Warrior on the Mound

By Sandra W. Headen

A baseball game decides the fate of a racially divided town.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 147 ratings

272 pages· 59,492 words· Est. 8.5 hour read

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Bookroo's summary

In 1935 North Carolina, young Cato dreams of baseball glory and meeting his hero, Satchel Paige. But when he and his friends practice on a whites-only field, racial tensions ignite. As the community teeters on the brink of violence, a high-stakes game between Black and white teams becomes the only path to peace. Can Cato's team win and change their world? Discover a tale of dreams, injustice, and the power of dialogue in a segregated South.

From the publisher

This intense, evocative story of racial unrest in prewar North Carolina ends with a dramatic match between white and Black little league teams. 1935. Twelve-year-old Cato wants nothing more than to play baseball, perfect his pitch, and meet Mr. Satchel Paige–the best pitcher in Negro League baseball. But when he and his teammates “trespass” on their town’s whites-only baseball field for a practice, the resulting racial outrage burns like a brushfire through the entire community, threatening Cato, his family, and every one of his friends. There’s only one way this can end without violence: It has to be settled on the mound, between the white team and the Black. Winner takes all. Written in first person with a rich, convincing voice, Warrior on the Mound is about the experience of segregation; about the tinderbox environment of the prewar South; about having a dream; about injustice, and, finally, about dialogue. Back matter includes an author’s note, historical background, biographical information about Negro League players, and more. A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the YearA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard SelectionOne of Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for KidsA New York Public Library Best Book of the Year!An NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade BookA BCALA Best of the Best Title

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