Wall Ball by Kevin Markey

Smashing fun.

It has special appeal to baseball fans, but not for sports aficionados only. I think baseball is a bit of a yawn generally (and it’s my husband’s favorite sport), but I was hooked on this rush from the beginning when this group of boys ride their snowboards down the most deadly ski slope.

It’s April and the snow up North is relentless. The sluggers on the Rounders team practice for their first game against the team that they beat last year for the championship.

They have a problem to contend with: their new star outfielder cannot catch a fly without flying into the wall as well. Should be easy to come up with a nickname for such a player, but finding a positive one is a bit of a struggle. Less flattering nicknames “pop up” easily.

This book is more than a safe and breezy read for the young tweens. It crosses the boundaries by a step into a downright morally positive tale. A few baseball team members are in class when the teachers warns them not to try to breach the mountainous wall of snow that sprung up in front of the school. Having read a few too many modern books, I assumed that defying the authorities to bravely summit new challenges without much repercussion was sure to follow. Imagine my delight when instead, the boys came up with the idea to sell hot chocolate to the tourists who showed up to view the mountain… and the proceeds went to… charity! New winter coats for kids. New, old idea: grown-ups have your best interests in mind and the experience to back it up.

Spoiler alert: the outfielder with the penchant for crashes lands a positive and perfect nickname: Velcro. The boys persevered until they found one that was not negative. Another morally positive point. Enjoy this series!

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