Twelve-year-old Shenice is captain of her softball team, the Fulton Firebirds, which happens to be the only all-Black softball team in her league. Baseball runs in her blood and she’s determined to prove that girls like her belong on the field. When Shenice learns that her Great-Grampy JonJon may have been banned from the MLB many years ago for a crime he didn’t commit, Shenice finds herself distracted from her team and their goal of winning the Fastpitch World Series as she works to uncover the truth. This heartfelt yet action-packed sports story is not to be missed.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone comes a challenging and heartwarming coming-of-age story about a softball player looking to prove herself on and off the field.
Shenice Lockwood, captain of the Fulton Firebirds, is hyper-focused when she steps up to the plate. Nothing can stop her from leading her team to the U12 fast-pitch softball regional championship. But life has thrown some curveballs her way.
Strike one: As the sole team of all-brown faces, Shenice and the Firebirds have to work twice as hard to prove that Black girls belong at bat.
Strike two: Shenice’s focus gets shaken when her great-uncle Jack reveals that a career-ending—and family-name-ruining—crime may have been a setup.
Strike three: Broken focus means mistakes on the field. And Shenice’s teammates are beginning to wonder if she’s captain-qualified.
It's up to Shenice to discover the truth about her family’s past—and fast—before secrets take the Firebirds out of the game forever.
Number of Pages: 192
Dimensions: 146 x 217 x 19mm
