Sliding Home

Lorimer Sports Stories

by Joyce Grant

Miguel hasn't missed El Salvador since arriving in North America with his mother and sister. But with his father still in El Salvador and gangs shaking down the old neighbourhood, life isn't easy for Miguel. When his father's situation becomes critical, Miguel becomes desperate to bring him to North America. But he can't even afford to join his baseball team on a road game ― how can his family possibly pay his father's way? A solution comes from Miguel's teammate, who proposes a big baseball fundraiser. As the team learns about the hard realities some new immigrant kids face, Miguel and his family learn to trust their neighbours and teammates.

Genres: Sports

136 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2018

About the author

Joyce Grant is a freelance journalist and professor at Humber College.
Her books:
* CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts (illus Kathleen Marcotte)
* SLIDING HOME and TAGGED OUT, fast-paced MG baseball novels
* GABBY picture book (illus Jan Dolby)
* GABBY: WONDER GIRL
* GABBY: DRAMA QUEEN
Joyce also publishes the internationally award-winning kid-friendly news website, TeachingKidsNews.com.

Reviews

[Jill Jemmett]

Three years ago, Miguel moved to Canada from El Salvador with his mother and sister. His father remained in El Salvador, looking after their bakery, but he is constantly terrorized by gangs. Thirteen-year-old Miguel has to work as a babysitter to help support his family. He plays baseball with a local team, but he’s constantly reminded of how much less his family has when his teammates get new equipment and are able to afford to go to an out-of-town tournament. Miguel has to find a way to bring his father to Canada, which may mean opening up to his teammates about his problems.

This is a great baseball story. Though it was mostly about Miguel playing baseball, there were some important issues addressed. Miguel had to work, which his friends and teammates didn’t understand. He was constantly worried about his father and had to help his mother figure out how to bring his dad to Canada. Miguel had to deal with a lot of adult issues that his friends never thought about before Miguel told them about his life.

Sliding Home is a great short middle grade novel! Be sure to look out for Joyce Grant’s upcoming book about spotting fake news for young readers, which is releasing later this year.

Thank you Lorimer Books for providing a copy of this book.

[Nikki Merkt]

Great Hi-Lo option, especially for baseball enthusiasts. Would also be a good choice for recent immigrants to see a book that they can relate to.