Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J 921 MITCHELL | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | Q J 796.357 MOS | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
An ALA Notable Children's Book
An ILA Teachers' Choice
A Read Aloud/Comstock Honor Book
An ALA Amelia Bloomer Project Book
For as long as she could remember, Jackie Mitchell's father had told Jackie she could be good at whatever she wanted, as long as she worked at it. Jackie worked at baseball. She worked hard. And before long Jackie could outplay anyone in her neighborhood--even the boys.
She had one pitch--a wicked, dropping curve ball. But no seventeen-year-old girl could pitch against Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. It was unthinkable. Then on April 2, 1931, the New York Yankees stopped in Tennessee for an exhibition game against the Chattanooga Lookouts. And on that day Jackie Mitchell made baseball history.
Marissa Moss tells a true story of determination and heroism, a gem of baseball history sure to inspire ballplayers of all ages. And C. F. Payne's vibrant, glorious illustrations make the golden age of baseball come alive.
Other awards include:
Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award Nominee (KS)
Black Eyed Susan Book Award Master List (MD)
Capitol Choices List (DC)
Chickadee Award Nominee (ME)
Child Magazine's Guide to Top Books, Videos and Software of the Year
Delaware Diamonds Award Program Master List
Garden State Children's Book Award Nominee (NJ)
Kansas State Reading Circle List Starred Primary Title
Monarch Award Master List (IL)
South Carolina Book Award Nominee
Virginia Young Readers List
WA Children's Choice Picture Book Award Master List
Author Notes
Marissa Moss began as an illustrator of children's books. She is the author and illustrator of the Amelia series. She has written and illustrated more than 20 children's books including Amelia's Notebook, which was named a 1997 American Booksellers Association Pick of the Lists book. Her other books include Regina's Big Mistake and Knick Knack Paddywack.
My Notebook (with Help from Amelia) also won the 2000 Parent Council Outstanding Award Informational and Oh Boy, Amelia! won the 2001 Parent's Guide to Children's Media Award and the 2002 Children's Choice Award.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Delivered with the force of a hard fastball, the true story of athlete Jackie Mitchell makes a strong addition to Moss's (Amelia's Notebook) library of brave girl tales. Payne (Casey at the Bat) sets the stage with photo-real, fish-eye-distorted spreads of Jackie as a child, hurling baseballs long after nightfall and getting tips from Dodgers pitcher Dazzy Vance. Moss relays the details of then-17-year-old Jackie's April 2, 1931, game against the two best hitters of the day-Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig-with the blow-by-blow breathlessness of a sportscaster and the confidence of a seasoned storyteller: "Jackie held that ball like it was part of her arm, and when she threw it, she knew exactly where it would go." Payne's pictures mirror the text's immediacy. Close-ups show Ruth's face as he awaits Jackie's first pitch, then later his expression of dismay and outrage as the umpire calls "Strrrrike three!" Jackie disposes of Gehrig even more expeditiously, and the story ends as she basks in the cheers of fans who had jeered her only moments before. The wind seeps out of this jubilant moment when readers old enough to understand the end note discover that Jackie was immediately removed from her team and banned from baseball (the commissioner claimed his decision was for her own protection, as baseball was "too strenuous" for women, according to an author's note). Yet the drama of her two memorable strike-outs has a mythic dimension, and girls with sporting aspirations will be thrilled by Jackie's legacy. Ages 5-8. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
In 1931, a seventeen-year-old girl named Jackie Mitchell struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition baseball game. Mitchell's extraordinary achievement and the years of effort it took to achieve her level of skill are chronicled capably, if a bit breathlessly, in this lavishly illustrated book, replete with expressive, sculptural renderings of Mitchell and some of baseball's greats. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 1-3. On April 2, 1931, in Tennessee, the New York Yankees played an exhibition game against the Chattanooga Lookouts. Their pitcher was a 17-year-old young woman namedackie Mitchell, and that day she struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. In cadenced prose, Moss tells the story of the girl who was taught to play--and to win--by her father and Dazzy Vance, the Brooklyn Dodger. Moss sketchesackie's background so that when she's on the mound, we know the talent and determination that go into each pitch. Payne has well and truly captured the tone with his wonderful pictures. Slightly exaggerated forms and vintage colors echo Thomas Hart Benton and 1930s newspaper photography. This is a powerful read-aloud. Use it alongside Deborah Hopkinson's Girl Wonder (2003), about the real pitcher Alta Weiss, and Shana Corey's Players in Pigtails (2003), about the fictionalatie Casey, the girl in "Take Me out to the Ball Game." It's another book that makes you wonder, "How come we didn't know about her?" --GraceAnne DeCandido Copyright 2004 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-When Jackie Mitchell was a pitcher for the Chattanooga Lookouts, she made baseball history on April 2, 1931, by striking out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Moss begins this brief chronicle of the young woman's moment in the sun by setting the scene at the stadium that day, quoting the skepticism expressed by sports reporters. She then moves back to Mitchell's childhood and describes her early interest in the game and the support and encouragement offered by her father. When the scene returns to the big day, the author indulges in some minor fictionalizing as she imagines the teen's thoughts and feelings when she faced the baseball giants. The narrative captures the tension and excitement, and has the air of an experience remembered. Payne's mixed-media illustrations with their judicious use of sepia increase the nostalgic feel. Pair this title with Shana Corey's Players in Pigtails (Scholastic, 2003) or Doreen Rappaport and Lyndall Callan's Dirt on Their Skirts (Dial, 2000) for a close look at a previously neglected piece of history.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Unlike most girls, Jackie Mitchell was encouraged to play baseball. Under the tutelage of her father and major-league pitcher Dazzy Vance and with endless practice and hard work, she became a formidable pitcher. In a 1931 exhibition game in Tennessee, she struck out superstars Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Although Moss provides a pitch-by-pitch description of the strikeouts, she leaves a lot of holes in the overall story. In an author's note, she does give some additional information about Jackie's later career, including an interesting bit about being banned from professional baseball, because "it is too strenuous for women." It's a pity that none of this is included in the body of the work--though treated as a vignette, it's fascinating. Payne's illustrations are delightful, depicting both Ruth and Gehrig accurately and adding a sense of fun to the proceedings, while maintaining the drama. Intriguing, but inadequate. (bibliography) (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
