The Boy Who Saved Baseball

John Ritter's book, The Boy Who Saved Baseball, is a moving underdog story about our national pastime. In this story, a small California town is torn in half as developers come in to try to "fix up" the area. They're already made vast improvements on part of the town by fixing up homes, bringing in new businesses, and supplying their youth baseball team with a brand new field and equipment. Many of the townspeople, however, do not want to see this happen to the rest of the area despite the benefits, fearing that they will loose their connection to the surrounding countryside and their small town way of life. It is decided that the fate of Dillontown is going to be decided by a baseball game between the town's two teams. If the Wildcats, a rag-tag team of kids who barely have bleachers on their field can win, then the town will remain as is. If the well-equipped team from down the hill wins, however, then progress is truly the answer and the developers will be allowed to move in. It is up to a strange kid named Cruz de la Cruz and a washed-up former major leaguer to teach the rest of the team to really see the ball and play to win. Will the Dillontown Wildcats come out on top?

This book is a great baseball story that is sure to please sports fans. However, I would encourage those who perhaps aren't quite as baseball savvy to consider this book as well. Everyone can appreciate this underdog story. The poetic language is also sure to please, and the description really transports the reader to the California countryside.

Overall Grade: A-