A Season of Daring Greatly

December 5, 2016
Like the TV series Pitch, White’s novel traces the dramatic ups and downs of a female professional baseball player trying to prove her worth. Jill Cafferty’s plans to attend Stanford are put on hold after she gets drafted to pitch for one of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor league teams. Already a media darling, Jill gains even more fame after accepting the offer. Living away from home with a host family, she often feels lonely and homesick despite having been taken under the wing of a fellow player. And there are a number of people, including some of Jill’s new teammates, who would like nothing more than to see her fail. Beyond giving an insider’s view of baseball players’ daily routines and lives, White (the President’s Daughter series) offers a credible portrait of a young woman breaking traditional gender boundaries while being scrutinized by the entire nation. Although some of the storyline is predictable, well-defined characters will draw readers in, and the open-ended conclusion will leave them contemplating how far Jill’s talent might take her. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary.

December 15, 2016
High school senior Jill Cafferty is a very talented pitcher who is about to become the first woman to be drafted by a major league baseball team. Her high-achieving family supports her, along with good friends and her late father's military buddies. When she is drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, she is assigned to a minor league team where she will learn how to be a professional player while getting used to "feeling the weight of historical responsibility." She walks a fine line between fitting in and asserting her own personality, the media always at her heels, and experiences some ugly incidents that shock and hurt her. Playing the game "was the easy part." While several of the secondary characters are described as African-American or Latino, neither Jill nor anyone else is described as white, implying a white default. Jill speaks fairly fluent Spanish and interacts with a Japanese player by learning some basic baseball terms in his language. She is unfailingly polite in her dealings with fans, media, coaches, trainers, and front-office personnel, but the third-person narration allows readers to hear her silent inner voice, often ironic or humorous, prior to her spoken voice in nearly every encounter, keeping her from being too perfect to be believable. Go girl. (Fiction. 13-18)

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January 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Jill Cafferty, 17, is about to make history for becoming the first woman to be drafted into Major League Baseball, playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates with a $2 million contract. But rather than give interviews, she's more interested in pitching a shutout game. While the media and fans swarm, Jill navigates the tricky waters of displaying her expertise in a male-dominated sport, being away from home for the first time, and starting her professional career before she even goes to college. The friends she makes along the way give Jill's story more dimensions, expanding the narrative about her workout routines and sports activity. White writes confidently and with great detail about the mechanics of the game. The descriptions of life as a traveling baseball player are eye-opening and shine a realistic light on the so-called glamor of professional sports. Jill is a strong, centered, and witty character, and it's refreshing to read her smart comebacks to blatant sexism and her even-tempered reactions whenever disgruntled teammates or fans unfairly provoke her. VERDICT While this novel sometimes feels more like a script for a TV show, without a fully realized plot, it is still a good candidate for collections needing more positive depictions of characters who advocate against gender bias.-Michael Marie Jacobs, Darlington School, GA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2016
Grades 8-11 Toward the end of senior year, it's decision time: accept the scholarship to Stanford or the offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates as their third-round draft pick. It's a clear choice for Jill, despite the stress of possibly becoming the first woman to play Major League Baseball. After joining the Pirates' minor league short season team, she deals with resistance from fans, pressure from agents, and the occasional idiocy in the clubhouse. She gradually gains acceptance from her teammates and, after a rocky start, begins to play well again. Don't look for high drama on or off the field. The pleasure of reading this novel comes from the steady, realistic portrayal of Jill's experiences as a rookie and as a young woman breaking into a man's sport. An ensemble cast of well-drawn, interesting characters revolves around Jill, who is kind by nature, levelheaded most of the time, and acutely aware that she's a role model, constantly observed but no more saintly than most other 18-year-olds. Readers will hope for sequels to this unusual and engaging novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)