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.