Twelve-year-old, biracial (Japanese American/white), LA-native Rick is obsessed with baseball—he’s a pitcher on his 12U team—and dismayed to learn that he’s going to have to spend the summer in a small town on the Oregon coast. He and his mom need to help his grandfather sell his house and find an assisted living facility. Rick doesn’t know much about Grandpa, whose relationship with Rick’s mom is distant and strained, but he turns out to be pretty cool. He shares a special Japanese picture book with Rick, a folk tale about a man named Urashima Taro. But Rick is confused when Grandpa starts messing up the pronouns in the story, using “I” instead of “he,” putting himself in the place of the main character. Is this a sign of dementia, a language barrier, or something else?

Meanwhile, Rick meets a girl named Toni while out exploring the creek. While there, he rescues a turtle from Toni’s twin brother and his friends, who are tormenting it, and takes the turtle home with him to keep as a pet. (Surprisingly, his mom has no objection to taking a wild animal out of its natural habitat.) Rick learns that Toni loves baseball, too, but since she’s a girl she can’t play on her brother’s 13U team. But Rick can—sort of. A player named Rich Garcia had to leave for baseball camp, leaving the team (which already finalized its roster) without their star player. Desperate to win at any cost, the coach lets Rick join the team under Garcia’s name, using Garcia’s jersey.

At home, they sell Grandpa’s house and find him a new place to live, and Rick also learns more about Grandpa’s past. I had some trouble following the story of Grandpa’s past and his relationship with Rick’s mother. I know Grandpa had essentially abandoned his family to move back to Japan to help his parents out. Part of what made it confusing was that it was told in pieces over the course of the book; it was also mixed in with the Urashima Taro story, which Grandpa uses a sort of metaphor for his regrets. Overall, it's a bit jumbled and confusing. There’s also a magical realism element that (for me) didn't mesh well with the rest of the story. It's a small part of the story, though, and the baseball elements were really strong and engaging.

Sweet book. I wish he got the money in the end, but I do love that he grew in his relationship with his friends and family. I have Waka T. Brown's other two books so I will be excited to read another.

This was an enjoyable book filled with lots of baseball, folktales, and friendship. It is not a book that I would have originally picked up had I not received an ARC, but I'm so glad that I did read it. I appreciated the relationship Rick built with his grandfather and how his mother and grandfather talked about decades-old issues. It will be a book that I add to my classroom library and recommend to students.

This was a great story about figuring out who you are and what you’re willing to stand up for. I loved how Brown incorporated the grandfather’s stories into the narrative. This is a great title for young readers who enjoy baseball.

I read this book with my 11 year old son and we both really enjoyed it. We enjoyed learning some aspects of Japanese culture and history.Rick was a very relatable character. The story was well written and the plot well paced.

This heartwarming and tender story tackles the difficult histories in a family, the challenges of divorce and moving away from your friends, and a baseball obsession. It centers around 12-year old Rick who must leave his LA town and his summer baseball league to help his mom take care of his elderly Japanese grandfather. While Rick is resistant to this move, he ends up learning many things about his family's history and some of the issues that his mom faced as a child when her dad left their family to return to Japan for many years. Rick develops a special relationship with his grandfather as well as a new appreciation of his mom. But, don't think this is all touchy-feely. If you are fan of baseball, you will love following Rick's journey as he gets to play on a competitive baseball team and befriends a local girl who is as obsessed with baseball as he is.

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Rick’s plans for the summer are baseball, baseball, and more baseball. With a coach who actually wants to win and doesn’t play everyone, maybe even make regionals or state.

Then his mother throws a spanner in the works by taking him to spend the summer with his Grandfather, who has been struggling physically, and hopefully move him into assisted living.

Rick meets a new team, and, through his grandfather’s stories, learns more about his Japanese heritage…except…his grandfather’s life ALSO runs pretty close to said folk tales. His new team…doesn’t follow all the rules…things just aren’t quite what they seem…or are they?

This is an enjoyable book for those who enjoy baseball. Cross-generational stories, or folk tales. I think it will find its place in many school libraries and classrooms.

This book was just okay for me. I struggled to connect with the characters. I loved the story line though. Great summer read.

Waka T. Brown creates a unique story and worked overall in a children’s fiction novel. I enjoyed the use of Japanese folktales in this story and how it was used in the story itself. The characters had that element that I wanted in this type of story and really enjoyed going though this read. It was written well and left me wanting to read more from Waka T. Brown.