Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park

Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, the entire New York Yankees team... the 50's were a great time to be a baseball fan in New York, whether you were a Dodgers, Giants or Yankees fan. Of course, Maggie Fortini doesn't see it that way, because her team, the Dodgers, always fall just short of winning the world series. Maggie, already the Dodgers' biggest fan, becomes an even more ardent supporter when she learns to keep score from one of the guys down at her dad's fire station- Jim (a Giants fan yuck!). Maggie and Jim quickly become close friends because of their shared interest in baseball. So much so, that even after Jim is drafted and sent to Korea, Maggie writes him letter after letter. But when the letters abruptly stop coming Maggie wonders were they ever really friends at all?

A great book, Maggie's character is instantly lovable and I really got into the whole baseball thing when I was reading the book (I still kinda want to learn how to keep score). Recommend this one to sports fans (especially female sports fans) grades 5 to 9.

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by Patrick