about the book
Nick has recovered from polio, but now the only way he can walk is with a heavy leg brace…which means he can no longer possibly be the best pitcher in youth league. Which means his father will never be able to look at him the same way again.
Nick finds that the only way for him to still be close to his love, baseball, is to start working for Mr. Churchill. He sells programs at the semi-pro team owned by Mr. Churchill, which happens to be the team Nick’s dad plays on. It is also the team which has hired Satchel Paige for the summer—Satchel Paige, the Negro League star. The team has been integrated for the summer, and very few people like the idea. This is 1935, after all…
Nick is ostracized for his disabilities. Satchel is ostracized for the color of his skin. The two befriend one another, and Satchel quickly shows Nick how he can, through dedication and hard work, overcome any obstacle.
But a bad leg? Nick isn’t so sure. As the Churchills march toward a national tournament, Nick works against the odds to become a pitcher again.
about the author
How could a man raised in Boston—therefore an avid Red Sox fan—write a book about the New York Yankees? Only if that man was born in New York—deep roots run strong—and that man is Wes Tooke.
After taking a writing class in college Wes began to be interested in becoming a professional writer of some kind. He went on to get jobs in editing, writing features for different publications, and consulting on a variety of projects. In that time he got to do some cool traveling—he went to Switzerland, Afghanistan, and Cambodia.
Now Wes has settled down in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter, who love to play soccer and go hiking and skiing with him—his favorite things.
Source:
Author website
Book trailer: King of the Mound
Also by Wes Tooke:
Lucky : Maris, Mantle, and My Best Summer Ever. Simon & Schuster. 2010.
read more!
Lucky : Maris, Mantle, and My Best Summer Ever by Wes Tooke
Louis isn’t that great a ball player, but he loves baseball more than anyone else he knows, certainly more than his jock stepbrother and the bullies in his neighborhood. So when he is given the chance to be bat boy for the 1961 Yankees, it is a dream come true! He is about to learn a lot about life… and about baseball.
Satch & Me : A Baseball Card Adventure by Dan Gutman
Who was the fastest baseball pitcher ever? When Joe’s coach brings a radar gun to baseball practice, the team wants to know the answer. Coach Flip is sure it was famous Negro league pitcher Satchel Page. With Joe’s ability to travel through time using baseball cards, he and Coach Flip travel to 1942 South Carolina to visit the talented player.
Something to Prove : The Great Satchel Paige Vs. the Rookie Joe Dimaggio by Robert Skead
In 1936, the Yankees had just hired rookie Joe DiMaggio, and they wanted to test his mettle. They set up a game between themselves and the Satchel Paige All-Stars. Satchel Paige was the best and fastest pitcher of his day; how would Joe DiMaggio bat against him. What a great match it turned out to be!