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A High Five for Glenn Burke
A heartfelt and relatable novel from Phil Bildner, weaving the real history of Los Angeles Dodger and Oakland Athletic Glenn Burke--the first professional baseball player to come out as gay--into the story of a middle-school kid learning to be himself.
When sixth grader Silas Wade does a school presentation on former Major Leaguer Glenn Burke, it's more than just a report about the irrepressible inventor of the high five. Burke was a gay baseball player in the 1970s--and for Silas, the presentation is his own first baby step toward revealing a truth about himself he's tired of hiding. Soon he tells his best friend, Zoey, but the longer he keeps his secret from his baseball teammates, the more he suspects they know something's up--especially when he stages one big cover-up with terrible consequences.
A High Five for Glenn Burke is Phil Bildner's most personal novel yet--a powerful story about the challenge of being true to yourself, especially when not everyone feels you belong on the field.
When sixth grader Silas Wade does a school presentation on former Major Leaguer Glenn Burke, it's more than just a report about the irrepressible inventor of the high five. Burke was a gay baseball player in the 1970s--and for Silas, the presentation is his own first baby step toward revealing a truth about himself he's tired of hiding. Soon he tells his best friend, Zoey, but the longer he keeps his secret from his baseball teammates, the more he suspects they know something's up--especially when he stages one big cover-up with terrible consequences.
A High Five for Glenn Burke is Phil Bildner's most personal novel yet--a powerful story about the challenge of being true to yourself, especially when not everyone feels you belong on the field.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published February 25, 2020
40 people are currently reading
1110 people want to read
About the author
Phil Bildner
34 books118 followersPhil Bildner is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous books for kids. His latest book is the groundbreaking, #OwnVoices middle grade novel, A High Five for Glenn Burke. He is the author of many children’s picture books including the Margaret Wise Brown Prize winning Marvelous Cornelius, the Texas Bluebonnet Award winning Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy, Martina & Chrissie, Twenty-One Elephants, and The Soccer Fence. Phil is also the author of A Whole New Ballgame, Rookie of the Year, Tournament of Champions, and Most Valuable Players in the critically acclaimed middle grade Rip & Red series.
Phil grew up in Jericho, New York, a Long Island suburb of New York City. He studied political science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and then attended law school at New York University School of Law. After passing the bar in New York and New Jersey, Phil worked as an associate at a large Manhattan law firm, but he quickly realized the legal profession wasn’t for him. So he followed his heart and went back to school, earning a master’s degree in early childhood and elementary education from Long Island University.
For eleven years, Phil taught in the New York City Public Schools. Teaching fifth and sixth grade in the Tremont section of the Bronx in the 1990s, he built an innovative ELA curriculum around song lyrics and music. Dave Matthews, Barenaked Ladies, Blues Traveler, Lauryn Hill, and Wyclef Jean all visited his classroom. Teaching middle school English and American History in Manhattan in the 2000s, Phil continued to integrate music and the arts into his curriculum, working with the Lincoln Center Institute, Broadway shows (Wicked, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), and Off-Broadway shows (Def Poetry Jam, De la Guarda).
After leaving the classroom to write full time, Phil began chaperoning student-volunteer trips to New Orleans to help in the post-Hurricane Katrina recovery effort. He founded The NOLA Tree, a non-profit youth service organization and served as the co-Executive Director.
These days, Phil lives in Newburgh, New York with his husband in a two hundred year old farmhouse. Most of the time, you’ll find him out in the yard playing with his dog named Kat or writing on the back porch (aka, his office) overlooking the Hudson River.
Phil grew up in Jericho, New York, a Long Island suburb of New York City. He studied political science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and then attended law school at New York University School of Law. After passing the bar in New York and New Jersey, Phil worked as an associate at a large Manhattan law firm, but he quickly realized the legal profession wasn’t for him. So he followed his heart and went back to school, earning a master’s degree in early childhood and elementary education from Long Island University.
For eleven years, Phil taught in the New York City Public Schools. Teaching fifth and sixth grade in the Tremont section of the Bronx in the 1990s, he built an innovative ELA curriculum around song lyrics and music. Dave Matthews, Barenaked Ladies, Blues Traveler, Lauryn Hill, and Wyclef Jean all visited his classroom. Teaching middle school English and American History in Manhattan in the 2000s, Phil continued to integrate music and the arts into his curriculum, working with the Lincoln Center Institute, Broadway shows (Wicked, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), and Off-Broadway shows (Def Poetry Jam, De la Guarda).
After leaving the classroom to write full time, Phil began chaperoning student-volunteer trips to New Orleans to help in the post-Hurricane Katrina recovery effort. He founded The NOLA Tree, a non-profit youth service organization and served as the co-Executive Director.
These days, Phil lives in Newburgh, New York with his husband in a two hundred year old farmhouse. Most of the time, you’ll find him out in the yard playing with his dog named Kat or writing on the back porch (aka, his office) overlooking the Hudson River.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
September 28, 2021
4.5
I discovered this book by happenstance—on Goodreads, of course. Its cover caught my eye and I requested it from the library immediately. I knew I was getting the story of Glenn Burke told through the perspective of a middle-grade narrator. But what I got was much more.
The rendering of the novel's exuberant, anxious (due to important circumstances) narrator feels authentic (to quote a word used often in this book) and I wasn’t surprised with what I learned about the author himself in his acknowledgments. Bildner is also the writer of the Barnstormers/Sluggers series, which I read and enjoyed over ten years ago now: This book is his latest, and perhaps his most important.
I discovered this book by happenstance—on Goodreads, of course. Its cover caught my eye and I requested it from the library immediately. I knew I was getting the story of Glenn Burke told through the perspective of a middle-grade narrator. But what I got was much more.
The rendering of the novel's exuberant, anxious (due to important circumstances) narrator feels authentic (to quote a word used often in this book) and I wasn’t surprised with what I learned about the author himself in his acknowledgments. Bildner is also the writer of the Barnstormers/Sluggers series, which I read and enjoyed over ten years ago now: This book is his latest, and perhaps his most important.
November 1, 2021
This is a worthwhile middle-grade novel about a contemporary Little Leaguer grappling with coming out as gay, plus a side order of history lesson on Glenn Burke, a star player for the LA Dodgers in the 1970s. I have to admit it was a difficult read for me, because what happened to Burke, who was deliberately driven out of baseball because he was gay, was tragic and willfully cruel. It made me feel disgusted to be part of the human race. Which is never the feeling I'm looking to get from fiction, given that real life provides it in such abundance.
At any rate, 12-year-old Silas sees parallels between himself and Burke, in their exuberant personalities and clubhouse antics, that go beyond their shared sexuality. And in a way, that's harmful for Silas — it's a different era now, but his identification with Burke has him stuck in a fearful place, terrified of how people will react to him if they discover he's gay.
The adults in Silas's life are realistically flawed but supportive, which is always nice to see in queer fic for young readers. I intensely disliked his best friend, although I don't think that was the author's intention. The ending doesn't leave everything neatly tied up in a bow, but Silas does find a way to honor his hero's memory while learning to believe in a better, happier, more hopeful future for himself.
Heads-up that the story is very baseball-intensive. Silas is utterly devoted to the sport and gives it his all. And his all is pretty big — he's so intense and high-energy that I sometimes found it exhausting to be in his head. It's impossible not to see that boy as destined for the major leagues.
