Fast Pitch

Fast Pitch
Nic Stone
Crown, August, 2021
192 pages
Grades 4-7
Sports/Mystery

Shenice is determined to lead her all-black softball team to the championship, only family distractions are getting in the way. Coming from a family legacy of ball players, Shenice has the sport in her blood. Former player, Dad, takes her upstairs to her late grandfather's hidden attic where she is shown his memorabilia trunk from his own ball playing days. A mystery is revealed about great-grandfather Jon-Jon, a player in the negro leagues who was accused of stealing an important baseball glove and kicked out of the sport. Did he really steal it or was the accusation racially motivated? Light is shed from an elderly uncle, who Shanice did not even know existed. The uncle leads her to a deserted house to try to find the glove in question. Shanie's safety is in jeopardy as she attempts to uncover the secrets to the past, all while trying to stay focused as team captain. This is not always easy as the Fulton Firebirds face all-white teams with racist intentions. Luckily, a supportive coach, good friends, and a tight family will help to see her through.

Stone is best known for her teen work, yet made her critically-acclaimed middle grade debut last year with Clean Getaway.  Scoob from the aforementioned novel makes an appearance as Shanice's friend in this book, drawing in previous readers. Sports fans will be drawn to this title, especially girls who are often not represented in this genre. The mystery fleshes out the plot, and though not always plausible, keeps the reader guessing and turning pages. As in her other works, Stone weaves racism throughout the plot both in the past and in contemporary times. Shanice needs to prove that black girls belong in the world of softball, just as her great-grandfather had to defend his place decades previous. Stone nails Shanice's voice and the story reads quickly and easily. There were a few plot points, such as how did Shanice never question the locked attic in her house, why was her great-grandfather's neighborhood abandoned, and the impossibility of the glove still being there under the floorboards completely preserved, that I questioned. Readers will not care if some of the story if farfetched. They will be along for the ride with Stone and cheering for Shanice the whole way.