Out of Left Field (Gordon Family Saga #3)

A grand slam in every way.

In her newest novel, set against the backdrop of the space race, acclaimed historical fiction author Klages returns in fine form.

Gr 4-7--"Keep asking questions. Never settle for being ordinary." Katy Gordon is anything but ordinary. She's got a special Sunday pitch that will strike out just about anybody, but her local Little League won't let her on the team just because she's a girl. Katy sets out to change their minds; after all, it's 1957 and the world is changing. To back up her legal argument (including a phone call with an ACLU lawyer), she uncovers the history of the All-American Girls Baseball League during WWII, the Bloomer Girls teams of the 1890s, and the young women who played in the Negro Leagues throughout the 1940s and 50s. Spurred on by her intelligent and independent single mother, Katy incorporates all of these forgotten women into a school project. Whenever Katy makes a new discovery, her excitement is contagious. The 1957 setting, a particularly tumultuous year for the U.S., is incorporated seamlessly into the narrative. The narrative, though rich in details, never gets bogged down. This title also includes substantial back matter, such as a list of female ballplayers, an author's note, a glossary of baseball terms, and further recommended reading. Klages gives Katy a strong voice and helps spotlight the history of marginalized women in sports history. VERDICT Featuring powerful female characters, this is historical fiction that doesn't drag for a second. A fine purchase.--Kerri Williams, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Ten-year-old Kathleen Curie Gordon's knuckling curveball is so good it wins her a Little League tryout--wearing her cap, Katy can pass as a boy. She makes the team but is outed by another player's parent; it's 1957 and league rules expressly prohibit girls. Klages interweaves Katy's story with the current events she's studying in fifth grade: the space race, desegregation, and the move of the Giants from New York to San Francisco, where they displace Katy's favorite team, the minor league Seals. When Katy decides to write her history paper on women in baseball (in part to refute the league official's claim that baseball "has always been the sole province of male athletes"), she uncovers a trove of information about female stars. Katy's mom, a chemistry professor who has faced her own discrimination battles, is particularly well drawn, as she empowers her daughter to fight injustice. By the time she affirms, "Other people's rules about what girls can and cannot do have never applied in this house," whether Katy gets to play or not is somewhat less important than what she has learned about resistance. Ages 8-12. (May)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"There are writers with unique voices and important things to say about people of all kinds and shapes and minds. Ellen Klages is one of those writers. Ignore her at your peril."—Neil Gaiman, author of Newbery Award winner The Graveyard Book

"Out of Left Field shows us, with heart and precision, what it really takes to make the world change. Katy Gordon is my hero. She's your hero, too."—William Alexander, National Book Award winner

"Heartwarming, fresh, and full of surprises. Readers of all ages will cheer for funny, feisty Katy Gordon as she chases her big-league dreams. Ellen Klages hits this one out of the park!"—Jennifer L. Holm, three-time Newbery Honor recipient

"They say that history is written by the winners. I say hidden histories, like the one ten-year-old Katy Gordon uncovers in this book, are writ large by winning authors like Ellen Klages. A book that's part sports, part rabble-rousing activism, and all around amazing."—Betsy Bird, School Library Journal blogger and editor of Funny Girl

A Junior Library Guild selection

Selected praise for Ellen Klages's previous middle grade novels:

"An intense but accessible page-turner. . . . History and story are drawn together with confidence."—The Horn Book, starred review

"Klages has a gift for opening moral dilemmas to middle-graders. First-rate historical fiction."—Publishers Weekly, starred review