At any rate, 12-year-old Silas sees parallels between himself and Burke, in their exuberant personalities and clubhouse antics, that go beyond their shared sexuality. And in a way, that's harmful for Silas — it's a different era now, but his identification with Burke has him stuck in a fearful place, terrified of how people will react to him if they discover he's gay.
The adults in Silas's life are realistically flawed but supportive, which is always nice to see in queer fic for young readers. I intensely disliked his best friend, although I don't think that was the author's intention. The ending doesn't leave everything neatly tied up in a bow, but Silas does find a way to honor his hero's memory while learning to believe in a better, happier, more hopeful future for himself.
Heads-up that the story is very baseball-intensive. Silas is utterly devoted to the sport and gives it his all. And his all is pretty big — he's so intense and high-energy that I sometimes found it exhausting to be in his head. It's impossible not to see that boy as destined for the major leagues.
October 3, 2019
I was seven years old in 1977. I might have collected baseball cards if they were on sale at Kmart and I may have actually had a box of Kmart baseball cards that I mixed with Star Wars cards in order to build elaborate card houses that would take up the living room of our mobile home in northern Michigan.
One of those cards may have been one of Glenn Burke. But I wouldn't have known about Glenn Burke. Would not have seen his contribution to the game (or to our culture at large). Glenn Burke played major league baseball. And then he didn't. And then he continued to play baseball. Until he didn't.
But, this review is not about the reviewer. Or about Glenn Burke (though the book features ((and is about)) Glenn Burke.
Passing away at 45 in the early 90's, Burke would have missed the movement that saw LBGTQ+ literature moving away from fiery car crashes and terminal illness narratives of the 70's and 80's and become more of a vehicle wherein queer readers could see themselves.
Glenn Burke may have seen the callous and thoughtless treatment of Ryan White. And recognized it as the same treatment he received from some of the most familiar names in baseball that I DID know in the 80s. Glen Burke would not be alive to read POSITIVE, a Paige Rawl's memoir of her experiences in middle school (occurring in the same state ((my state)) that brought us Ryan White).
Burke might have lived to see queer kids Dancing. Acting. Singing. Performing. Writing. Becoming scientists. Becoming mathematicians. Working in trades and vocations. Planning for med school. Becoming lawyers. Running for public office. Running for the office of President of the United States.
And Burke might have lived to have known an author like David Levithan. And Bill Konigsburg. And Alex London.
And he would have loved author, Phil Bildner. A classroom teacher who encouraged a young woman to embrace her talents and to take her writing to new levels to realize the National Book Award with her first book.
Glenn Burke would have loved Phil Bildner. He would have given him a high-five. Glenn Burke might have looked at Phil Bildner said to him, "You are a 'five-tool human being."
But, Glenn Burke only lived to be 45. Four times the age of the readers who will be inspired by Phil Bildner's new book, A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE. And because Glenn Burke is not here to explain it to you, I will do my best to present to you the idea of "five-tool" and how this term applies to Phil Bilder and the new book coming to readers in February 2020.
"Five-Tool" players bring five distinct skills to the game of baseball. Phil Bildner is bringing them to a book about. . .okay. . .baseball. But more than this. A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE is a love letter back to the baseball of the 70s and 80s when on-the-field antics were expected of large, anthropomorphic chickens and green "phanatics" (side note: these two mascots make their debut in the same window of time as Bildner's book) and of the larger-than-life figures who took the field and found their celebrity.
1. Five-Tool Writers Hit for Average and Put the Bat on the Ball.
Bildner knows his audience. Having interacted with Bildner in SKYPE sessions and on conference floors, I can tell you that this man has a heart for middle grade readers. He seems to know them by heart and A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE is aimed right for the middle. For the middle school. For the middle grade. For the middle student in the room who might draw something from this new book by way of example or by way of mentor text in acceptance and kindness vs. tolerance. Bildner puts the issue of coming to terms with who we are during a time when no one really knows who they are. The bat is put squarely on the ball in the character of Silas Wade who wrestles with deeper truths as he prepares and presents on Glenn Burke in the opening scenes of the book.
2. Five-Tool Writers Hit for Power and Can Blast the Ball Out of Any Park.
Bildner surrounds Silas Wade with a responsive teacher, a STEM-focused friend and confidant, a chaotic household, and a host of teammates with personalities as big and wide as those mentioned in the multiple allusions to THE SAND LOT which serves as a sort of backdrop for the book. Bildner hits for power in creating tension for Silas and his teammates as they are challenged to think about how they "ridicule" their opponents in an age of increasing awareness and sensitivity. The power of A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE might come in the form of guiding the reader to a coaching position at third base wherein a temptation builds to bring the main character home. The power that might come of a LGBTQ+ title are all here as we, the reader, get to take a seat in the stands to watch the story play out (no spoilers here; I'll bet you thought I would say something about extra-innings or double-headers). Hitting for power, I'm making a prediction a year and a half out of the ALA YOUTH MEDIA AWARDS to predict A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE as a contender for the Stonewall pennant.
3. Five-Tool Writers Can Fly. They Steal Bases and Take Extra Bases.
Bildner's allusions to THE SANDLOT will do more for that film than TWILIGHT did for WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Bildner draws (steals) from the history of baseball and the treatment of Burke to present a real and current worry for Silas Wade. Bildner steals from another wildly-popular middle grade book and film to create a tender moment within the book between Silas and his friend. Stealing from history and culture, Bildner's book rounds first, a solid story, second, a contemporary issue whose time has come for whole-class appreciation, third, friends, coaches, and mentors who are personifications of what is means to be supportive helps, and, heading for home, a book with enough heart to place it next to films like RUDY for feel-good and warmth.
4. Five-Tool Writers Can Field. They Catch Everything That Comes Their Way.
As a recipient of the ARC for A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE, I get to read some of the inside information regarding this book. I get to see how Phil Bildner gets here. His consultations with MG/YA names most recognizable. Phil catches theses consultations and the result of his receptiveness is a new MG LGBTQ+ book that is as informed as it is inspirational. In these consultations, Bildner seems to have learned what "coming is" inside and outside of a book that might be shared with this demographic.
5. Five-Tool Writers Can Throw. Their Arms are Cannons."
As I have shared with the reader, I have had interactions with this author. I might even call him a friend. Our high-fives are mostly digital as our greetings become hugs when we do see each other in person. Phil Bildner is the right author to have written this book. He won't have to throw too hard because his heart will know the pitch of the book and how to bring it home to the reader.
And as far as "cannons?" I hope this is a misspelling. We'll want LGBTQ+ Middle Grade books like A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE to become a part of our "canon."
I cannot wait for my teacher and librarian friends to see A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE. I hope that I have done some service to the book and to the author, coming out of a sort of convalescence to write a review of the book.
Why?
Because, like Glenn Burke, I want to be first.
And how appropriate would it be for this "first" to also be a celebration of Phil. And Glenn Burke. And stories. And a story's being told.
Books. A high five for books.
In February, high five your readers with this book. And learn about being a Five-Tool Reader and Teacher and Book Person for young readers.
One of those cards may have been one of Glenn Burke. But I wouldn't have known about Glenn Burke. Would not have seen his contribution to the game (or to our culture at large). Glenn Burke played major league baseball. And then he didn't. And then he continued to play baseball. Until he didn't.
But, this review is not about the reviewer. Or about Glenn Burke (though the book features ((and is about)) Glenn Burke.
Passing away at 45 in the early 90's, Burke would have missed the movement that saw LBGTQ+ literature moving away from fiery car crashes and terminal illness narratives of the 70's and 80's and become more of a vehicle wherein queer readers could see themselves.
