Warrior on the Mound

December 11, 2023
Headen uses baseball to explore themes of racism in this powerful debut set in North Carolina during the Jim Crow era. In 1935, 12-year-old Cato Jones, who is Black, aspires to pitch for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League like his late father and older brother. Cato and his team, the Pender County Rangers, often skip school to practice on the new field built by white businessman Luke Blackburn for his own son’s team. Cato dreams of playing an actual game on that field, with its real bases, bleachers, and pitching mound: “I would love to see the Rangers whip the tar out of that white boy and his team right on their own fancy ball field. Just one fair game, and we could do it.” Scheduling a game against Blackburn’s son proves easy; keeping it fair, however, is not. And after the ball game triggers a resurgence of racial violence, Cato’s tight-knit Black community must rally around one another to keep each other safe. The protagonist’s first-person POV adds immediacy to this emotionally charged sports novel, making for a winning combination of action-driven plotting and underlying historical tension that will inspire discussion surrounding Jim Crow era and contemporary prejudice. Ample back matter concludes. Ages 8–12. Agent: Victoria Selvaggio, Storm Literary.

Starred review from January 1, 2024

Gr 5-8-In Poplar Springs, NC, 12-year-old Cato aspires to play in the Negro Baseball Leagues, just like his dad and brother. A swirl of mystery surrounds the sudden death of his father, Daddy Mo, four years ago, but the pain remains just as strong. It's 1939 in the South, and the odds seem stacked against Cato with rampant racism and Jim Crow laws in place. While he and his friends get plenty of practice on their makeshift baseball field, the big talk is the new field built for the white boys. Cutting school and sneaking onto the new field gets Cato and his teammates into a pickle with the white team. In order to settle things, it is suggested that they compete in a series of games on the new field. While this sits very well with Cato and his team, the white players are not fond of the idea at all. The racial tension seeps from the field into every aspect of Cato's life, adding even more weight to each game and putting people in danger. Told in the first person, this engaging novel tackles themes of bullying, racism, segregation, strength, and forgiveness. Helpful back matter roots Cato's story in its historical context with an author's note, time line, bibliography, and biographies of the real Negro League players after which characters are named. VERDICT A home run of a book that is brave enough to speak the hard truths, this is a first purchase for all libraries.-Tracy Cronce

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2024
Grades 5-7 In a small North Carolina town of the 1930s, the prospect of an all-Black baseball team playing a white one brings simmering racial tensions to a boil. Sure that his team would win, 12-year-old Cato accepts a proposal from a local white merchant to put it to the test. In doing so, he stands firm in the face of a lynching in the not-all-that-distant past and the ugly threat of one opposing player who goes from sneering racial slurs to leading a series of beatings and burnings. Along with creating a protagonist strong enough to exercise good judgment despite provocation, the author assembles a cast rich in people of good will who are willing to work together both to mend at least some of the physical and emotional damage, as well as to to defy the forces and legacy of hate to bring off not just that one game but the prospect of future ones. A substantial afterword informs on the Negro Leagues, including a time line and reading lists.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 15, 2024
It's 1939, and an African American tween in North Carolina is looking forward to following his older brother and now-deceased father into the Negro Baseball Leagues. Twelve-year-old Cato Jones desperately wants to be a great pitcher, just like his beloved father, Daddy Mo. Cato and his teammates go see the impressive new (but whites-only) ballfield, and they can't resist trying it out. But when they're accused of causing damage, Cato knows his denial won't be enough to challenge a white person's lie. Gradually Cato learns that Daddy Mo and Luke Blackburn, the white man who owns the field, were friends, but no one will share what happened on the night Daddy Mo died. Mr. Luke agrees to a game between the Black and white teams, an event disrupted by racial threats. The racist undercurrents in town go back decades, and some seek to use these divisions to sow even more discord. All of that seems unimportant when Isaac, Cato's brother, arrives home, the victim of a terrible beating. Debut author Headen has crafted a highly engaging novel that skillfully and believably weaves actual events into the story. The energy of sports and Cato's drive to excel propel the narrative. Family and community dynamics reflect the times but still allow today's readers to connect with Cato and his friends. An outstanding blend of history, sports, and coming of age: not to be missed. (author's note, historical notes, timeline, resources, further reading) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2024
Twelve-year-old Cato Jones and his friends, who are Black, skip school and cross the county line to see Poplar Field, the white boys' new baseball field. Cato wants his father, who died four years earlier, to see it, symbolically, through his eyes. Daddy Mo, a pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League, would have loved the nicely groomed field with real bases, a raised pitcher's mound, and bleachers. But this is 1939, and what the friends are doing is dangerous. Sure enough, they are wrongly accused of vandalizing the field and required to work at Luke Blackburn's grocery store to teach them a lesson. Mr. Luke, a white man Cato has never liked or trusted, turns out to have been friends with Daddy Mo and offers Cato and his friends a chance to practice on the field with his son's team, sparking racial tensions in town. Headen captures the layers of racism embedded in a southern town where the histories of Black and white communities intertwine. To honor Black players of the past, Headen has named the players on Cato's team after actual players from the Negro Leagues. Extensive back matter includes a timeline, an author's note, a bibliography, and additional historical information. Dean Schneider

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
Twelve-year-old Cato Jones and his friends, who are Black, skip school and cross the county line to see Poplar Field, the white boys' new baseball field. Cato wants his father, who died four years earlier, to see it, symbolically, through his eyes. Daddy Mo, a pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American League, would have loved the nicely groomed field with real bases, a raised pitcher's mound, and bleachers. But this is 1939, and what the friends are doing is dangerous. Sure enough, they are wrongly accused of vandalizing the field and required to work at Luke Blackburn's grocery store to teach them a lesson. Mr. Luke, a white man Cato has never liked or trusted, turns out to have been friends with Daddy Mo and offers Cato and his friends a chance to practice on the field with his son's team, sparking racial tensions in town. Headen captures the layers of racism embedded in a southern town where the histories of Black and white communities intertwine. To honor Black players of the past, Headen has named the players on Cato's team after actual players from the Negro Leagues. Extensive back matter includes a timeline, an author's note, a bibliography, and additional historical information.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)