Girl Wonder : A Baseball Story in Nine Innings [Hardcover]

Deborah Hopkinson (Author), Terry Widener (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards)

Did you ever hear
the story
of the
Girl Wonder?

Alta Weiss was born to play baseball, simple as that. From the age of two, when she hurls a corncob at a pesky tomcat, folks in her small Ohio town know one thing for sure: She may be a girl, but she's got some arm.

When she's seventeen, Alta hears about a semipro team, the Independents. Here's her big chance! But one look at Alta's long skirts tells Coach all he needs to know -- girls can't play baseball!

Faster than you can say "strike out!," Alta's convinced him to give her a chance. And so with the crowd buzzing and the big game up to her, Alta steps up to the pitcher's mound, determined to prove everybody wrong.

Inspired by the life of pioneering female baseball player Alta Weiss, and dramatized by Terry Widener's bold illustrations, Girl Wonder tells the unforgettable story of a true American original.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-A fictional picture book based on the life of Alta Weiss, who at the age of 17 was the first female to pitch baseball for a semipro all-male team, the Vermilion Independents. Hopkinson does an outstanding job of highlighting the young woman's drive and ambition, not letting gender interfere with her goals. "Just sign me up, Coach.- And as sure as `Strike Out' is my middle name, I guarantee you'll sell lots of tickets. Folks are curious to see a girl play." Time divisions within the story are indicated by a ball-and-bat insignia showing the first through the ninth innings. The last page has a time line of women in baseball. A full-page, black-and-white photo of Weiss, ready for the pitch, decorates the back cover. Widener's distinctive acrylic paintings in vivid colors and with exaggerated features further express the strength of this book. Other titles, such as Diana Helmer's Belles of the Ballpark (Millbrook, 1993; o.p.) and Sue Macy's A Whole New Ball Game (Holt, 1995), cover American Girls Professional Leagues, but do not mention Weiss, who played on a men's team. Purchase where there is an audience of girls who play Little League.
Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-4. "Nothing could keep me from baseball . . . By the time I was seventeen I'd struck out every boy in town." In prose that reflects the easy rhythms of balls and strikes, Hopkinson tells the story of teenager Alta Weiss, who in 1907 pitched for a semipro all-male team in Ohio. Alta's first-person narrative begins with her own memory of playing catch, and her family's image of her throwing a corn cob at a barn cat at the age of two. Alta practices, plays, and wins over the crowd in her first game. That summer she's the draw of her team, the Independents; people come to see "Girl Wonder" play. She plays a second season, but then she goes on to medical school (the only female in the class of 1914). Hopkinson enriches her burnished prose with an author's note about the real Alta Weiss and a chronology of women in baseball. Widener's exaggerated faces and rubbery-looking bodies are set in a picture plane of bright acrylics, where a bat or glove might pop out over the edge: a logo of ball and bats marks the innings of Alta's life. There's a sturdy charm to Alta's voice, and an unmistakable passion for the game. The black-and-white photograph on the back of the dust jacket brings added dimension to the story of a young woman who follows her dreams. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689833008
• ISBN-13: 978-0689833007
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,594,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Deborah Hopkinson is the award-winning of picture books, fiction, and nonfiction for young readers. She has won the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text twice, for A Band of Angels and Apples to Oregon. Her book, Sky Boys, How They Built the Empire State Building, was a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor awardee. Her recent works include Michelle, First Family, Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek, an ALA Notable, Keep On! The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-Discoverer of the North Pole, which won a 2009 Oregon Book Award, and Stagecoach Sal, named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2009. She serves as Vice President for Advancement at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book for Girls and Boys, March 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Girl Wonder : A Baseball Story in Nine Innings (Hardcover)

My daughter began playing ball in third grade. She loves this book. The illustrations are fun yet convey a sense of the time period. And the story is great for reading aloud. The best part is seeing a photograph of the real Alta Weiss, the Girl Wonder, on the back cover. That seems to make it real for kids. I am a teacher and I do a unit on women's history every March and will definitely include Girl Wonder on my list of books to read to my students.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My third-grader picked this one out herself!, October 24, 2003

By 

"dietrt" (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girl Wonder : A Baseball Story in Nine Innings (Hardcover)

My daughter was attracted to the cover and title of this book. She immediately read it to herself, then asked to read it aloud to me. She loved the story (as well as the adorable pictures) of how a girl was born to play baseball...even though she was the only female on the team. I would highly recommend this book to any girl or boy who would enjoy reading about one smart and determined young lady.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Parents Choice Award Winner, May 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Girl Wonder : A Baseball Story in Nine Innings (Hardcover)

Girl Wonder is the winner of a 2003 Parents Choice Gold Award. As a teacher and parent, I rely on the Parents Choice award books. This is a great book to read aloud. If your daughter plays ball, read her this book. The photograph of the real Alta Weiss on the back cover is awesome.