Glenn Burke may have seen the callous and thoughtless treatment of Ryan White. And recognized it as the same treatment he received from some of the most familiar names in baseball that I DID know in the 80s. Glen Burke would not be alive to read POSITIVE, a Paige Rawl's memoir of her experiences in middle school (occurring in the same state ((my state)) that brought us Ryan White).
Burke might have lived to see queer kids Dancing. Acting. Singing. Performing. Writing. Becoming scientists. Becoming mathematicians. Working in trades and vocations. Planning for med school. Becoming lawyers. Running for public office. Running for the office of President of the United States.
And Burke might have lived to have known an author like David Levithan. And Bill Konigsburg. And Alex London.
And he would have loved author, Phil Bildner. A classroom teacher who encouraged a young woman to embrace her talents and to take her writing to new levels to realize the National Book Award with her first book.
Glenn Burke would have loved Phil Bildner. He would have given him a high-five. Glenn Burke might have looked at Phil Bildner said to him, "You are a 'five-tool human being."
But, Glenn Burke only lived to be 45. Four times the age of the readers who will be inspired by Phil Bildner's new book, A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE. And because Glenn Burke is not here to explain it to you, I will do my best to present to you the idea of "five-tool" and how this term applies to Phil Bilder and the new book coming to readers in February 2020.
"Five-Tool" players bring five distinct skills to the game of baseball. Phil Bildner is bringing them to a book about. . .okay. . .baseball. But more than this. A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE is a love letter back to the baseball of the 70s and 80s when on-the-field antics were expected of large, anthropomorphic chickens and green "phanatics" (side note: these two mascots make their debut in the same window of time as Bildner's book) and of the larger-than-life figures who took the field and found their celebrity.
1. Five-Tool Writers Hit for Average and Put the Bat on the Ball.
Bildner knows his audience. Having interacted with Bildner in SKYPE sessions and on conference floors, I can tell you that this man has a heart for middle grade readers. He seems to know them by heart and A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE is aimed right for the middle. For the middle school. For the middle grade. For the middle student in the room who might draw something from this new book by way of example or by way of mentor text in acceptance and kindness vs. tolerance. Bildner puts the issue of coming to terms with who we are during a time when no one really knows who they are. The bat is put squarely on the ball in the character of Silas Wade who wrestles with deeper truths as he prepares and presents on Glenn Burke in the opening scenes of the book.
2. Five-Tool Writers Hit for Power and Can Blast the Ball Out of Any Park.
Bildner surrounds Silas Wade with a responsive teacher, a STEM-focused friend and confidant, a chaotic household, and a host of teammates with personalities as big and wide as those mentioned in the multiple allusions to THE SAND LOT which serves as a sort of backdrop for the book. Bildner hits for power in creating tension for Silas and his teammates as they are challenged to think about how they "ridicule" their opponents in an age of increasing awareness and sensitivity. The power of A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE might come in the form of guiding the reader to a coaching position at third base wherein a temptation builds to bring the main character home. The power that might come of a LGBTQ+ title are all here as we, the reader, get to take a seat in the stands to watch the story play out (no spoilers here; I'll bet you thought I would say something about extra-innings or double-headers). Hitting for power, I'm making a prediction a year and a half out of the ALA YOUTH MEDIA AWARDS to predict A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE as a contender for the Stonewall pennant.
3. Five-Tool Writers Can Fly. They Steal Bases and Take Extra Bases.
Bildner's allusions to THE SANDLOT will do more for that film than TWILIGHT did for WUTHERING HEIGHTS. Bildner draws (steals) from the history of baseball and the treatment of Burke to present a real and current worry for Silas Wade. Bildner steals from another wildly-popular middle grade book and film to create a tender moment within the book between Silas and his friend. Stealing from history and culture, Bildner's book rounds first, a solid story, second, a contemporary issue whose time has come for whole-class appreciation, third, friends, coaches, and mentors who are personifications of what is means to be supportive helps, and, heading for home, a book with enough heart to place it next to films like RUDY for feel-good and warmth.
4. Five-Tool Writers Can Field. They Catch Everything That Comes Their Way.
As a recipient of the ARC for A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE, I get to read some of the inside information regarding this book. I get to see how Phil Bildner gets here. His consultations with MG/YA names most recognizable. Phil catches theses consultations and the result of his receptiveness is a new MG LGBTQ+ book that is as informed as it is inspirational. In these consultations, Bildner seems to have learned what "coming is" inside and outside of a book that might be shared with this demographic.
5. Five-Tool Writers Can Throw. Their Arms are Cannons."
As I have shared with the reader, I have had interactions with this author. I might even call him a friend. Our high-fives are mostly digital as our greetings become hugs when we do see each other in person. Phil Bildner is the right author to have written this book. He won't have to throw too hard because his heart will know the pitch of the book and how to bring it home to the reader.
And as far as "cannons?" I hope this is a misspelling. We'll want LGBTQ+ Middle Grade books like A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE to become a part of our "canon."
I cannot wait for my teacher and librarian friends to see A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE. I hope that I have done some service to the book and to the author, coming out of a sort of convalescence to write a review of the book.
Why?
Because, like Glenn Burke, I want to be first.
And how appropriate would it be for this "first" to also be a celebration of Phil. And Glenn Burke. And stories. And a story's being told.
Books. A high five for books.
In February, high five your readers with this book. And learn about being a Five-Tool Reader and Teacher and Book Person for young readers.
October 14, 2020
“You be you.”
Give me a high five! I found a great, middle grade, coming out story with authentic voices and pitch-perfect baseball action. Plus a little history to explore and Sandlot shout outs galore! “You’re killing me, Smalls!” :) All that and more are right here in A High Five for Glenn Burke.
Sixth grader Silas Wade is all about baseball. He gives it all for his teammates and coaches. His team—the Renegades—means a lot to him. But Silas has a secret weighing him down. He wants to share the truth and be himself. He’s tired of hiding! Silas is gay. How will his team, friends, and family react to the news though? All Silas can think about is what happened to Glenn Burke.
For school, Silas did a report on Glenn Burke, a baseball player from the 1970s, who invented the high five. Yes, the high five! It never even occurred to me that someone had to actually do it for the first time—slap palm on palm in the air. Glenn Burke was that man—the first high fiver. Glenn Burke was also gay. But the more Silas researched, the more he learned that Glenn Burke was discriminated against and ousted from the game he loved because he was gay. Coming out in professional sports is still a not-talked-about rarity in this day and age. So try to imagine being a young, gay athlete. How are Silas’s teammates going to react? Can Silas be open about who he is and still play ball? These questions and fears need to be addressed in real life and fiction for young readers. And Mr. Bildner does just that!
“Things have changed since back then, things are changing right now, and things will continue to change.”
One of my favorite characters in this book is Webb, Silas’s coach. Every boy needs a Webb to turn to for advice and an ear to listen. I loved the different issues Webb stood up for and taught his team--like using words with respect instead of slurs and ugliness. For instance, the Renegades were not allowed to say “that’s so gay”. A move that brought a lot of tension and change for the team. And Silas. Mr. Bildner showed again and again that change is going to take time and effort and pain. But it will happen! Silas is going to bump into a lot of people in this world who are not on his side. SO we’re all going to have to stand up tall and support him. Does Silas find support with the Renegades? And at home? Pick this one up and find out!
In many ways, I feel like Silas has more to say. I need more! Does Silas’s relationship with his dad get better? Do Malik and Silas see each other again away from baseball? Come on! What do you say, Bildner…wanna find out? I would love to see Silas Wade again.
