Play Ball!

Christina Pike is a member of the Evaluation Division, Department of
Education, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

In Book 1, set on the east side of New York City in 1910, 11-year-old
Rosie tries to pass as a 16-year-old in order to cover for her very ill
mother at the sewing factory. When one of the nearby sewing factories
collapses, Rosie joins the other workers who go on strike. In Book 2,
things have changed dramatically over the winter, with Rosie’s family
moving to Chicago. Now 12, the preteen didn’t make any friends over
the summer, but hopes to make some at school.

Rosie’s brother, Abe, plays baseball and is completely caught up in
the rivalry between two competing baseball teams—the Chavarims and the
Tigers. When the star player of the Chavarims gets hurt just before the
final game, Rosie disguises herself as a guy and steps in to take his
place. She has a stronger arm than most boys and nothing’s going to
stop her.

More than a story about baseball, Play Ball! is also about chauvinism
and what a female can and cannot do. Matas challenges her readers to go
back in time to when not everyone was treated equally and asks the
question, is it any different now? A good read. Recommended.