First published 1998
The annual Bat 6 softball game between two sixth-grade teams approaches, but this year carries weight beyond any previous match. Aki Sato and her Barlow Ridge teammates prepare to face their rivals from Bear Creek Ridge, while old tensions simmer beneath the surface. The game falls on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, and wartime memories still divide the small Oregon communities. Aki finds herself caught between her love of baseball and the suspicious glances of neighbors who see her Japanese heritage as a mark against her loyalty. As the teams take the field, past and present collide. The girls must navigate not only the bases but also the complex terrain of prejudice, friendship, and what it means to belong. This is a story about courage found in unexpected places and the power of sports to both divide and heal.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, baseball
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Barlow Ridge, Bear Creek Ridge, Oregon
Period: Pearl Harbor
249 pages · Hardcover · Holt Rinehart & Winston
Content warnings: racism