Highly recommended.
One of my favorite parts:
“You’re coming out…your coming out is going to be extraordinary, Silas. It’s not going to be easy, but it will be extraordinary. And it’s a process. You already know that. It’s not something that’s going to happen over the course of a few days or weeks or months. It’s going to be exciting and embarrassing and frustrating and hilarious and tragic and empowering, and…it’s going to be a lot like life.” He grips the back of my neck. “You’re going to meet so many people on this journey, Silas. People who will love you and celebrate you, and the impact you’re going to have on them will be extraordinary.”
Why the 4 stars?
September 20, 2021
Though this writing style is consistent with the intended audience (tweens and younger teens), the subject matter was DEEP. I'm going to need some time to gather my thoughts, and a book review isn't the place for my to air them. In a nutshell- grab this book and read it like your English teacher would tell you to read it. Think about the symbolism and the broad theme and place yourself inside each character. You won't be disappointed.
May 3, 2020
How much do I love this book? It's a home run. It's free box seats in the second row behind home plate (first row would be pretentious) at a minor league baseball game on a clear & sunny April day, and your favorite batter has just hit a line drive. But more importantly, how much does my 7 year old baseball-loving son love this book? A GRAND SLAM.
Phil Bildner knows baseball. My boy loves baseball, history, and chapter books. I knew it might be a stretch to read a middle grade book together with a 7 year old, but he LOVED it right from the start. I actually can't think of a recent book that made him laugh SO much. Given that this spring's Little League season was cancelled, it was great to immerse him in a book that really "got" baseball.
The chapters with Silas actually playing the game were pure joy. My son's only request would have been that the last chapter should have had . A full ending chapter with actual baseball playing would have been awesome.
For a reader younger than the usual interest level for the book, he had no difficulty following the story and there was nothing inappropriate for his age. The only thing that flew over his head was truly understanding why it would have been so hurtful for a character to claim that his platonic friend was actually his girlfriend, as well as the implication that they were doing something "other than karaoke" together. We were both fascinated by the high five history and by the tragic history of how Glenn Burke was treated by the MLB, and we've spent some time reading some articles and watching YouTube videos about Glenn Burke. We both cried halfway through the book when we did our own research on what happened to Glenn Burke after he played for the Dodgers and A's.
What I found most interesting (and heartening) in his reaction to the book is that it's also hard for him to understand why it would be so scary for Silas to tell his closest friends and loved ones that he is gay. My son has gay uncles, the first wedding he attended was one with two brides, his mom has gay best friends, he's read Prince and Knight and Sparkle Boy and a dozen other books affirming of different kinds of families and different ways to express gender, and gay marriage has been legal since he's been talking, so he knows no other reality than "love is love". And when I tell him that even when he was an infant, it was illegal in some states for gay people to marry the people they love, it feels like ancient history to him. "But why, Mama? It just makes no sense that people would be so mean about love. It's just love! It's just who you are!"
As an older reader, I really *got* the terror that Bildner expressed...the racing words, the racing thoughts, the inability to focus, the pervasive fear. I'm so grateful that, at least in some pockets of our society, this just might not be so scary for our children when they are older. Amidst all the gloom in the world today, I am heartened that I understand Silas' terror more than my child does.
This book "gets" baseball and gets baseball players. It gets friendship and it gets how it feels to have loving but busy, distracted parents. It gets adolescence. It gets to the heart of the matter. Get this book!
Phil Bildner knows baseball. My boy loves baseball, history, and chapter books. I knew it might be a stretch to read a middle grade book together with a 7 year old, but he LOVED it right from the start. I actually can't think of a recent book that made him laugh SO much. Given that this spring's Little League season was cancelled, it was great to immerse him in a book that really "got" baseball.
The chapters with Silas actually playing the game were pure joy. My son's only request would have been that the last chapter should have had . A full ending chapter with actual baseball playing would have been awesome.
For a reader younger than the usual interest level for the book, he had no difficulty following the story and there was nothing inappropriate for his age. The only thing that flew over his head was truly understanding why it would have been so hurtful for a character to claim that his platonic friend was actually his girlfriend, as well as the implication that they were doing something "other than karaoke" together. We were both fascinated by the high five history and by the tragic history of how Glenn Burke was treated by the MLB, and we've spent some time reading some articles and watching YouTube videos about Glenn Burke. We both cried halfway through the book when we did our own research on what happened to Glenn Burke after he played for the Dodgers and A's.
What I found most interesting (and heartening) in his reaction to the book is that it's also hard for him to understand why it would be so scary for Silas to tell his closest friends and loved ones that he is gay. My son has gay uncles, the first wedding he attended was one with two brides, his mom has gay best friends, he's read Prince and Knight and Sparkle Boy and a dozen other books affirming of different kinds of families and different ways to express gender, and gay marriage has been legal since he's been talking, so he knows no other reality than "love is love". And when I tell him that even when he was an infant, it was illegal in some states for gay people to marry the people they love, it feels like ancient history to him. "But why, Mama? It just makes no sense that people would be so mean about love. It's just love! It's just who you are!"
As an older reader, I really *got* the terror that Bildner expressed...the racing words, the racing thoughts, the inability to focus, the pervasive fear. I'm so grateful that, at least in some pockets of our society, this just might not be so scary for our children when they are older. Amidst all the gloom in the world today, I am heartened that I understand Silas' terror more than my child does.
This book "gets" baseball and gets baseball players. It gets friendship and it gets how it feels to have loving but busy, distracted parents. It gets adolescence. It gets to the heart of the matter. Get this book!
October 9, 2020
5 for High Five for Glenn Burke by @philbildner
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I think this is now my #1 favorite book about coming out for the middle school audience. Silas is such a fabulous character--he's likable, funny, and oozes authenticity. He loves pranks, is obsessed with YouTube, and is terrified of people figuring out he is gay. Presenting to his ELA class about baseball player Glenn Burke who invented the high five is his way of starting his coming out process, but he leaves out the fact that Glenn Burke was gay and experienced discrimination throughout his career. Silas comes out to his best friend, Zoey, as well as his amazing coach who reacts perfectly and supports Silas on and off the field. Silas struggles with how to share his authentic self with his baseball team, as well as his overwhelmed parents, however.
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Love, love, love this book. It reads quickly and I felt like I really knew Silas by the end of the book. I didn't want it to end. Best of all, this book is also full of baseball scenes! I'll be buying multiple copies and putting it in my sports section in my genrefied library. Must-read, must-buy book about acceptance, self-acceptance, being yourself, and pride!
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#middleschoollibrarian #middleschoollibrary #library #librarian #futurereadylibs #iteachlibrary #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #librariesofinstagram #librariansofinstagram #librariesfollowlibraries #librarylife #librarianlife #schoollibrarian #middlegrade #middlegradebooks #iteach #librarylove #booksbooksbooks #amreading #bibliophile #schoollibrariansrock #bookreview #bookrecommendation #igreads #malibrary #msla #mediaspecialist
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I think this is now my #1 favorite book about coming out for the middle school audience. Silas is such a fabulous character--he's likable, funny, and oozes authenticity. He loves pranks, is obsessed with YouTube, and is terrified of people figuring out he is gay. Presenting to his ELA class about baseball player Glenn Burke who invented the high five is his way of starting his coming out process, but he leaves out the fact that Glenn Burke was gay and experienced discrimination throughout his career. Silas comes out to his best friend, Zoey, as well as his amazing coach who reacts perfectly and supports Silas on and off the field. Silas struggles with how to share his authentic self with his baseball team, as well as his overwhelmed parents, however.
