Painting the Game

By Patricia MacLachlan

A girl secretly trains to master baseball, torn between her passion and her father's shadow.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 188 ratings

144 pages· 16,312 words· Est. 2.5 hour read

$16.99Save 6%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Lucy dreams of mastering the perfect knuckleball, but fears her skills will never match her professional pitcher father. As she practices in secret, she grapples with the pressure of living up to his legacy and the loneliness of his absence. This summer, Lucy must decide if she can step out of the shadows and prove her worth on her own terms. Will she find the courage to reveal her talent to her family, or will her fears keep her hidden? Discover Lucy's journey of self-discovery and determination in this heartfelt tale.

From the publisher

In this middle grade novel by Newbery Award-winning author Patricia MacLachlan in her “signature lyric language delivered in spare but satisfying prose” (Booklist), a young girl tries to untangle her love of baseball from her complicated relationship with her professional pitcher father. Lucy’s father is a minor league baseball player, a professional pitcher hoping to get called up to the majors, and Lucy inherited his passion for the game. But she’s never played pitcher. She worries her skills would be compared to her dad’s and she’d never measure up. And his pitching may mean big things for his career and their family, but it’s also what keeps him away from home so much of the year. Sometimes, Lucy isn’t sure what would be worse: being bad at pitching or being great. Still, this summer, Lucy wants to learn to throw the perfect knuckleball. She wakes up at the crack of dawn to practice in secret, without her friends Tex and Robin–or even the goats who watch them play. Even as she trains relentlessly, Lucy wonders if she’ll ever feel brave enough to share her progress with her mom or dad. Can she prove to them, and herself, that she has what it takes?

At a glance