Saving Armpit

The small town of Harmony Point is having a rough time. The town's welcome sign been strategically vandalized to read, "Welcome to Armpit," and with the town slowly falling into disrepair there are some who think that "Armpit" is living up to its name. Things soon begin to look up, at least, for the local baseball team. The Terriers haven't won a game in recent memory, but with the help of their new coach - Harmony Point's new postmaster - their game is really starting to turn around. The Terriers are thrilled with their coach and are looking forward to maybe winning a game or two this season. But soon rumors spread that the government will close Harmony Point's post office, consolidating with the post office of a nearby larger city and forcing their new coach to move away. What are the Terriers to do? They soon begin a letter writing campaign in an attempt to increase business at the post office and prove that Harmony Point really does need its post office. In the process, the Terriers might just be able to help their town make a few changes that will help the rest of the town shed its reputation as the region's armpit.

I was pleasantly surprised with author Natalie Hyde's work in Saving Armpit. Sports fans should be pleased with the story of an underdog baseball team, and those readers who generally avoid sports stories will find enough else in the story to keep them interested. I especially enjoyed reading the responses that the kids got to their letters from sources ranging from summer camps to government officials to the Barry Manilow Fan Club, which were featured between chapters and often included plenty of funny comments. I also greatly appreciated the subtle message about community activism found in this book. Though the Terriers didn't initially set out to really improve their community, by the end of the story readers can see that all of the letters that they wrote really have made their community a better place.

It is worth noting that this book is set and was originally published in Canada. Readers will need to be aware of this setting as they encounter references to Parliament and see the Canadian flag on replies from government officials. The only non-transferable difference that truly prevents this story from taking place in the United States: Apparently Canadians can write letters to their representatives without paying for postage, part of a program designed to encourage communication between representatives and their constituents. Still, this detail shouldn't be a major deterrent for American readers and might actually spark some conversation about the similarities and differences between the two nations.

Overall Grade: A-