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Love, love, love this book. It reads quickly and I felt like I really knew Silas by the end of the book. I didn't want it to end. Best of all, this book is also full of baseball scenes! I'll be buying multiple copies and putting it in my sports section in my genrefied library. Must-read, must-buy book about acceptance, self-acceptance, being yourself, and pride!
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#middleschoollibrarian #middleschoollibrary #library #librarian #futurereadylibs #iteachlibrary #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #librariesofinstagram #librariansofinstagram #librariesfollowlibraries #librarylife #librarianlife #schoollibrarian #middlegrade #middlegradebooks #iteach #librarylove #booksbooksbooks #amreading #bibliophile #schoollibrariansrock #bookreview #bookrecommendation #igreads #malibrary #msla #mediaspecialist
July 4, 2021
An important middle grade novel disguised as a baseball book. Silas Wade's voice rings at times strong and at other times scared, but it always rings true. The acknowledgments made me cry. Author Phil Bildner was sharing his own story all mixed up with major leaguer Glenn Burke's and with sixth grader Silas Wade's stories. It was impossible for super-talented Glenn Burke to come out and be accepted as a gay baseball player in the 1970s--he was shunned and banished. It's still incredibly hard for middle-schooler Silas Wade to come out as gay to his friends and family in today's world. But there's progress . . . hard-fought, can't-give-up, still-not-enough progress . . . for Bildner a talented educator and author who is happily married, and for my own stepson who came out to us 20 years ago and is a talented, kind teacher and role-model to his high school students. A high-five to all those still fighting for equality.
February 13, 2021
Every child should have the opportunity to live their truth and give and recieve double high fives as Silas Wade does in the magnificent book.
I will be emotional about this book, my love for all of the characters and my support and encouragement of the message for a long time to come.
Phil Bildner has given children a gift beyond words with this book and I hope it does not stop.
I will be emotional about this book, my love for all of the characters and my support and encouragement of the message for a long time to come.
Phil Bildner has given children a gift beyond words with this book and I hope it does not stop.
March 27, 2020
All good baseball books are about more than just baseball, but to be credible, the author needs to get the baseball right. In A High Five for Glenn Burke (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2020), author Phil Bildner definitely gets the baseball right.
This is no surprise to those who know Bildner’s body of work that includes many baseball books for young readers. As a New York Mets fan and baseball enthusiast since childhood, Bildner knows the game and effectively conveys the excitement of both on-field play and split-second mental decisions in his game-related scenes.
All this authentic baseball is the context for sixth-grade baseball player Silas Wade’s decision to tell his friend Zoey that he thinks he is gay. The anxiety, fear, and relief swirling around Silas’s decision eventually affect his teammates, friends, and family.
Although the text complexity is clearly geared for middle-grade readers, the emotional complexity provides no simple answers for Silas’s situation. The biggest lessons for Silas and by extension this book’s readers are these:
• Being true to yourself is the best path.
• Self-care is important.
• People who care about you will be more accepting of you than you might expect.
• Even when people are not ready to accept you, if you accept yourself, you will be OK.
That final precept forms the bridge between Silas and 1970s-era baseball player Glenn Burke, the first major league baseball player to come out as gay. Burke was hounded from baseball because the game and the larger society were not ready to include a gay player. Silas says Burke was an anachronism, and he wonders if all these decades later the game is now ready for gay players like Burke and himself.
Silas also identifies with Glenn Burke because they share a natural ebullience and love of the game, as exemplified by Glenn Burke’s invention of the high five following an epic series of at-bats involving Burke and his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker in 1977.
A High Five for Glenn Burke is not just a book for young readers questioning their sexuality. It’s a baseball book! The identity issue arises several chapters in, and by that time readers will be caught up in the drama of Silas’s team and other characters they relate to and recognize as being like their own friends and family.
Phil Bildner’s A High Five for Glenn Burke will be one of the most important middle-grade books published in 2020. It is exactly the book many young readers need as they identify with Bildner’s #ownvoices narrative. Other readers will absorb important lessons about empathy, honesty, friendship, and the importance of a center-fielder taking charge of who is supposed to catch a fly ball.
This is no surprise to those who know Bildner’s body of work that includes many baseball books for young readers. As a New York Mets fan and baseball enthusiast since childhood, Bildner knows the game and effectively conveys the excitement of both on-field play and split-second mental decisions in his game-related scenes.
All this authentic baseball is the context for sixth-grade baseball player Silas Wade’s decision to tell his friend Zoey that he thinks he is gay. The anxiety, fear, and relief swirling around Silas’s decision eventually affect his teammates, friends, and family.
Although the text complexity is clearly geared for middle-grade readers, the emotional complexity provides no simple answers for Silas’s situation. The biggest lessons for Silas and by extension this book’s readers are these:
• Being true to yourself is the best path.
• Self-care is important.
• People who care about you will be more accepting of you than you might expect.
• Even when people are not ready to accept you, if you accept yourself, you will be OK.
That final precept forms the bridge between Silas and 1970s-era baseball player Glenn Burke, the first major league baseball player to come out as gay. Burke was hounded from baseball because the game and the larger society were not ready to include a gay player. Silas says Burke was an anachronism, and he wonders if all these decades later the game is now ready for gay players like Burke and himself.
Silas also identifies with Glenn Burke because they share a natural ebullience and love of the game, as exemplified by Glenn Burke’s invention of the high five following an epic series of at-bats involving Burke and his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker in 1977.
A High Five for Glenn Burke is not just a book for young readers questioning their sexuality. It’s a baseball book! The identity issue arises several chapters in, and by that time readers will be caught up in the drama of Silas’s team and other characters they relate to and recognize as being like their own friends and family.
Phil Bildner’s A High Five for Glenn Burke will be one of the most important middle-grade books published in 2020. It is exactly the book many young readers need as they identify with Bildner’s #ownvoices narrative. Other readers will absorb important lessons about empathy, honesty, friendship, and the importance of a center-fielder taking charge of who is supposed to catch a fly ball.
December 17, 2020
YAY for Diversity! Yay for #Ownvoices!
Simon is an energetic, baseball-loving protagonist with a big secret. He's a perfect middle-grade hero coming to terms with a lot.
Let's see if you can figure out his secret, who Glenn Burke is and how did High-Five's get invented.
A great read for sports' enthusiast, fans of the Sandlot, and acceptance;
Simon is an energetic, baseball-loving protagonist with a big secret. He's a perfect middle-grade hero coming to terms with a lot.
Let's see if you can figure out his secret, who Glenn Burke is and how did High-Five's get invented.
A great read for sports' enthusiast, fans of the Sandlot, and acceptance;
February 26, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this. My favorite parts of the book were the conversations Silas had with his baseball coach. If only every person had someone like Coach Webb in their life.
September 24, 2020
A lovely middle grade book about being true to yourself and the anxieties that come when you know it might not be safe to share who you are with others. As Silas, the protagonist, decides who he wants to come out to, he's constantly trying to discern what people are reading into what he says and does. Do they know, for example, that his school project about Glenn Burke was not only about Burke's legacy as an African-American professional baseball player and the inventor of the high-five, but also Silas's personal fascination with Burke's tragic history as as gay baseball player?
My favorite moment in this book is the conversation that occurs between Silas and his baseball coach when Silas shares his secret. Every kid deserves a coach like Coach Webb. And, this book is a powerful reminder that coming out isn't something that just happens once.
