A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins

Baseball stories, especially middle grade ones, bring me back to learning to play baseball by my amazing mom who pitched on an all-boys team growing up. She was tough and amazing and I strive daily to be like her.

Yesterday I read A Rambler Steals Home by Carter Higgins (out Feb 2017). Everything about this story took me to the ballpark, and most especially, took me into the main character Derby's heart. As a rambler, moving in town to town depending on the season, I yearned for her to have a home, to have a place not on wheels. This is a well-crafted story with the wonderful little details that truly bring a story to life. All the characters were as big as life (and their names are fabulous. The only typical name is Peter the turtle!). I would have loved to be there for Rally Day, to splash in the creek, to make friends of my enemies, to race a turtle, to watch the sweetness of the 5th inning grounds run, and to taste those sweet potato fries.

Congratulations to Carter on a wonderful debut. I'm looking forward to more amazing stories from you. I'm on the hunt for a 2017 penny to make my wish.

From Goodreads: Eleven-year-old Derby Christmas Clark is a rambler of the road. She travels year-round in an RV with her father and younger brother, selling Christmas trees during the cold months and burgers and fries during baseball season. Derby always did prefer grease splatters to hauling trees, so she’s excited that summer will take her back to small town Ridge Creek, the Rockskippers, her best friend, and her surrogate mom, June. But this summer, a tragedy has changed Ridge Creek—and as Derby tries to help those she loves, long-held secrets are revealed. This warm-hearted southern debut is perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Sheila Turnage.

I also wanted to give a shoutout to our wonderful Stacy Mozer! Today is the release of The Perfect Trip! It's the second in her Sweet Spot series about baseball. Congrats Stacy!