The Brooklyn Nine in The Horn Book

Editor Liz has been a font of good news lately! Here's a great review of The Brooklyn Nine she sent along from venerable children's book magazine The Horn Book:

After a pair of Horatio Wilkes mysteries (Something Rotten and Something Wicked), Gratz returns to the subject of his debut novel, Samurai Shortstop, with these interlinked short stories, offering snapshots of nine generations of a New York City family and their involvement with America's favorite pastime. German immigrant Felix Schneider watches the New York Knickerbockers play an early version of baseball before getting caught up in their firefighting efforts (1845). Louis Schneider plays baseball between Civil War battles and finds a kindred spirit, surprisingly, in a Confederate uniform (1864). Walter, whose father has changed their surname to the less Jewish-sounding Snider, rails against the prejudices within baseball against Jews and African Americans (1908). Kat Flint, a professional women's league ball player, greets the end of the war with mixed feelings (1945). Michael Flint pitches a perfect Little League game (1981). And Snider Flint plays the detective with an interesting piece of sports memorabilia (2002). With an impressively cohesive mix of sports, historical fiction, and family history, Gratz has crafted a wonderful baseball book that is more than the sum of its parts.

Thanks Horn Book!