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Thirteen-year-old Joelle Cunningham isn’t
exactly thrilled to leave her home in Minneapolis and move to Iowa with her
parents—because she has to leave behind her friends, her baseball team, and even her
brother, Jason, who’s in college. She feels even worse when she finds out that her new
school isn’t going to let her play baseball—baseball is a boys’ sport, they tell her, but
she’s more than welcome to play for the girls’ softball team. Softball and baseball are
two totally different sports, Joelle argues, but no one wants to listen. The school’s
baseball coach refuses to let her try out for the team, and the school’s superintendent
refuses to change school policy to help her out. Even her friends start to think that
she should just give up and play softball.
Instead of giving in, Joelle
takes matters into her own hands—and she begins writing letters to the local newspaper to
make her feelings known. When she meets a few other girls who love baseball as much as
she does, Joelle decides to find a way to let girls in Iowa play baseball—not just
softball.
Sliding into Home is a well-written book with a
well-developed story that’s more than just a fun read for girls in grades four through
eight. It will also inspire them to stand up for what’s important to them and make a
difference. Joelle is a strong-willed, energetic, determined character—and readers will
find themselves relating to her and cheering her on.
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