Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #741328 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780152060688
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Batter up! National Book Award finalist Wiles (Each Little Bird That Sings) delivers the third book set in her fictional Aurora County—a more boy-friendly read than its predecessors, with plenty of talk about baseball and what constitutes a stalwart team. Twelve-year-old House Jackson, the Aurora County All-Stars captain and star pitcher, has slogged through the preceding year with an out-of-commission elbow. Instead of playing baseball, he's spent most of his time indoors, reading the classics to an old recluse, Mr. Norwood Rhinehart Beauregard Boyd. But when Mr. Boyd dies, House is reminded of his itch to play. Unfortunately, the All-Stars' only game of the year is scheduled for the same day as Aurora County's 200th anniversary pageant, an event directed by pesky 14-year-old Frances Shotz, the girl who broke House's elbow. After a series of minor mishaps, betrayals and bouts of miscommunication, House and Frances work out a hilarious compromise that all readers can root for. In the spirit of Ernest Thayer's poem, Casey at the Bat, the energy during the game mounts, and sports fans will be on the edge of their seats to see which team triumphs. Quotations from Walt Whitman's poetry, baseball players and Aurora County news dispatches pepper the story and add color; Love, Ruby Lavender fans will enjoy Ruby's fortuitous cameo. A home run for Wiles. Ages 10-up. (Aug.)
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From Booklist
Those unfamiliar with Love, Ruby Lavender (2001) and Each Little Bird That Sings (2005) may have trouble keeping the characters straight in this story, set once again in a small Mississippi town. That said, baseball makes a lively focus for the novel, told by 12-year-old House Jackson, star pitcher and captain of the Aurora County All-Stars, who counts Sandy Koufax and Walt Whitman among his inspirations. House's broken arm has finally healed, allowing him to play, but his team's big game of the year is threatened by an Independence Day pageant. That's not the only thing House faces; he must confront secrets and betrayal in his hometown and also startling facts about the struggle for civil rights in baseball history. The game play and the lingo are fun, as is the rambunctious farce. Rochman, Hazel

Review
* "A poignant and humorous coming-of-age story. . . . Although some characters appeared in previous novels, this one stands on its own, and with each iteration Aurora County becomes more real." (starred review) (Kirkus Reviews 20071007)

* "Batter up! National Book Award finalist Wiles (Each Little Bird That Sings) delivers the third book set in her fictional Aurora County-a more boy-friendly read than its predecessors, with plenty of talk about baseball and what constitutes a stalwart team. . . . A home run for Wiles." (starred review) (Publishers Weekly )

"There''s much to savor: bubbly prose (a little girl ''twinkles'' down some steps, House ''bulldozes'' to a stage); a dog named Eudora Welty and a kid named Parting Schotz; a wonderfully convoluted plot involving an old man''s death ''at the simmering time just before daybreak,'' a sheaf of Walt Whitman quotes; a Fourth of July pageant; lots of baseball lore; and a cliffhanger of an all-star game that brings the whole town together. As one character sighs, ''It''s positively Thornton Wilder.'' But it''s Thornton Wilder on a sugar high--and that''s some high." (The Washington Post Book World )

Customer Reviews

She's done it again
Deb Wiles is one of those children's book authors that can touch your soul, warm your heart, and teach you a lesson all at the same time. This story takes place in Hallelujah Mississippi, like "Love, Ruby Lavender" and "Each Little Bird that Sings." However, although the main characters from previous stories each make appearances, it is House Jackson, a young boy who is the focus here.
House is a boy who loves baseball and in addition hides a secret he shares with only his father about a mysterious man. In addition, Ms. Wiles deals with discrimination without being too heavy handed about it. As always the names of her characters have hidden meanings and references so see if you can catch them. I also learned that Walt Whitman, poet extraordinaire, was a huge fan of baseball. Who knew...
As a librarian and a lover of children's literature I strongly recommend this books for all readers 8 years old and up. Ms. Wiles offers a story that will suck you in while challenging you to think about all that is going on.

Another classic
Take all of Deborah Wiles books, triple the humor, enjoyment and pathos quotients...and you have the pleasure you will experience in reading AURORA COUNTY ALL-STARS. Wiles takes a quantum leap forward, not only portraying the mythical South of her previous books, but in acknowledging some of the realities of the here-and-now-South. With appearances of characters from her previous novels, as well as introducing us to compelling new ones, a Deborah Wiles novel is like coming home and having a glass of "sweet tea" on the front porch with old friends. Having devoured this novel in one big gulp(like the other Wiles books),I am already looking forward to her next "trip home."

An unsatisfying tale....
I wanted to like this story and it started off promisingly...mysterious death, and small town baseball. But the story sort of veers off course with the introduction of the pageant and Frances (the description and behaviors of whom are just too way out there), then the whole idea of race relations, and Walt Whitman. I felt as if the author had many goods ideas, perhaps too many for one book...and none well developed. My sons spent more time asking for clarifications than listening to the story. Perhaps if I hadn't been expecting a story about boys and baseball and instead was reading it as part of a history lesson, etc. it might have been more enjoyable.