to leave the Wolverines and join Allie’s old girls’ team! The Little League denies his application, leading to charges of sexism. Can Allie, her brother, and Miles learn to live together and also play against each other? Should one of them drop out of their team? What is a person to do to seek a good solution to these problems? This entry, one of over one hundred in the “Sports Stories” series, makes for easy reading for the age grouping. Cassidy, a creative writing teacher, has written four novels for young people. Reviewer: Enid Portnoy; Ages 10 to 15.

Children's Literature - Enid Portnoy