Title: King of the Mound: My Summer With Satchel Paige
Author: Wes Tooke
Major Themes: Baseball, Satchel Paige, Racism, Civil Rights, African Americans, Disabilities
Synopsis: At the same time that Nick is trying to regain his ability to play baseball, Satchel Paige is facing discrimination—can both overcome these obstacles?
King of the Mound is another book I bought on clearance from Sonlight several years ago, intending to read it someday. Last month, I went through the shelves and pulled all the books that were available for circulation but which either my daughter or I hadn’t read yet, and stacked them in my bedroom. It was a rather scary stack. Then, when one of the boys needed to choose a read-aloud the next week, I sent him to that stack, and this is the one he chose. Perfect!
Publisher’s description:
When Nick is released from the hospital after suffering from polio, he is sure that his father will never look at him in the same way again. Once the best pitcher in youth league, Nick now walks with a limp and is dependent on a heavy leg brace. He isn’t sure he will ever return to the mound, never mind be the star he once was.
When Nick starts working for Mr. Churchill, the owner of the semiprofessional team Nick’s dad plays for, he meets Satchel Paige, arguably the best pitcher in the world. Not allowed in the major leagues because of his skin color, Satchel teaches Nick that some things can be overcome with hard work and dedication, and that just because you’re down, you are most certainly not out.
As Satchel and his unique teammates barnstorm toward a national baseball tournament, Nick wonders if he can really overcome what seems like the impossible and pitch again.
My thoughts:
I wasn’t sure we would like King of the Mound. My children have played baseball a few times, but don’t know a lot about the game, and this book centers around it. There is so much more to this story than just baseball, though. We got the first hint of one of the main themes when Satchel Paige was pulled over by a policeman and accused of stealing just because he was black and driving a nice car. (A couple of days after we read that scene, something came up in conversation about racism, prejudice, and the Civil Rights movement, and one of my teenagers made the connection. Win!) Throughout the rest of the book, we see how various players and teams were treated just because of their color.
Another theme is overcoming disability. Because of polio, Nick could not do everything he once did—but did he have to accept that as a permanent fact, or could he overcome it? And what about his father, who was not the same man as before his wife died. Could he overcome his grief and move on with life? As I said, there is a lot to this story. What a treat! It would be great for anyone who loves baseball—and for anyone else who is interested in the human experience, as well. I know we all enjoyed it, and I would guess most families would.
WARNING: Chapter 7: Jeez, man drinking moonshine, what the heck. Chapter 8: Heck. Chapter 10: People yelling insults at black players. Chapter 14: Lord Almighty. Chapter 16: Darned.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, 10 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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