Able to Play

February 6, 2012
In the fourth title in Stout’s middle-grade Good Sports series, he profiles four major league baseball players—pitchers Mordecai Brown and Jim Abbott, third-baseman Ron Santo, and outfielder Curtis Pride—all of whom thrived on-field despite physical disabilities. In clean, fast-moving prose, Stout outlines the injuries, medical conditions, and birth defects that affected the men (“The stump of his amputated finger affected Mordecai’s grip on the ball, and just as every throw he made from third base swerved and dipped, so did each of his pitches”), the challenges and setbacks they faced, and their triumphs. Equal parts inspirational and informative. Ages 9–12.

May 1, 2012

Gr 3-6-Stout highlights baseball players who have overcome physical challenges to pursue their dreams of a major-league career. Readers meet Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown, who had a Hall of Fame pitching career despite having lost most of his right index finger in a farming accident as a child; Ron Santo, who played third base for the Cubs while (initially) keeping his Type 1 diabetes a secret; Jim Abbott, who was born with one arm yet became one of a select group to pitch a no-hitter; and Curtis Pride, who played 13 years in the majors despite being deaf. Stout describes how these men learned to compensate for their handicaps and, although they all realized they would have to work harder and prove themselves, never actually considered themselves less capable of playing baseball than anyone else. The writing is clear and accessible, incorporating biographical material with play-by-play action of key moments in each player's career. A baseball-card-type photo and a page of career stats are included for each profile. Stout includes sources and further reading, and even describes his research methods, making a plug for libraries and librarians and the aid they can provide to youngsters interested in pursuing further information. This is a book that can be read for research or fun and will have broad appeal among sports fans.-Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA

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