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Summary
Summary
Meet Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and other baseball heroes in this unique radio broadcast reenactment of a legendary All-Star Game, marking a pivotal time in sports history.
1934, Chicago . Come step back in time to witness the best of the best Negro League players take each other on in one of the most fascinating All-Star ballgames in American history.
Using a unique radio broadcast transcript, Coretta Scott King Award Winner Charles R. Smith, Jr. has recreated this momentous event with a lively play-by-play retelling of the second annual Negro League East-West Game. Meet legendary players like Satchel Paige, Turkey Stearness, and Cool Pappa Bell, hang in the stands with the fans, and experience this exhilarating untold, true story--with a lyrical twist.
Stars in the Shadows is a must-have for any baseball aficionado or anyone interested in forgotten history. Beautifully packaged and with incredible black-and-white illustrations by Frank Morrison, this is a rare and extraordinary book.
Author Notes
Charles R. Smith Jr. is an acclaimed poet and the Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator of My People , a picture book based on the poem by Langston Hughes. He is also the illustrator of If , the author and photographer of I Am the World , and he won the Coretta Scott King Author Honor for his book Twelve Rounds To Glory . He grew up in California and attended the Brooks Institute of Photography. A magazine and book cover photographer in addition to a picture book creator, Charles lives with his wife and kids in Poughkeepsie, New York. Visit him at CharlesRSmithJr.com.
Frank Morrison is the award-winning illustrator of many books for young readers, including Jazzy Miz Mozetta , winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent; Little Melba and Her Big Trombone , a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book; Muhammad Ali ; and How Sweet the Sound. Before becoming a children's book illustrator and fine artist, Morrison toured the globe as a break-dancer. He lives in Georgia with his family.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Writing in snappy rhymed couplets, Smith delivers a play-by-play, inning-by-inning account of the second annual East-West Classic, held in Chicago in 1934, an all-star face-off between the best players from the Negro League. Smith provides a remarkable amount of detail about the game while keeping the action moving and his rhymes tight: "The pitcher kicks up a leg and then lets fly/ strike one down the pip, a fastball letter-high." Diversions from the game come in the form of extended commentary from fans in attendance, as well as commercial breaks ("If your tongue has a taste/ for food from the South,/ Sweet Amelia's Soul Cuisine/ has treats for your mouth"). Working in graphite, Morrison contributes full-bleed and spot illustrations of dynamic, athletic players in motion. Ages 8-12. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
The historic East-West Classic of the Negro League (when African Americans were not allowed in the Major Leagues), is reported in play-by-play detail by a radio sportscaster. Awkward rhyming and uneven rhythm hamper the flow of an otherwise riveting narrative; the text, nicely accompanied by black-and-white graphite drawings, allows readers to become acquainted with early baseball greats. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Stretching out a single game of baseball into an entire book, Smith provides a play-by-play account of the second annual Negro League East-West game, which mirrored the all-star game of the segregated major leagues by having fans vote in their favorite players. It feels like one narrative device too many for this invented radio broadcast to be told entirely in rhyming couplets, which can stumble into awkward, offbeat cadences to follow the rhyme scheme. But the voice is loaded with good-times phrasing ( Cool Papa, folks, can make lightning look slow ), and the chance to visit such legendary players as Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, and Turkey Stearnes in action is a rare one. The innings are broken up with commercials and asides from the spectators in the stands to help add some historical spice to the proceedings. Morrison's frequent charcoal sketches a scattering of portraits, on-field heroics, and fan reactions are the biggest treat. Use this book as an exciting complement to Kadir Nelson's We Are the Ship (2008).--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Smith uses a fictional radio sports announcer to introduce the players on both Negro League East-West Classic teams in this beginning chapter book. The story takes place during a time when baseball was segregated and fans voted for their favorite players to make the All-Star roster. Within a basic organization plan of nine innings, or chapters, the author writes in a poetic narrative style, using rhyming couplets that sound awkward at times. The poetry is interrupted by sections of prose whenever a fictional fan provides details about a favorite player, such as Oscar Charleston or Josh Gibson. In addition, to add atmosphere and mood, the poetry is separated by occasional radio commercials for a grocery or a barbershop, which was typical of broadcasts at that time. The large, appealing graphite artwork crosses the gutter on dramatic spreads. Fans of baseball history will be encouraged to look for further information on these players, who are merely highlighted within the text. This slender volume can augment African American history units and sports collections everywhere.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Historical fiction. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
August 26, 1934 W elcome to Chicago, welcome all! It's a beautiful day to play baseball. Bright sun with not one single cloud in the sky, a blue-curtain backdrop to watch baseballs fly. Hello, everybody, to you from me, Lester Roberts, on your radio on WNLB, bringing you the play-by-play in a creative way of the second annual Negro League East-West game today. Last year's game was fun-filled with eighteen runs, including a cannon shot that came from the bat of Mule Suttles, who swung his barrel chest and arms to launch a four-bag express into center-field stands, sending slug-happy fans into a frenzy, making sepia hands clap and cheer and throw hats into the air, a heart-stopping moment for all who were there. But that was last year--now it's on to the Negro League East-West Classic number two, featuring players voted in by you, the fans who follow this game through and through. But before our game starts and before we do anything, first we will hear "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the Negro National Anthem, sung by the Jubilee Singers, representing our wonderful Windy City. What better way to start this glorious day, so let's listen in as they take it away. Lift every voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the listening skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us, Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let us march on till victory is won. Thank you, performers, and again welcome all. Enjoy the show, folks, now let's PLAY BALL! © 2012 Charles R. Smith Jr. Excerpted from Stars in the Shadows: The Negro League All-Star Game of 1934 by Charles R. Smith Jr. All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.