Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles and Kate Jackson

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Aurora County All-Stars
Available from Amazon
Price: $22.80
Updated on 11-5-2008.

Features

Reading level: Ages 9-12

Audio CD

Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition (August 14, 2007)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0739348833

ISBN-13: 978-0739348833

Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches

Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces ()

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Batter up! National Book Award finalist Wiles (Each Little Bird That Sings) delivers the third book set in her fictional Aurora County—a more boy-friendly read than its predecessors, with plenty of talk about baseball and what constitutes a stalwart team. Twelve-year-old House Jackson, the Aurora County All-Stars captain and star pitcher, has slogged through the preceding year with an out-of-commission elbow. Instead of playing baseball, he's spent most of his time indoors, reading the classics to an old recluse, Mr. Norwood Rhinehart Beauregard Boyd. But when Mr. Boyd dies, House is reminded of his itch to play. Unfortunately, the All-Stars' only game of the year is scheduled for the same day as Aurora County's 200th anniversary pageant, an event directed by pesky 14-year-old Frances Shotz, the girl who broke House's elbow. After a series of minor mishaps, betrayals and bouts of miscommunication, House and Frances work out a hilarious compromise that all readers can root for. In the spirit of Ernest Thayer's poem, Casey at the Bat, the energy during the game mounts, and sports fans will be on the edge of their seats to see which team triumphs. Quotations from Walt Whitman's poetry, baseball players and Aurora County news dispatches pepper the story and add color; Love, Ruby Lavender fans will enjoy Ruby's fortuitous cameo. A home run for Wiles. Ages 10-up. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile
Kate Jackson takes on the role of an expert storyteller, pausing to let listeners savor Wiless rich wordplay, then rushing enthusiastically at more dramatic points. Her performance transports listeners to slow-moving Aurora County, Mississippi, for Wiless third saga about this caring community. This time the central character is 12-year-old House Jackson, popular pitcher for the Aurora County All-Stars. Out of commission for a year because of a badly broken elbow, hes been secretly reading classics to 88-year-old Norwood Boyd, the town recluse, who is dying. Jacksons slow pace lets listeners enter the contemplative mind of House, who must sort out his feelings when responsibility, loyalty, and truth become blurred. S.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Reader Reviews
This review is from: The Aurora County All-Stars (Hardcover) Deb Wiles is one of those children's book authors that can touch your soul, warm your heart, and teach you a lesson all at the same time. This story takes place in Hallelujah Mississippi, like "Love, Ruby Lavender" and "Each Little Bird that Sings." However, although the main characters from previous stories each make appearances, it is House Jackson, a young boy who is the focus here. House is a boy who loves baseball and in addition hides a secret he shares with only his father about a mysterious man. In addition, Ms. Wiles deals with discrimination without being too heavy handed about it. As always the names of her characters have hidden meanings and references so see if you can catch them. I also learned that Walt Whitman, poet extraordinaire, was a huge fan of baseball. Who knew... As a librarian and a lover of children's literature I strongly recommend this books for all readers 8 years old and up. Ms. Wiles offers a story that will suck you in while challenging you to think about all that is going on.

Aurora County All-Stars
List Price: $30.00
Available from Amazon
Price: $22.80
Updated on 11-5-2008.