While coming out is at the center of this story, it's also an exploration of family and friendship as well as a love letter to baseball itself.
My favorite moment in this book is the conversation that occurs between Silas and his baseball coach when Silas shares his secret. Every kid deserves a coach like Coach Webb. And, this book is a powerful reminder that coming out isn't something that just happens once.
While coming out is at the center of this story, it's also an exploration of family and friendship as well as a love letter to baseball itself.
November 5, 2021
As much as I love baseball, I wasn’t sure about a male protagonist...I’m more of a ‘girl’ reader. However, right from the beginning I was sucked in by Silas’s enthusiasm and antics, and his obsession with The Sandlot. His teacher made me think of my favorite 6th grade teacher and took me back so many years. His best friend Zoey is a robotics coder and that Is just amazing! I’ve been looking for new books to recommend to my avid sports readers and this one is it... even though it is about so so much more than sports! Way to knock it out of the park Phil Bildner!
July 23, 2021
The book was written well and felt realistic, but also just kind of boring. Nothing major really happened in it. Maybe the genre just isn't for me? I find sometimes with LGBTQ YA Fiction that the plot is just the life of a gay kid, which, as a gay person, I can tell you isn't always very exciting. I would like to see more literature feature LGBTQ protagonists but also be about something besides just someone being gay.
July 20, 2020
Twelve-year-old Silas Wade loves baseball. He could play it, talk about, think about it, and probably even dream about it 24/7. And his baseball hero is Glenn Burke, a black major leaguer who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers beginning in 1976 and who, during some tense moments on the final weekend of the 1977 baseball season, invented the high five. Glenn Burke was also gay and when he came out, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics in 1979 and literally harassed out of baseball. Like Glenn, Silas is also gay and terrified people will discover it before he is ready for the world to know, especially his baseball teammates.
To test the waters, during their Wednesday karaoke afternoon, Silas tells his best friend Zoey. At first, she's very supportive knowing about Silas, but after a while she begins to feel that being the only one who knows his secret is "weird."
Silas' team, the Renegades, has a different third-base coach for the season (the other two coaches are Noles and Rockford). Coach Webb is an aggressive coach, and the Renegades are doing well under his guidance. But one of his rules is no taunting an opposing team with anything that could be perceived as racist, such as their monkey taunts and gestures.
Webb and Silas are quite simpatico when it comes to baseball, and enjoy talking about it with each other, especially their favorite baseball movie The Sandlot. Perhaps sensing he can trust Webb, one afternoon, while talking about Glenn Burke, Silas tells him he's gay.
After one of the players is called gay at a team visit to a trampoline park, Webb announces that there will be no more using the word gay as a put down. Renegades are expected to "respect everyone - LGTB, women, immigrants, Muslims, everyone," and that after the third offense, a player would be off the team. This causes a riff between Webb and Coach Noles, who quits the team, taking his son with him. The other members of the team decide it was Silas who snitched about the trampoline park incident, and to take the heat of himself, he tells them Zoey is his girlfriend. Now, she's done with Silas and his teammates think he's a liar.
As much a Silas wants to be accepted for who he really is, maybe coming out isn't the best idea right now.
As a story about Silas' desire to live an authentic life and his internal struggles with knowing he is gay, wanting to come out and be accepted, but living in fear that people will discover it, this is a book every middle grader should read. Silas' courage is inspiring, and he is a great character. At first, I found his obsessiveness, his lack of focus (baseball excepted), his speediness to be annoying, until I realized it was his anxiety and his fear at work and Bildner manages to convey that so well when writing about Silas. I was a little disappointed in Zoey, that she would turn on her best friend so easily instead of asking why he did what his did.
As a baseball story, I was completely lost. I thought I understood the game, but apparently not. Did that spoil the novel for me? No one bit. So do not avoid this book if you, too, aren't baseball savvy. The baseball parts give the story depth and genuineness, and Bildner really knows this sport inside and out. I loved how he cleverly tied together Silas, Glenn Burke and the high five as a prelude to Silas's coming out. I think it's a real hook for young readers. I had certainly never thought about the invention of the high five, even though people still do it all the time (though I think it is slowly being replaced with the Obama fist punch) and enjoyed learning its history.
A High Five for Glenn Burke is an engaging book about friendship, family, loyalty, sportsmanship, and coming out. High five to Phil Bildner for writing a book that needed to be written and read, especially in this day and age.
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was borrowed from the Brooklyn Public Library
To test the waters, during their Wednesday karaoke afternoon, Silas tells his best friend Zoey. At first, she's very supportive knowing about Silas, but after a while she begins to feel that being the only one who knows his secret is "weird."
Silas' team, the Renegades, has a different third-base coach for the season (the other two coaches are Noles and Rockford). Coach Webb is an aggressive coach, and the Renegades are doing well under his guidance. But one of his rules is no taunting an opposing team with anything that could be perceived as racist, such as their monkey taunts and gestures.
Webb and Silas are quite simpatico when it comes to baseball, and enjoy talking about it with each other, especially their favorite baseball movie The Sandlot. Perhaps sensing he can trust Webb, one afternoon, while talking about Glenn Burke, Silas tells him he's gay.
After one of the players is called gay at a team visit to a trampoline park, Webb announces that there will be no more using the word gay as a put down. Renegades are expected to "respect everyone - LGTB, women, immigrants, Muslims, everyone," and that after the third offense, a player would be off the team. This causes a riff between Webb and Coach Noles, who quits the team, taking his son with him. The other members of the team decide it was Silas who snitched about the trampoline park incident, and to take the heat of himself, he tells them Zoey is his girlfriend. Now, she's done with Silas and his teammates think he's a liar.
As much a Silas wants to be accepted for who he really is, maybe coming out isn't the best idea right now.
As a story about Silas' desire to live an authentic life and his internal struggles with knowing he is gay, wanting to come out and be accepted, but living in fear that people will discover it, this is a book every middle grader should read. Silas' courage is inspiring, and he is a great character. At first, I found his obsessiveness, his lack of focus (baseball excepted), his speediness to be annoying, until I realized it was his anxiety and his fear at work and Bildner manages to convey that so well when writing about Silas. I was a little disappointed in Zoey, that she would turn on her best friend so easily instead of asking why he did what his did.
As a baseball story, I was completely lost. I thought I understood the game, but apparently not. Did that spoil the novel for me? No one bit. So do not avoid this book if you, too, aren't baseball savvy. The baseball parts give the story depth and genuineness, and Bildner really knows this sport inside and out. I loved how he cleverly tied together Silas, Glenn Burke and the high five as a prelude to Silas's coming out. I think it's a real hook for young readers. I had certainly never thought about the invention of the high five, even though people still do it all the time (though I think it is slowly being replaced with the Obama fist punch) and enjoyed learning its history.
A High Five for Glenn Burke is an engaging book about friendship, family, loyalty, sportsmanship, and coming out. High five to Phil Bildner for writing a book that needed to be written and read, especially in this day and age.
This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was borrowed from the Brooklyn Public Library
May 21, 2020
(FROM MY BLOG) Silas is twelve years old. He's in sixth grade. He plays center field for his Little League team, the Renegades.
He's an outstanding baseball player, his athletic performance heightened by the total focus and determination he brings to the game. ("... when I'm out in center, it's where hits go to die.") He's the team leader, and the most popular player among his teammates.
