The Toilet Paper Tigers

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax.

The nine boys left over after every other coach has had his pick fall to
a science professor who knows nothing about baseball and offered to
coach only because his 12-year-old granddaughter was staying with him
and he wanted to provide her with friends. This is the story of how the
granddaughter, by using extremely unorthodox methods, helps the team
advance from last place into first. It is told from the point of view of
the player who is most resistant to her methods, but who eventually
appreciates her efforts on behalf of the team.

This is a wonderful read, fast-paced, exciting, and very funny. And it
is much more than simply an underdog team-makes-good story; each of the
nine boys has a chapter devoted to his personal circumstances and the
individual strengths of each are emphasized. This novel could be
effectively used to teach the values of compromise, cooperation, and
generosity, and the importance of individual self-expression. The
granddaughter is a female authority figure who succeeds in influencing a
male preserve, the Little League baseball team. Readers of all ages will
identify with this charismatic, funny, and strong heroine. Highly
recommended.