Customer Reviews

Bat 6

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The way this book was written was very good, and you see a pattern of bad grammar (it is being narrated by 21 6th grade girls). You see some exceptions, though, like Shazam (Shirley's) extremely bad grammar, and like Aki's extremely good grammar. The reason I say it is very realistic is that the view of the girls shows their feelings about how excited they are about Bat 6, and they are very honest in their narration. You probably know the basic plot from reading the descriptions, but the book is really mostly about the girls from Bear Creek Ridge Grade School and Barlow Road Grade School, and what they are doing in their lives to get ready for Bat 6, the annual softball game for 6th grade girls. The main narration takes place in 1949, after World War II has ended. Shazam (whose real name is Shirley) comes to Barlow Road Grade School, and the other girls think she is unusual, and she doesn't hide her hate for "Japs", people of Japanese descent. Her father was killed in Pearl Harbor, and she is living with her grandmother. Aki Mikami has gotten back from the camps for Japanese people (even Japanese people born in America) that the government sent them to. She is very good at softball, and on the day of Bat 6, the day all of the girls have been waiting for all their lives, Shazam's hate for "Japs" certainly comes out and Aki is seriously injured on her head; she must stay in a bed with a device on her head all summer and she can't eat solid food. The book is sad, but it is also informative, and it doesn't just use the characters as a device to convey an idea or seomthing. The characters are fully imaged and described. It shows what can happen when a person's problems are ignored. (Shazam never hid her hate, and everyone chose to ignore it, or not really do anything.) I strongly suggest you read this book. I read it because it was on a school reading list, but I am glad I did.

Bat 6 is a wonderful book. No doubt about that. It's also a challenging book in a number of ways, and it may not be appropriate for every 9-12 year old. (I notice, for example, that the adults who reviewed it loved it, but many of those in the 'appropriate' age group did not.) Frankly, this book may be more suitable and interesting for YAs, not because of the subject matter or the reading level, but because of the book's structure, themes, and style. However, Bat 6 would be an ideal book for reading groups, parent-child reads, and other book discussion groups, and could certainly be used in that context with pre-teens.

Bat 6 will also be great for any reader, pre-teen or YA, who enjoys a more serious or challenging book. It will probably also turn off a kid who doesn't like reading, or who reads only action-based, straightforward books. The story is told from many different viewpoints, and it is not a straight narrative; also, the majority of the story takes place outside of the game, in simple, everyday actions. This won't appeal to everyone. The writing style varies from narrator to narrator, with varying levels of grammar and writing skill. Again, this can be difficult for some. Finally, this is not a plot with a standard arc; in most books about a single game, the story builds to the big showdown, and the tension and climax come from the winning or losing of the Big Game. Someone expecting a normal sports book is going to be disappointed with Bat 6.

However, the book's depth makes it perfect for reading groups. It provides material to start discussions about morals and values, violence and society, and child-rearing, just as examples. Some interesting topics for discussion would include:

* Many people in the book had indications of Shazam's problems and kept them secret; did they make good or bad decisions, and why? Have you ever been in a similar situation? What did you do?

* Aki's attitude of shikata ga nai (there is nothing to be done about it) is very different from most of the other characters' reactions. Little Peggy thinks Aki should be mad, whether or not she can change anything. Do you agree with Little Peggy? Why or why not?

* How did Shazam (and others like her) learn to hate the Japanese? Was her mother solely responsible? Was Lorelei's father correct when he said that such things are inevitable in a warlike society? Did the Japanese internment camps have anything to do with the problem?

Those are just three examples; there are literally dozens more. This isn't going to be a pleasure read for everyone - though some will definitely love it! - but it is an important and moving book, and I encourage parents, teachers, and group leaders to use it. I also encourage everyone to read the author's bio *before* reading the book; Ms. Wolff's comments about what inspired her to write Bat 6 are critical to understanding the book.

Bat 6, by Virginia Euwer Wolf, is a fun but heart-breaking tale of life a few years after WWII from children's perspectives. Bat 6 is a softball game played by the 6th grade girls of two neighboring small-town American elementary schools, Barlow Road Grade School and Bear Creek Ridge Grade School. There is a new girl on each team, Shazam on the Barlow Road team, and Aki on the Bear Creek Ridge team. Both have been greatly affected by the war. Sadly, the scars of the war will not heal so easily when the girls meet for the first time at Bat 6. It is going to be one great game!
To read this book is to have a look into what life was like after WWII, which is an interesting time period for a child today. In these two towns, being rich is owning a refrigerator. Now it is owning an estate, or a huge business. Life was very different back then. Something surprising to me was the amount of rights women had back then. That was more than 60 years ago, but the women did have many rights. The women in the book were on the town council, actively participated in church activities and the whole Bat 6 game was a bunch of girls playing softball. That is one similarity to daily life back then. They also had hate crimes. The hate crimes in this time period were committed against Japanese-Americans, because of the war between the USA and Japan. The Japanese were put into camps for their safety against hate crimes. One of the main characters, Aki, is Japanese-American and had been put into a camp. Another reason to read this book is to see the world through the eyes of little girls. One goes on a journey with them while each individual girl puts the pieces together about the war. The girls may be small, but they have a huge concept to comprehend. The two new girls, Aki and Shazam, have the most to learn. Sadly Shazam's father had been killed at Pearl Harbor and she holds it against the Japanese, in other words, she holds it against Aki. The girls each tell the many tales of 6th grade from their own perspective. It is a good way to see different points of view. This book provides a whole new look into the world.
One less appealing aspect of the book is its format. There are entries from each girl and when deep into the book, the switch between entrees is not very noticeable. It is confusing when two different points of view are read, and one thinks they are from the same person, but they are not. Another confusing aspect of the format is that the chapters switch from the girls on one team to the girls on the other team. Despite the format flaw, the plot is inspiring and Bat 6 is well written. It is highly recommended!