Silas has loving parents who are enthusiastic about his playing, without being the stereotypical scary parents screaming in the stands. As his mother assures him,
And Silas has a best friend, a girl his age who is as funny and crazy in her own way as Silas is in his.
But Silas is secretly gay. And he has just given a report to his English class about an outstanding major league player in the 1970s, Glenn Burke, the man who (seriously) invented the "high five." But a player who was traded away by the Dodgers when a magazine revealed that he was gay, who was insulted by the Oakland A's manager, and who was finally sent down to the minors. He ended up on the streets, and died of AIDS.
Silas didn't tell the class about Burke's career -- just that he was a great player who had invented the high five. But Burke's disastrous career preys on Silas's mind, and on his ambitions for a career in baseball.
A High Five for Glenn Burke, by Phil Bildner, is a book suitable for middle school readers. It was reviewed favorably in the New York Times Book Review. The book is well written, although it's not "great literature," nor intended to be. But it's an enjoyable read for all ages, often very funny and moving, with a wealth of information about good baseball strategy.
Silas does make one mistake, a little lie that blows up in his face. But he's a sixth grader -- let's give him some slack. He feels totally mortified and embarrassed. But his coach, with some backup from Silas's best friend and his team mates, helps Silas view the mistake as a learning experience.
His coach tells him to look forward to his future baseball career:
He's an outstanding baseball player, his athletic performance heightened by the total focus and determination he brings to the game. ("... when I'm out in center, it's where hits go to die.") He's the team leader, and the most popular player among his teammates.
Silas has loving parents who are enthusiastic about his playing, without being the stereotypical scary parents screaming in the stands. As his mother assures him,
"Every time you're out there, Silas, you're playing like it could be the very last time you ever get to play. Baseball needs more players like that. The world needs more people like that -- people who are passionate and energized. It's an indescribable feeling for a mother to see such passion and energy in her son. Don't ever lose that."Silas has an excellent coach, one who can relate to a 12-year-old on the boy's level, who can guide and reassure him when needed, and who realizes that Silas has as much to teach his coach about baseball strategy as the coach has to share with him.
And Silas has a best friend, a girl his age who is as funny and crazy in her own way as Silas is in his.
But Silas is secretly gay. And he has just given a report to his English class about an outstanding major league player in the 1970s, Glenn Burke, the man who (seriously) invented the "high five." But a player who was traded away by the Dodgers when a magazine revealed that he was gay, who was insulted by the Oakland A's manager, and who was finally sent down to the minors. He ended up on the streets, and died of AIDS.
Silas didn't tell the class about Burke's career -- just that he was a great player who had invented the high five. But Burke's disastrous career preys on Silas's mind, and on his ambitions for a career in baseball.
A High Five for Glenn Burke, by Phil Bildner, is a book suitable for middle school readers. It was reviewed favorably in the New York Times Book Review. The book is well written, although it's not "great literature," nor intended to be. But it's an enjoyable read for all ages, often very funny and moving, with a wealth of information about good baseball strategy.
Silas does make one mistake, a little lie that blows up in his face. But he's a sixth grader -- let's give him some slack. He feels totally mortified and embarrassed. But his coach, with some backup from Silas's best friend and his team mates, helps Silas view the mistake as a learning experience.
His coach tells him to look forward to his future baseball career:
"You're going to meet so many people on this journey, Silas. People who will love you and celebrate you, and the impact you're going to have on them will be extraordinary. ... That's happening already. You've impacted me."This is a book for middle schoolers. In an understated way, it offers many wise lessons to kids of all kinds on the brink of adolescence. And because it's aimed at a younger age group, we can trust that, in the end, all's well that ends well. And with a great coach, loving parents, and good friends and team mates, it does end very well for young Silas.
Read
May 5, 2020I've long been a fan of author Phil Bildner. His latest book A HIGH FIVE FOR GLENN BURKE is a treasure I can't wait to share. Tapping into his own struggle growing up as a gay boy in a world where being his true self was a frightening prospect. Bildner uses Glenn Burke, a gay baseball player in the 1970's, as a springboard for tackling a tough topic.
Silas Wade loves baseball. His favorite movie is The Sandlot, and he shares tidbits from the film whenever he gets a chance. Silas's best friend is Zoey. They spend every Wednesday together after school singing karaoke. Silas figures Zoey knows just about everything there is to know about him except one thing. Silas is gay.
It's something Silas has known about himself for as long as he can remember. Lately, he has been feeling that he needs to share this fact about him with someone. In an effort to gather the resolve necessary to make such an announcement, Silas chooses to do a presentation in his ELA class about baseball player Glenn Burke. The presentation is focused on the fact that Burke invented the high five during a game in the 70's. Silas's classmates love the story he tells, but he knows he has told the whole story. He hasn't revealed that Burke was gay.
After watching YouTube videos and reading letters about kids who have come out, Silas decides to tell Zoey the truth. Her reaction is to be supportive, but there's something a bit off about her response. Now Silas really feels like he's living a lie. Does Zoey really understand? Should he tell anyone else? Or should he just keep being the goofy but reliable ball player his family, friends, and teammates know and love?
Bildner stresses that being true to oneself is the most important thing. Silas's coach tells him, "You be you," which gives Silas the needed courage to decide what is best for him.
Silas Wade loves baseball. His favorite movie is The Sandlot, and he shares tidbits from the film whenever he gets a chance. Silas's best friend is Zoey. They spend every Wednesday together after school singing karaoke. Silas figures Zoey knows just about everything there is to know about him except one thing. Silas is gay.
It's something Silas has known about himself for as long as he can remember. Lately, he has been feeling that he needs to share this fact about him with someone. In an effort to gather the resolve necessary to make such an announcement, Silas chooses to do a presentation in his ELA class about baseball player Glenn Burke. The presentation is focused on the fact that Burke invented the high five during a game in the 70's. Silas's classmates love the story he tells, but he knows he has told the whole story. He hasn't revealed that Burke was gay.
After watching YouTube videos and reading letters about kids who have come out, Silas decides to tell Zoey the truth. Her reaction is to be supportive, but there's something a bit off about her response. Now Silas really feels like he's living a lie. Does Zoey really understand? Should he tell anyone else? Or should he just keep being the goofy but reliable ball player his family, friends, and teammates know and love?
Bildner stresses that being true to oneself is the most important thing. Silas's coach tells him, "You be you," which gives Silas the needed courage to decide what is best for him.
July 1, 2020
As the synopsis says: "weaving the real history of Los Angeles Dodger and Oakland Athletic Glenn Burke--the first professional baseball player to come out as gay--into the story of a middle-school kid learning to be himself."
"Me being me" as Silas Wade shows that he knows the challenges throughout this heartfelt story by Phil Bildner are not as easy as they seem. He knows he's gay and while he shows his favorite ELA teacher the story of Glenn Burke being the first one to use a high five, he leaves out what's important, that Glenn Burke is gay. The feelings shown so beautifully are found on page after page. Silas is a super baseball player, a super friend to a young girl named Zoey, has a great family with sisters, but. Yes, the 'but' is he's not telling, until he does to Zoey, then to his coach, then a lot goes haywire. I have a personal family connection who told me his story about coming out and how he cried, scared, wanting the "me being me" just as Silas does in the story. This is the book for all middle school kids and parents to read, to see themselves or their friends, their kids, to understand. Thanks to Phil Bildner for writing!
