Phil Bildner

I honestly had never considered that the high-five gesture had an inventor, someone who did it for the very first time. Fascinating, then, to learn about the man behind the high-five, about how he made his mark in history, but also the heartbreaking truth of how the world treated him as a gay Black man in American professional sports. The story and the art don't shy away from the painful parts; I don't think I've ever seen a picture book state directly that a person died of AIDS (let alone show more the central subject of the book). But it's an important fact, as were the details about particular other people who were involved in driving Burke out of what he loved. The author's note and bibliography are wonderful additions. show less

After enjoying a baseball game at Yankee Stadium, Gideon gets separated from his family in the crowd, and somehow finds his way behind the scenes, to the employee-only section of the stadium. Here he meets a series of anthropomorphized, talking objects, from the tools used to clean the ball-field to the balls and bats used to play the game, to the food consumed by the spectators. Gideon asks each group of objects how to find his family, eventually finding his way to Monument Park, where the show more Babe Ruth monument directs him, he meets Derek Jeter, and is then reunited with his family.

I cannot say, all told, that I was that impressed by Derek Jeter Presents: Night at the Stadium, which is described on the front dust-jacket flap as "Night at the Museum meets Alice in Wonderland." Although not a huge baseball fan, I do appreciate engaging sports stories, but the narrative here just felt flat and uninteresting to me. I didn't find the antics of the various anthropomorphized objects amusing, I wasn't that thrilled when Gideon got to meet Mr. Jeter, and I couldn't summon much enthusiasm when he was finally reunited with his family. The text just failed to evoke much of a response at all, and I found the digital artwork flat and unappealing. The only thing I did like, which prompted me to give two stars instead of three, was that artist Tom Booth depicted a bi-racial family in his illustrations. I'm probably not the ideal audience for this one, but I would imagine that even rabid baseball fans could do better... show less

Agay black baseball player posthumously inspires a sixth grade white boy who is ready-ish to come out.

Baseball enthusiast Silas Wade opens the book by giving a colorful class presentation about Glenn Burke. Burke was a once-well-known major league player who invented the high-five and eventually left the sport after enduring isolation and harassment for being gay. Silas leaves that last part out, but heralding his hero in front of a crowd is the silent start of his own coming out. Further show more testing the waters, he tells his best friend, Zoey (a champion robot builder), he’s gay and finds that there’s a bouncy kind of freedom that comes from saying who he really is. Inspirational YouTube videos encourage Silas to come out to Coach Webb, an adult who embodies the understanding, guidance, protection, and encouragement that all queer kids should have. But when Silas gets nervous about everything changing and wants to backpedal into the closet, circumstances put him at a crossroads: continue to lie for self-preservation or live out loud like Glenn Burke wasn’t able to. Silas is white, but Zoey has a Spanish surname, and his baseball teammates and one coach are black and brown. (One notable moment includes an explanation from the coaches about why monkey insults are racist.) As the narrative foundation is established, there are overt explanations of settings and characters that aren’t additive, but these superfluous tendencies dissolve about 50 pages in. Insights into Silas’ home life feel bittersweet and real with parents fumbling to do the best they can, but Silas’ struggle is the central story.

Beleaguered tolerance strikes out; loud, proud love wins the game. (Fiction. 10-12)

-Kirkus Review show less

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Here's the beginning of great new series for kids. BARNSTORMERS: THE TALES OF THE TRAVELIN' NINE is written by Phil Bildner and illustrated by Loren Long.

Set in 1899, BARNSTORMERS brings historic baseball to life for readers. The story centers around three siblings, Griffith, Ruby, and Graham. Still recovering from the death of their father, the three children are traveling with the colorful ball team, the Travelin' Nine. Their show more exhibition games are meant to earn money to pay the debts left behind after the death of their father.

Adding excitement to the story is a mysterious baseball given to the children by their father's brother, Uncle Owen. The baseball has seen better days, but its torn stitching and acorn-sized hole seem to promise miraculous things if the siblings keep it close during these trying times. Could it be the baseball that causes the crazy visions the team sees on the field as they play ball?

Bildner creates a wonderful picture of the past as he takes readers through the team's first game against Cincinnati. With historical baseball terminology explained in the margins, kids of today are treated to a magical glimpse into the history of early baseball. The lyrical text does not talk down to younger readers, but instead challenges them to read and appreciate Bildner's engaging style. Add in the mystical illustrations of Loren Long, and I can't wait to see the story continue. show less