A Girl Named Dan

“A Girl Named Dan” was a great book with a message of your gender shouldn’t affect what you are able to do. Throughout this book I enjoyed the illustrations for the were done in a pastel type of color. Which gave me the feeling of being at a baseball field for most parts. I was also astonished as to how the author captured the emotions of the main character Dan. I also love this book was actually about the author and that was something that the reader didn’t find out till the end. I also like the authors use of emotion conveyed through her words. For Dan switches favorite team after she can’t be the “bat boy”. This conveyed that she was angry with the team without having to say it.

As a young girl, I have only seen a few books that allow the female to be the hero. The girl is usually the damsel in distress, or the brains side kick that comes up wit the plan that the guy protagonist takes credit for. This book puts antifeminism to rest.By using the young and powerful "Dan" to tell the story of sex discrimination in something as small as baseball, not only is a story worth reading but a powerful message to young readers both young and old. The story lets us see in illustrations of Dan's emotions as well as in words in the text how innovative and strong Dan is in her ability to overcome sexism and be able to actually enjoy the one thing that brings her happiness.

The genre of this book is biographical, as it was written as a first-hand experience by the author. She tells the story of herself as a little girl, and was stopped from playing baseball because of her gender. When she won a "boys only" writing contest, she was still stopped from being a "batgirl", but kept playing with the neighbor boys.

My favorite part of this book was the plot. As a reader, I expected that Dandi, aka Dan, would be to be the first female batboy for the Kansas City A’s, but instead she was not awarded the position because the officials found out she was a girl. This made the message of the book even stronger because the reader could feel the emotions of Dan as she was rejected from a position she desperately wanted based on her gender. I loved the main character in this book. She is better at baseball than some of the boys in her neighborhood, yet she still faces discrimination. When she does not get to become the batboy, she still continues to play baseball. Her strong will and competitive nature is inspiring to young women who face similar show more discriminations. The purpose of this book is to show how females were unequally treated in sports before Title IX was implemented. show less

A pre-Title-IX story about a young tomboy who, although she plays a better game, is left out because she is a girl. The girls name is Dandy but everyone calls her Dan. She day dreams of being a superstar baseball player. After school she races home to change out of her dress, that she is required to wear to school. She runs back to the field only to be turned down because she is a girl. She finds out that the Kansas City A's are looking for a new batboy and there is going to be an essay contest to win the spot. Dan gets excited but then finds out the contest is for boys only. She enters the contest anyway as Dan. She wins but once they find out she is a girl they told her she couldn't win and that rules are rules. She received a jacket, show more cap, and a bat instead. She continued to play baseball with the boys and out scored them most of the time.
Cute story. A true story none the less. The illustrations were very old-timey, like of the period she was writing in. A good girls can do anything book, but I was disappointed that she didn't get to be the batboy. I wanted a happier ending. It ended somewhat abruptly. show less

This is another multicultural book that I found very inspiring. The story is about a girl who really liked playing baseball and doing things that mostly boys like to do. This is an interesting book because it discusses gender roles and the importance of self-acceptance. I like how the main character is a girl trying to join a "boys only" sport. She tries to submit an essay so she can be a bat boy for the professional baseball team and doesn't even realize that the contest is for boys only. I like this book because it is a topic that is rarely discussed in classic children's literature. I think it is important to have books that are about gender roles and how it is alright for girls and boys to do things that do not necessarily fit the norm.

This is about a little girl named Dandi who is a tomboy. Dan loves to play baseball and desperately wants to be a bat boy for the Kansas City A's. Not realizing this contest is only open to boys, she submits an essay. Dan's essay won the contest, but when they found out she was a girl, she was disqualified. This story really shows how far women's rights have developed and the fairness of equality that we have now.