From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9–In this fast-paced baseball yarn, Hank Cobb, 15, is leading a vagabond existence with his abusive alcoholic father in 1919. When the man gets in trouble again, Hank hops a freight train, but refuses to help his father climb aboard. Inside the boxcar he meets Chief Sunrise, a 19-year-old who introduces himself as "the greatest Indian to ever step on a baseball diamond." The two hit it off and begin a series of adventures together as Chief seeks to meet up with Giants' manager John McGraw. After they arrive in New York, Chief earns a tryout with the team and is hired as a starting pitcher and Hank wins a place as gofer. As the season progresses, Hank eventually discovers Chief's secret: he is actually part African American, passing as a Native American to evade baseball's color line. Tocher presents a deft blend of baseball lore and fiction, and an author's note provides more background on the time period and the real-life figures upon which the characters are based. His treatment of issues of prejudice is sensitive yet the tone remains upbeat. Though discrimination and racial unrest are evident throughout, Chief's motivation is simply to prove that he can compete in the major leagues. The main characters are engaging and the game scenes are particularly vivid. Fans of Dan Gutman's "Baseball Card Adventure" series (HarperCollins) and Walter Dean Myers's The Journal of Biddy Owens(Scholastic, 2001) will welcome this well-written, enjoyable novel.–Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Gr. 6-9. Fifteen-year-old Hank Cobb, tired of his transient ballplayer father's drinking and abuse, jumps at a chance to run away. Soon he meets mysterious Chief Sunrise, a great pitcher who claims to be a Seminole, who is trying to track down New York Giants manager John McGraw for a shot at the majors. While traveling north, the pair has a variety of experiences--from comical (playing on a girls' team) to dramatic (Chief faces prejudice). But perseverance pays off, bringing a surprising revelation about Chief's identity as well as a rewarding friendship and chance to shine on the diamond. The story is both entertaining and thought-provoking. In language appropriate to the book's 1919 setting, the likable protagonist relates the tale, incorporating abundant baseball detail as well as a growing personal awareness of civil rights issues, on and off the field. An author's note discusses McGraw, the struggles black players faced prior to the Negro Leagues, and Charlie Grant, who, like the fictional Chief, concealed his true identity to play. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Easy there," came the voice. "If you're fixin' to throw somethin', at least let me get my mitt on."
