Children's Fiction Baseball & Softball
Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh
- Publisher
- Lee & Low Books
- Initial publish date
- Jun 2017
- Category
- Baseball & Softball
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781600602610
- Publish Date
- Jun 2017
- List Price
- $25.95
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 8 to 12
- Grade: 3 to 7
Description
Nine—year—old Maria Singh longs to play softball in the first—ever girls' team forming in Yuba City, California. It's the spring of 1945, and World War II is dragging on. Miss Newman, Maria's teacher, is inspired by Babe Ruth and the All—American Girls' League to start a girls' softball team at their school.
Meanwhile, Maria's parents — Papi from India and Mam� from Mexico — can no longer protect their children from prejudice and from the discriminatory laws of the land. When the family is on the brink of losing their farm, Maria must decide if she has what it takes to step up and find her voice in an unfair world.
In this fascinating middle grade novel, award—winning author Uma Krishnaswami sheds light on a little—known chapter of American history set in a community whose families made multicultural choices before the word had been invented.
About the author
Uma Krishnaswami's inspiration for this book came from her memory of planting a mango seed as a child and seeing it grow into a tree, and also from a news story about people who planted trees in potholes. She has written many children's books, from picture books to middle grade readers to retellings of classic tales and myths, including Bringing Asha Home (CCBC Choices), The Happiest Tree (Paterson Prize finalist, CCBC Choices, Bank Street College Best Books), Naming Maya (IRA Notable Books for a Global Society) and Chachaji's Cup (Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, Bank Street College Best Books). Her latest middle grade novel, The Grand Plan to Fix Everything, published by Atheneum, received starred reviews in Kirkus and School Library Journal. She teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts in the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and is an active blogger. Uma was born in New Delhi, India, and now lives in Aztec, New Mexico.
