The Desperado Who Stole Baseball

April 1, 2009
Gr 5-8-In this prequel to "The Boy Who Saved Baseball" (Philomel, 2003), once again the fate of a baseball-loving town rests on the outcome of an epic game. In the 1880s, orphaned Jack, 12, is riding west to seek out his long-lost uncle Long John Dillon, a mine owner in California. Dillontown began as a boomtown, but with its gold seemingly tapped out, the townsfolk have pinned their hopes on their mighty baseball team led by Cap'n Dillon. Jack longs to play ball alongside his uncle, but he is waylaid by a mysterious stranger who turns out to be Billy the Kid. Billy accompanies Jack on his journey, and the two forge a strong friendship, while Billy displays an unexpected talent for baseball. They arrive just in time to take part in the contest between Dillontown's champions and a team of professional players. Ritter writes in an idiom-laden, mock-epic style full of bombast and bravado. When he earns a chance to play on his uncle's team, Jack exults in "standing amongst the tobacco-chewing, whisker-chin-drooling, cuss-word-spewing brigade." Reminiscent of the works of Sid Fleischman, this tall-tale page-turner stands alone though it will be most appreciated by fans of Ritter's earlier works."Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2009
Grades 5-8 A prequel of sorts to The Boy Who Saved Baseball (2003), this novel dials back the time period to the Wild West. Twelve-year-old Jack Dillon, the self-proclaimed worlds greatest baseballist in the tire nation, befriends Billy the Kid on the trail to California. Ritter depicts the famous outlaw as a lightning-reflexed, misunderstood loner looking to fade into obscurity in Dillontown, while the brash Jack intends to join his uncles renowned amateur baseball squad. The Dillontown Nine have challenged the mighty Chicago White Stockings (run by a low-down, scheming coal baron) to a high-stakes game, with the future of the town riding on the outcome, and sure enough, Jacks unbridled enthusiasm and Billys natural athleticism figure to play a role in that outcome. The story lopes along on the strength of its delightful and articulately brusque dialogue and Jacks far-fetched innovations (his convolutionary secrets include the hit-and-run and suicide squeeze plays). Although Ritter overshoots the wholesome-versus-greedy America angleDillontowners literally just want to play baseball and make apple piethats small shakes in light of this wildly entertaining yarn.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)