The 50th annual sixth-grade girls softball rivalry between two little Oregon towns has everyone involved. The story is told in little vignettes by the 21 girls who make up the two teams for this year's teams. The arrival of a new girl and the reappearance of another change the expected lineups for the 1949 game. Aki Mikami's family has finally come back to their farm when she is old enough to play for Bear Creek Ridge where her mother was MVP of the 1930 team. Shazam, who plays for Barlow, is a great player, but she harbors deep feelings of hate for the Japanese because her father was killed at Pearl Harbor.

What happens the day of the game forces the players, their families, the coaches, and the whole town to face the issue of bigotry. A strong story convincingly told by the girls themselves from their differing viewpoints of the action.

This would be an excellent read aloud tool for the classroom since it has 21 parts representing the two teams. A natural fto foster discussion of multiculturalism, bigotry, and prejudice.

Bat 6 is an interesting story about two teams of 6th grade girls who play the annual softball game. Right before the game, each team gets a new girl. On Bear Field, Aki, a Japanese girl joins the team. Aki used to live in Bear Field when she was little, however, during the war, she and her family were forced to live in the Asian Camps in California. On Barlow Creek, they get Shazzam. Shazzam is a wonderful baseball player, however, she is very disturbed. Her father was killed in Pearl Harbor, and her mother is too unstable to raise children, so Shazzam lives with her grandmother outside of town. Because her father died in Pearl Harbor, Shazzam has undying prejudice towards any, and all Asians. So, on the big day when the two teams play against each other, her insanity causes her to do the unthinkable.

Bat 6 is an amazing book and I definitely think that you will enjoy it. I only read this book because a friend read it, and I knew it was about softball. (I'm definitely a softball addict!) However, the plot was very interesting, and I got so into it, I finished it in a couple of days

Bat 6 is an annual softball game played by two teams from small towns in Oregon. The Bat 6 game has been going on since 1899, and all of the girls are determined to win this year's Bat 6 game. The two teams names are Barlow Creek and Bear Creek Ridge. Bear Creek Ridge has won more games than Barlow, and that makes the girls on Barlow even more determined to win this year.
The author chose a very complex way of writing this book. In some parts of the book, you can barely understand what she is trying to say. The narrator changes a lot and that's what makes it even more confusing. I like what she chose to do because you get to hear thoughts from different characters about what is going on in the book. Various characters help tell this amazing, complex story. This book gives a lot of detail and makes you think a lot. It is good for kids eight and older because it might be hard for little children to understand, but I would definitely recommend reading this book.
All the girls on each team are different, just like me and you. There is one girl in particular. This girl's name is Shazam. Her father was killed in World War Two, during the Pearl Harbor attack. She hates all Japanese people now. She thinks all of them are evil and they are out to get her. Shazam joins the Barlow team and definitely stands out from the other players.
Bear Creek Ridge gets a new player too. Her name is Aki and she's Japanese. She can throw left and right and can hit very well. She becomes one of the best players on the team, but the other girls don't mind. They are all kind to one another and they are open to all people.
The Bat 6 game comes so soon. This is the day all of the girls have been waiting for all of their lives. The game is going well; the teams are both doing very well. Everyone is nervous. Towards the end of the game, something happens that will change the girls' lives forever and will go down in Bat 6 history. Something that no one is expecting. A terrible event, maybe the worst the girls had ever seen, something that damaged a person for a long time, maybe even for life.

An extraordinarily complex story of two girls baseball teams with a terrific plot that any girl should have the pleasure to read. The characters are easy to get to know and extremely realistic, each one with a different personality. Virginia E. Wolff makes characters that can be slightly arrogant yet at the same time your best friend. Chapters had great cliff-hangers and will keep you reading up to the end.

What a joy. My daughter and I both loved this book -- we fought over who got to read it. Other reviewers give you a sense of the story. What we found amazing is that, with one very troubled exception, these 21 girls are good, kind girls. Faced with a deep moral issue, they try hard to do the right thing -- to figure out what IS the right thing. Many novels for readers this age present the majority of girls as elitist and snotty. Not this one. These girls are fun, unique, complex, real and very thoughtful. Reading their stories, as they try to understand this girl that brings hate into their place of tolerance and respect, you learn with them. By the end, it's hard to hate even the most troubled girl. It's a book that makes your own heart bigger and better.

Bat 6 takes place in two small towns in Oregon. There is a softball game between two schools Barlow Road Grade School and Bear Creek Ridge Grade School.They both have found a new phenomenal player.One is Shirley(Shazam)and the other is Aki Mikami.Shirley lost her father in the of Pearl Harbor and shows her hate for the Japanese.Aki had been sent to a camp where the Americans sent Japanese.They had both come back in time for the Bat 6(the softball game every sixth grade girl is looking forward to).Something really important happens in the game...but you have to read to find out.

Bat 6 is an outstanding novel set post WWII.It is very informative and has an excellent description from both sides: a young Japanese girl put in a camp because of her ancestry, and a young American girl who's father was killed on the Arizona, the ship bombed by Japan.Virginia Euwer Wolff does a wonderful job explaining what both girls go through and how they deal with their pain.But these aren't the only girls featured in this exquiset novel.There is Lola and her twin, Lila, Audrey, and Ila Mae, who have all been waiting for that day: May 28,1949, when it would be their turn to play in the 50th annual Bat 6 girls softball game.