The Rhino in Right Field

By Stacy DeKeyser

A boy faces a rhino and family expectations to chase his baseball dream.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 672 ratings

288 pages· 46,152 words· Est. 6.5 hour read

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Bookroo's summary

Nick dreams of becoming a batboy, but his immigrant parents and a rhino named Tank stand in his way. With a contest on the same day he works at his dad's shop, Nick must navigate lies, blackmail, and a school bully. Practicing with his friend Ace and a new girl, he battles fear and obstacles to reach his American dream. Can Nick overcome the odds and win the contest, or will life's curveballs strike him out?

From the publisher

A boy who loves baseball must get past his hard-working immigrant parents—and the rhino in the outfield—to become a batboy in this laugh-out-loud middle-grade novel in the tradition of The Sandlot.

At a glance

Format
Pages: 288
Words: 46,152
Reading age: 8–12
Audience: Middle Grade
Lexile: 630L

Themes & topics

Books about jobs and careers Books about baseball Books about animals Books about bullying Books about friendship

For the grown-ups

The parent guide

What families may want to know

Every family reads differently. These are the concepts our editors noticed in this book — worth seeking out for some readers, worth knowing about for others. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's a spoiler-light head start.

Sex

This book includes a reference to a "cheesecake magazine" of an older brother of the main character. When one of the girl characters explains a lady's misconception that if a woman played baseball she wouldn't be able to have babies, the main character, a 12-year-old boy, is likewise skeptical and writes, "I have to admit: I'm not too swift on the female anatomy, though you can't say I haven't tried. One time I happened to find a cheesecake magazine in Uncle Spiro's room, but I only got a peek at a leg and some garters before he walked in and hollered at me to get out of his room forever."

Good to know

Stories behind the story

Where did you originally get the idea for this book?

This book was inspired by the stories my dad told about his childhood. He and his friends played in the city zoo in the 1940s.

Were there any pivotal changes that your story/illustrations underwent throughout the writing/editing process?

It started out as a story about a kid who wanted to win a yo-yo contest. My editor said that baseball would be more fun to read about than yo-yos. She was right!

During which stage of the ideation/creation process did you know that this particular idea was going to go somewhere?

About halfway through the second draft, when I realized what the ending should be.

Did a particular person/animal inspire the creation of Nick?

Nick is absolutely a version of my dad (whose name is also Nick). His Uncle Spiro is based (very loosely) on my real Uncle Spiro, and Nick's parents are my grandparents. Even their last name, Spirakis, was my grandmother's maiden name.

Did kids really play baseball in a zoo?

Yes! The zoo in the book is modeled after the Washington Park Zoo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's true that the animals were almost close enough to touch.

For readers who can't stop at one