"Me being me" as Silas Wade shows that he knows the challenges throughout this heartfelt story by Phil Bildner are not as easy as they seem. He knows he's gay and while he shows his favorite ELA teacher the story of Glenn Burke being the first one to use a high five, he leaves out what's important, that Glenn Burke is gay. The feelings shown so beautifully are found on page after page. Silas is a super baseball player, a super friend to a young girl named Zoey, has a great family with sisters, but. Yes, the 'but' is he's not telling, until he does to Zoey, then to his coach, then a lot goes haywire. I have a personal family connection who told me his story about coming out and how he cried, scared, wanting the "me being me" just as Silas does in the story. This is the book for all middle school kids and parents to read, to see themselves or their friends, their kids, to understand. Thanks to Phil Bildner for writing!
June 5, 2020
I have to admit I am not much of a baseball fan, but I am definitely a fan of this book! I was drawn into Silas' world from the first page and eagerly cheered him on until the last. I loved the relatable characters, relationships, and situations--nothing felt too perfect or two-dimensional. Even the most likable characters had their flaws and made mistakes, thus reflecting the messiness of life that we all face in the real world. Still, they each navigated that messiness in an honest yet hopeful way, which is inspiring. In the end, this book is about hope: hope that we can learn to be who we are while being loved and accepted by those who matter to us, and hope that we can learn to do love and accept others in turn. A perfect choice for classroom sharing, book clubs, and discussions.
March 5, 2021
I don't think anyone is ever too young to learn about living your authentic life. I don't think you're ever too old, either.
This book has a lot about baseball, which admittedly my eyes skimmed over much of because...I don't care. BUT, what I did care about was the character Silas and everything he was trying to do. He came out to his best friend first, then slowly added more people to the list. But it was incredibly difficult, and from what I know about my family and friends that have come out, it can be incredibly difficult no matter what age you are.
Once you read the book, you might want to know more about Glenn Burke, too. What a helluva time he had. A black gay man in the 70s? Must have been hell.
This book has a lot about baseball, which admittedly my eyes skimmed over much of because...I don't care. BUT, what I did care about was the character Silas and everything he was trying to do. He came out to his best friend first, then slowly added more people to the list. But it was incredibly difficult, and from what I know about my family and friends that have come out, it can be incredibly difficult no matter what age you are.
Once you read the book, you might want to know more about Glenn Burke, too. What a helluva time he had. A black gay man in the 70s? Must have been hell.
December 23, 2019
Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
While choosing an invention for a class project, Silas decides to do his report on Glenn Burke, the first person to give a high five.
Silas very purposely chose Glenn Burke. Like Silas, Glenn Burke was a baseball player. Also like Silas, Glenn Burke was gay.
Silas has just figured this out for himself, and he hasn’t yet shared this with anyone. He decides to share it with his best friend Zoey, but when Zoey doesn’t respond quite as enthusiastically as Silas hoped, their friendship becomes strained.
Add to this homophobic remarks from some of his baseball teammates, and Silas feels more alone than ever before. In a moment of desperation, Silas lies to his teammates and tells him that he’s dating Zoey, and disastrous consequences follow.
Silas fears that what happened to Glenn Burke will happen to him too, and he becomes more and more withdrawn from the sport he loves and those he loves. It’ll take someone to get him out of this spiral.
A High Five for Glenn Burke is incredible. Silas is desperate for acceptance, and he seeks that out in any way that he can, even through a historical figure who died before he was born. Often times, I felt the desire to just hug Silas and tell him that things are going to eventually be okay. Bildner writes this story so well, and it’s one that everyone ages 9 and up should read.
A High Five for Glenn Burke releases on February 25, 2020.
While choosing an invention for a class project, Silas decides to do his report on Glenn Burke, the first person to give a high five.
Silas very purposely chose Glenn Burke. Like Silas, Glenn Burke was a baseball player. Also like Silas, Glenn Burke was gay.
Silas has just figured this out for himself, and he hasn’t yet shared this with anyone. He decides to share it with his best friend Zoey, but when Zoey doesn’t respond quite as enthusiastically as Silas hoped, their friendship becomes strained.
Add to this homophobic remarks from some of his baseball teammates, and Silas feels more alone than ever before. In a moment of desperation, Silas lies to his teammates and tells him that he’s dating Zoey, and disastrous consequences follow.
Silas fears that what happened to Glenn Burke will happen to him too, and he becomes more and more withdrawn from the sport he loves and those he loves. It’ll take someone to get him out of this spiral.
A High Five for Glenn Burke is incredible. Silas is desperate for acceptance, and he seeks that out in any way that he can, even through a historical figure who died before he was born. Often times, I felt the desire to just hug Silas and tell him that things are going to eventually be okay. Bildner writes this story so well, and it’s one that everyone ages 9 and up should read.
A High Five for Glenn Burke releases on February 25, 2020.
August 22, 2022
“No matter what anyone tells you, no matter what anyone says, your existence—who you are—is not controversial.” What an extraordinary and extraordinarily important middle grade novel this was. Phil Bildner covered so many topics adults are afraid or unwilling to broach with kids, and he did so in a way that honored both the people and the process of growing in your perceptions, even and especially as an adult. And yes, I cried my little eyes out several times just thinking about the number of kids out there who will see themselves in Silas and his passions, his fears, his hopes, his convictions, and his story. 10 high fives out of 10.
February 18, 2020
“You be you. Keep being authentic.” I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this MG novel, but I really enjoyed it. It’s a story Glenn Burke, a Major League Baseball player who invented the high five and was a gay baseball player in the 1970’s. It’s also a story about coming out, “Your coming out... is going to be extraordinary, it’s not going to be easy, but it will be extraordinary.” A powerful novel that delivers a good message, there’s no one way to come out. I hope this book finds a young person who needs a window or mirror book.
December 27, 2019
Loved this very authentic feeling novel about Silas and his semi-obsession with Glenn Burke, baseball player, inventor of the high five, and gay man. Silas is gay, too, but it’s a secret. His presentation on Burke is a step toward sharing his truth. He tells a few select people after that but struggles with so much of his decisions. “...it drives home the message that there’s no one way to come out — and there’s a place on the field for everyone.”
February 27, 2022
I loved almost everything about this story except for two things. One: why is Semaj going to all these doctors and therapies if you’re not going to mention a specific condition and why are they not attending play groups or family support groups for her condition? There were no NF groups when I was a kid but now there’s a huge community for children with it and that social aspect is hugely important for everyone in the family. Also, it’s a nitpick but it is highly unlikely Ben-Ben would repeat Silas exact words to Zoey and it’s even less likely she would speak his lines back to him like that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2020
Everyone loved the presentation that sixth grader Silas gave on Glenn Burke, the baseball player who invented the high five-- but what he didn't mention is that Glenn Burke was gay, something that Silas has been thinking about a lot. He's the star of his own little league team, and can't help but wonder-- would his friends treat him differently if they knew he was gay, too? This novel is beautiful, simple, and sweet; Bildner scores a home run with his compelling way of recounting overlooked baseball history and how it compares to the modern sports community in a way that kids can understand and relate to.
February 24, 2020
This book is a must have for all middle school libraries and classrooms. The story of Silas owning and sharing his truth through the clever use of researching the history of the high five was masterfully crafted by author Phil Bildner. This book hits a homerun with its sensitivity and honest coming out story of a young boy.
April 29, 2022
I love this book about a Silas, 6th grade boy who loves playing baseball. He is gay, but afraid to come out. He does a report on Glenn Burke a black, gay Major League player from the 1970s. The book shows how much impact Glenn’s life has on Silas’.
February 26, 2020
What a great and relevant read for today!
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