The Rule of Three
by Heather Murphy Capps (Author)
When the rules no longer apply, how do you keep your head in the game? Wyatt has a three-part Plan for Life, and it starts now, at the beginning of seventh grade, with tryouts for his local travel baseball team. A biracial kid in a mostly white town, he's always felt like a bit of an outsider. The baseball field is the only place where he feels like he truly belongs. If he can just make the team, everything else will fall into place: school, friends, even his relationship with his often-distant dad.
But after upsetting incidents at tryouts, something inexplicable happens: wisps of smoke form around Wyatt.
As Wyatt tries to figure out what's causing this mysterious smoke and how to control it, he discovers it's connected to a painful family history. The more he learns, the more Wyatt begins to question the rules he's always followed to fit in. With tensions rising at school and on the field, can he face the injustices of the past while keeping his cool in the present?
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Publishers Weekly
Baseball with a fantastical twist frames this noteworthy novel by Capps (Indigo and Ida), who delves into issues of racism and generational trauma. Biracial (Black and Mexican) seventh grader Wyatt Cash has his life mapped out in three steps: 1) Make the travel baseball team with his best friend Dallas (who is of unspecified Indigenous heritage); 2) Play on the varsity team in high school; and 3) Play Division 1 college baseball. But daily instances of racism in his Minnesotan town trigger stress, which manifests in a paranormal manner for Wyatt--smoke seeps from his hands and feet in a way that's like his father's and grandfather's own stress response. Wyatt tries dealing independently with the anxious feelings brought about by frequent racist acts, a decision that distances him from Dallas. After an emotional crisis following an anti-Black incident at school prompts Wyatt and his family to start attending therapy, Wyatt's Black father's own story unfolds with growing urgency during the sessions. Capps incorporates real-life events--as discussed in an author's note--to tell an illuminating tale that utilizes a physical manifestation of trauma to effectively demonstrate the compounding results of racism across generations. Ages 11-14. Agent: Shannon Hassan, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Aug.)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Kirkus
A would-be star athlete faces bullying and racism in this traumatic story that’s given an optimistic spin.
Review quotes
"Heather Murphy Capps has written another powerful, well-researched, insightful book, and Wyatt's authentic voice shines through as a hero you can't help but cheer on."—Isi Hendrix, Author of Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans
JUV039120 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Prejudice & Racism
Racially mixed people
Psychic trauma
Novels
Magic realist fiction
