my least favorite of the books I've read for the Oregon battle of the books, I was nonetheless charmed by Maggie and her passion for baseball. Scorekeeping baseball fans must be a rather small universe of the fanatic universe, and if this book hasn't inspired me to be a scorekeeper or teach my boys the art, perhaps it isn't Linda Sue Park's fault (after all, no desire to collect butterflies resulted from reading Nabokov, much though I adored the book).

The book's problem, perhaps, is that Maggie is a rare and beautifully dedicated child who is, despite her quiet age-appropriate temper tantrums, unwavering and perfectly committed to every task she sets for herself. She's such a good child, and her betrayals are too dependent on the very particular culture of 50s Brooklyn to be relatable outside.

The Korean war bit was very interesting and well done, though; I may use this as a sneaky (and agenda-laden) history lesson for my boys.