Fast Pitch von Nic Stone

Kategorie: Bücher
Seiten / Format: 208 S
Erscheinungsjahr: 2023
Verlag: Penguin Random HouseYearling
Sprache: Englisch
ISBN: 9781984893048

A grand slamof an adventure.Kirkus Reviews,Starred Review<br><br>"Black girl magichits a home run in Stone's latest novel."Publishers Weekly,Starred Review<br><br>"Books like Fast Pitch are welcome evidence that writers for young readers are continuing to move beyond narratives in which the primary problem is a character s marginalization."-The New York Times<br><br>"Tensions are high as the plot bounces between gameplay and sleuthing, ultimately reaching a satisfying conclusion....Readers of all ages will cheer for Shenice." Booklist<br><br>A sports mystery thatwill keep­readers engaged from start to finishDiscussions aboutrace and civil rights are seamlessly­woven into the narrativethrough Shenice s own­experiences.School Library Journal<br><br>"This contemporary sports story goes beyond mere genre appeal; it isa novel of substance, carrying the weight of history.The Horn Book

1 

Batter Up 

We have to win this game. . . . 

Like gotta win. No other option. 

I ve been playing base-related ball--first tee, now soft--since the minute I could hold up a bat. Just like my daddy. And his daddy before him. And his daddy before him. It s in my blood. And I learned the meaning of love/hate relationship in a game situation like this one. 

It s the bottom of the sixth and we re up by three, but the opposing team is at bat. Bases are loaded, two strikes, two outs. Any time I say something is stressful, my mama rolls her eyes and says, You re twelve, Shenice. You have no idea what that word means. But this? Is stressful. 

As I drop back into my squat behind home plate, my eyes scan the field, and I inhale deep. Impossible to not notice--for me at least--how different our two teams look. While every player on mine, the Fulton Firebirds, has some shade of brown skin, all of the Stockwood Sharks girls are white. 

Which is the case for most teams in the 12U division of the Dixie Youth Softball Association. DYSA, if you re feeling fancy. 

Not only are we Fulton Firebirds the first all-Black team in this league--which even considering the name is a huge deal--we re the only team in the entire DYSA with more than three Black players on the roster. 

Across eight states. All of which were on the pro-slavery side during the Civil War. Something my daddy reminds me of every time he sees DYSA. 

It s a weight no one your age should have to carry, but can t ignore, he says. And he s right: Every win feels . . . historical. 

I hate it . . . but also love it. 

Victory is almost ours. 

I hear the ump--a short dude whose middle is shaped like the highlighter-hued ball that gives this game I love so much its name--hock a loogie above my head. It slams into the dirt on my right with the force of a slimy bullet. 

So gross. 

I breathe in again, though it definitely makes me feel like the hot dog I ate earlier is going to join ump guy s blob of mucus beside me. The air has to be full of phlegm germs right now. 

I gotta get my head back in the game. Yes, we re up, but I d be lying if I said the Sharks aren t good. 

They re real good, in fact. 

But so are we. 

We have to win this game. 

Their best batter is at the plate--Steph Mahoney. I know her name because of her rep as a home-run hitter. Not surprising once you see the latest Louisville Slugger LXT choke-gripped between her half-covered hands. Her batting gloves are fingerless, which I ve never seen in our league. But considering that bat costs 350 buckaroos, it s clear good ol Steph is serious about this sport. 

I lock gazes with our pitcher, Cala Quickfire Kennedy. My teammate since the days of rolling one of Daddy s baseballs back and forth in our shared playpen (though we haven t always played on the same actual team). She s the best, most epic fast-pitch heat thrower in the state. Likely even in all of Dixie, and maybe the whole country. 

All she s gotta do is throw one more strike. 

In my peripheral vision, I see the blond, freckly-faced girl on third base take a quick peek at her coach, who tugs at his right earlobe, and then brushes a finger beneath his nose. After a slight nod, she subtly steps one foot off the slightly raised white square, and shifts into a ready-to-run stance, eyes on Cala, like a little lion cub who has decided home plate is her prey. 

Steal a run? Not on my watch. 

We HAVE to win this game. 

I adjust my face mask with my left hand--my signal to

From #1New York Timesbestselling author Nic Stone comes a challenging and heartwarming coming-of-age story about a softball player looking to prove herself on and off the field.<br><br>Shenice Lockwood, captain of the Fulton Firebirds, is hyper-focused when she steps up to the plate. Nothing can stop her from leading her team to the U12 fast-pitch softball regional championship. But life has thrown some curveballs her way.<br> <br>Strike one:As the sole team of all-brown faces, Shenice and the Firebirds have to work twice as hard to prove that Black girls belong at bat.<br> <br>Strike two:Shenice s focus gets shaken when her great-uncle Jack reveals that a career-ending and family-name-ruining crime may have been a setup.<br> <br>Strike three:Broken focus means mistakes on the field. And Shenice s teammates are beginning to wonder if she s captain-qualified.<br> <br>It's up to Shenice to discover the truth about her family s past and fast before secrets take the Firebirds out of the game forever.<br> <br>Sports, suspense, mystery, history... What more could you want? A funny, charming page-turner.  Adam Gidwitz,New York Timesbestselling author1USAusgezeichnet: NCTE Notable Children's Trade Books in the Language Arts, 2022NIC STONEis theNew York Timesbestselling author ofClean Getaway,which received starred reviews fromPublishers WeeklyandBooklist,who called it an absolute firecracker of a book. She is also the author of the #1New York Timesbestselling and William C. Morris Award finalistDear Martin,itsNew York Timesbestselling sequelDear Justyce,and the acclaimed novelsOdd One OutandJackpotfor teens.<br>Nic spent several years on the softball field as a kid, andFast Pitchgrew out of her love of the sport and the movieThe Sandlot,and her desire to see more Black female athletes represented on the field and on the page. Nic lives in Atlanta with her adorable little family. You can find her online at nicstone.info.<br> 

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