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A High Five for Glenn Burke

Phil Bildner (Goodreads Author)

4.37 · Rating details · 322 ratings · 86 reviews

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 a ...more

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Hardcover, 288 pages

Published February 25th 2020 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)

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· 322 ratings · 86 reviews

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Oct 03, 2019 Paul Hankins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult-retrospective-nostalgia, choose-kind-title, middle-grade-discussion-ready, middle-grade-social-issues-title, middle-grade-touching, middle-grade-touching-tender, lightship-title, middle-grade-diversity, mr-hankins-says-don-t-miss, middle-grade-touching-poignant-dive

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 play ...more

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Sep 30, 2020 Laura rated it really liked it

“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 ...more

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Jan 07, 2020 Melissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads, middle-grade

Really enjoyed this one

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Apr 29, 2020 Maura rated it it was amazing

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 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 (view spoiler). 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! ...more

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May 09, 2020 Lynn Plourde rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-grade-ya-books

An important middle grade novel disguised as a baseball book. Silas Wade's voice rings at times strong and at other time 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 ...more

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Feb 13, 2021 Eliza Savage rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 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.

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Mar 06, 2020 Gary Anderson rated it it was amazing

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 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. ...more

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Jun 08, 2020 Laura Gardner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: projectlit

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 ga ...more

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Jul 20, 2020 Alex Baugh rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, lgtbq, baseball, sports

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, 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 ...more

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May 18, 2020 Don rated it it was amazing

(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 (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,

"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. ...more

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May 05, 2020 Sally Kruger added it

I'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 ...more

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Jul 01, 2020 Linda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-grade-2020, read-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 lea ...more

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Sep 24, 2020 Emily rated it liked it

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 als ...more

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Jun 05, 2020 Laurie Thompson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-grade-kids

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 ...more

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Dec 18, 2019 Anna rated it it was amazing

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 resp ...more

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Feb 17, 2020 Bonnie Grover rated it really liked it

“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 pers ...more

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Dec 26, 2019 Cindy Christiansen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-school-general

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.”

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Dec 17, 2020 Andrew rated it really liked it

Shelves: diversity, genre-contemporary, diversity-lgbtq-features, december-2020, genre-juvenile-middle-school-tween, theme-sports

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; ...more

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Jan 08, 2020 Andrew rated it really liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, middle-grade

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 base ...more

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Feb 24, 2020 Ann rated it it was amazing

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.

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Feb 26, 2020 Scott Rosenberg rated it it was amazing

What a great and relevant read for today!

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Sep 03, 2020 Dawn Ferencz rated it it was amazing

This is sweet and full of hope.

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Jan 26, 2021 Uri rated it really liked it

honestly, there were parts of this that moved me to tears. beyond thrilled that this book exists for the youths.

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Jan 04, 2020 Katie rated it it was amazing

LOVED it! Can’t wait to share it with Abby!!!

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May 16, 2020 Nicole rated it it was amazing

A beautiful, uplifting, and well- written story.

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Feb 26, 2021 Jennifer Mangler rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grades

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.

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Mar 16, 2020 Heather Jensen rated it it was amazing

High Five to author Phil Bildner for sharing the story of Silas Wade. This is an important book for our young men and women as they explore and discover their identities. The young humans in our LGBTQ community need to find positive stories that they see themselves in. It is vital that they understand that they are not alone.

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Apr 25, 2020 Anna rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-general-fiction, tween, read-in-2020

This was sweet and I think much needed addition to the canon of middle grade/tween lit. Yes it’s a coming out story but it would also be great for baseball fans!

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Jan 18, 2020 Patricia Murphy rated it it was amazing

Another great Phil Bildner novel. Interlacing the history of 1st baseball player to come out as gay & journey of 6th grader Silas. Relatable. Silas lives for baseball, loves The Sandlot, and has an incredible coach. Powerful story.

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Sep 13, 2020 Jake rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtqia, children-s-lit-lgbtq, children-s-lit, middle-grades, sports, own-voices, 2020-release

I love baseball, gay things, and kid lit. So this was everything I needed and more. A really sweet and sensitive book about being true to yourself and still getting to do what you love.

I wish to DEATH I had a coach like Webb on any of the teams that I was on as a kid and teen. This one struck a big chord.

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About Phil Bildner

Phil Bildner

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Phil 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 Elepha Phil 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. ...more