Cassie, whom we last saw in Point Guard, is ready to play softball now that school is out and 8th grade is over. Her dad is coaching, and a new girl, Sarah, joins the team. The problem? Sarah is on the autism spectrum and really struggles to communicate with the others on the team. This adds to the ever growing girl drama of which Cassie is very tired. Her friends Jack and Teddy have their own problems on their baseball team-- their coach is also a player's father, and seems to think that the team's purpose is to provide a vehicle for the glory of Sam. He's a difficult and unhelpful coach for all of the other boys, which makes practice and games not very fun. Sarah is an excellent player, but blows up when things seem unfair-- in one instance, a player calls the ball but then misses it and blames Sarah. Cassie is the only one who believes Sarah, so the team is divided. Cassie tries really hard to be friends with Sarah. The boys also work through their problems with the coach, who is eventually let go, leaving Jack to coach the team to victory.

Strengths: I was glad to see a portrayal of a character on the autism spectrum playing a sport, and Lupica's descriptions of Sarah's behavior certainly fall within believable bounds. While Sarah's problems with dealing with her teammates are worse than most of the students with whom I have worked, autism is a spectrum, and no two students react the same way to things.
Weaknesses: Slow and sad. See below.
What I really think: Again, I wish these were less message heavy and more fun. This was on the long side, and could have been shorter without the constant rehashing of problems. My readers who like sports books generally like something more fast paced and fun. Yes, there can be problems (Deuker's Heart of a Champion, about a boy dying of cancer, is a perennial favorite), but the Home Team books seem to discuss the problems too much. I'll purchase, because this is book four in a series by an author my students love, but it's not my favorite.

This book was another great story by Mike Lupica. It will really help kids undestand and celebrate the differences of their teammates and friends.