KEEPING SCORE

In 1950s Brooklyn, everyone is baseball mad. Maggie says daily prayers and follows careful rituals to “help” the Dodgers. She listens intently to games on the radio, often with her friends at the firehouse. With firefighter Jim’s help, even if he is a Giants fan, she learns to score the games meticulously. Jim is drafted and sent to Korea, where his experiences lead to a severe breakdown. Maggie writes to Jim faithfully, scores Giants games for him and says heartfelt prayers for his recovery. But her efforts meet with little success. She is disillusioned and heartbroken by the war, by Jim’s inability to cope and by the constant disappointments provided by the Dodgers. But she never completely gives up, and there is a ray of hope for both Jim and the Dodgers as the 1955 season begins. Park’s deeply layered plot is built as slowly and as meticulously as Maggie’s scoring. As Maggie matures from age nine to 13, she never loses her compassion and openhearted nature. An author’s note adds historical information. A winner at every level. (Historical fiction. 9-12)