Warrior on the Mound - by Sandra W Headen (Hardcover)

About the Book

In 1939 North Carolina, an all-Black baseball team "trespasses" on the whites-only baseball field, and the resulting racial outrage can only be resolved on the mound.

Book Synopsis

Narrated by twelve-year-old Cato, this intense and evocative story of racial unrest in prewar North Carolina ends with a dramatic match between white and Black little league teams.

1935. Twelve-year-old Cato wants nothing more than to play baseball, perfect his pitch, and meet Mr. Satchel Paige--the best pitcher in Negro League baseball. But when he and his teammates "trespass" on their town's whites-only baseball field for a practice, the resulting racial outrage burns like a brushfire through the entire community, threatening Cato, his family, and every one of his friends.

There's only one way this can end without violence: It has to be settled on the mound, between the white team and the Black. Winner takes all.

Written in first person with a rich, convincing voice, Warrior on the Mound is about the experience of segregation; about the tinderbox environment of the prewar South; about having a dream; about injustice, and, finally, about dialogue.

Back matter includes an author's note, historical background, biographical information about Negro League players, and more.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
One of Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year!

"A HOME RUN."--School Library Journal, starred review

"NOT TO BE MISSED."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Review Quotes

★ "This engaging novel tackles themes of bullying, ­racism, segregation, strength, and forgiveness. . . A home run of a book that is brave enough to speak the hard truths. . ."--School Library Journal, Starred Review

★ "An outstanding blend of history, sports, and coming of age: not to be missed."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Headen captures the layers of racism embedded in a southern town where the histories of Black and white communities intertwine."--The Horn Book

"Along with creating a protagonist strong enough to exercise good judgment despite provocation, the author assembles a cast rich in people of good will. . ."--Booklist

"The protagonist's first-person POV adds immediacy to this emotionally charged sports novel, making for a winning combination of action-driven plotting and underlying historical tension that will inspire discussion surrounding Jim Crow era and contemporary prejudice."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Sandra W. Headen, a former teacher and researcher at Chapel Hill, is a full-time writer. Her historical middle-grade novel, WARRIOR ON THE MOUND, was awarded SCBWI's On-the-Verge/Emerging Voices Award for writers from underrepresented groups; in addition, her short story PAPA'S GIFTS (The Carolina Quarterly, March 2019) was awarded the Jones African-American Literary Award by the North Carolina Writers' Network.