Well written story of how a girl buck the odds and keeps her father's memory alive by using the knuckleball he taught her to become a pitcher on the school baseball team. Aided by her super smart best friend and the quiet boy, Lonnie, who becomes her personal catcher, she finds the strength to let go of lingering grief over her father's unexpected death, as well as the chauvinistic attitude of some team mates. I really like the characters and the way this story ends. ( )

Molly is an eighth grader who recently lost her father in a car accident. When he was alive, her dad played catch and watched baseball with her. He also taught her some pitching fundamentals, including how to throw a knuckleball (AKA The Butterfly Pitch). Rather than try out for softball the spring after he dies, Molly decides to try out for the baseball team. The boys baseball team.

This book really resonates with me. My dad and I bonded over the Chicago Cubs and APBA when I was a kid. We also used to play catch in the backyard (football in the fall, softball in the spring). He never taught me to pitch, but he did teach me to really understand and love the game. We had a lot of other things in common, but sports was a big one. He was also a journalist, as was Molly's dad. My dad died five years ago. I still miss and think about him constantly, especially in April, when baseball season starts. ( )

This book follows the struggles of a girl named Molly who just lost her father and feels distant in her relationship with her mother. To overcome this, she decided to join her 8th grade baseball team, which only has boys, after her father taught her to throw a knuckleball. This is a fantastic read for middle school and high school students as the emotional complexities of loss are explored here as well as themes of perseverance and grit that will serve them well as they develop into adults. ( )

Wordy and not subtle. Everything had to be said clearly and repeatedly so that the point was made. (Like I just did.)

The knuckleball wasn't just a pitch. It was an attitude toward life; it was a way of being in the world. It was a philosophy." You see, with all the showing that is also being done in the novel, one of those three sentences would have been sufficient for the telling.

What Cochrane should have done to fill up the pages was do more with the characters of Molly's mom and her best friend. They were interesting, but we only saw their surfaces. The whole novel was about surfaces; I never really felt anything in my heart." ( )

This book had me at the start - a dad and his daughter bonding through baseball. Before my daughter was born, I told my wife that a knuckle ball would take her to the big leagues. And that's what the dad in this book taught to Molly. I'll be darned. I'm not the only one with that crazy dream! And I learned why knuckle ball pitchers wear 49 - to honor Hoyt Wilhelm. Thanks Mick Cochrane! ( )