About this item
Highlights
- When the rules no longer apply, how do you keep your head in the game?
- 11-12 Years
- 7.6" x 5.5" Hardcover
- 304 Pages
- Juvenile Fiction, Social Themes
Description
About the Book
When biracial seventh-grader Wyatt gets upset, mysterious smoke forms around him, but as his plans to make the baseball team and fit in at school fall apart, he must confront the roots of his unusual stress reaction.Book Synopsis
When the rules no longer apply, how do you keep your head in the game?
Wyatt has a three-part Plan for Life, and it starts now, at the beginning of seventh grade, with tryouts for his local travel baseball team. A biracial kid in a mostly white town, he's always felt like a bit of an outsider. The baseball field is the only place where he feels like he truly belongs. If he can just make the team, everything else will fall into place: school, friends, even his relationship with his often-distant dad.
But after upsetting incidents at tryouts, something inexplicable happens: wisps of smoke form around Wyatt.
As Wyatt tries to figure out what's causing this mysterious smoke and how to control it, he discovers it's connected to a painful family history. The more he learns, the more Wyatt begins to question the rules he's always followed to fit in. With tensions rising at school and on the field, can he face the injustices of the past while keeping his cool in the present?
Review Quotes
"This book deals with heavy topics incredibly well. Children deal with microaggressions and systemic racism regularly. The author brings these up naturally in the story and purposefully shows their impact. . . The book would be excellent in schools to stimulate conversation with students and teachers regarding cultural responsiveness. Reviewer Rating: 5"--Children's Literature
-- (12/3/2024 12:00:00 AM)"The author's willingness to tackle difficult topics with thoughtfulness and compassion makes this compelling novel a must-read. Readers will connect to Wyatt's strife and journey of self-discovery. This book belongs in all middle school libraries; it deftly discusses important histories and hot topics facing young readers today."--starred, School Library Journal
-- (9/4/2024 12:00:00 AM)"Wyatt's voice is authentic and nuanced; his frustrations will resonate with middle grade readers who see the injustices around them and struggle to control their own emotions. A good SEL angle within a prose novel featuring social justice and sports appeal for readers who enjoy Mike Lupica, Kwame Mbalia, and B.B. Alston."--Booklist
-- (6/17/2024 12:00:00 AM)"Capps incorporates real-life events--as discussed in an author's note--to tell an illuminating tale that utilizes a physical manifestation of trauma to effectively demonstrate the compounding results of racism across generations."--Publishers Weekly
-- (5/27/2024 12:00:00 AM)"Heather Murphy Capps has written another powerful, well-researched, insightful book, and Wyatt's authentic voice shines through as a hero you can't help but cheer on."--Isi Hendrix, Author of Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans
-- (1/22/2024 12:00:00 AM)