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Fast Pitch

Fast Pitch

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-02 01:21:26
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Nic Stone
  • ISBN：1984893017
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Summary

From Nic Stone， the New York Times bestselling author of Clean Getaway， comes a challenging and heartwarming coming-of-age story about a softball player looking to prove herself on and off the pitch。

Shenice Lockwood has her eyes set on the Fastpitch World Series。 As team captain， she'd like nothing more than to help her girls take home the trophy and the $10，000 prize money。 And as one of the few brown faces on the field， it'd be a personal triumph to show-up her rich， white opponents。

But Shenice's focus gets shaken when her Uncle Jack reveals that a family crime may have been a set-up all along。 Shenice will stop at nothing to uncover the past。 The closer she gets to the truth， though， the further she gets from her goals for the future。

From the New York Times bestselling author of Clean Getaway， Nic Stone seamlessly pairs the history of the Negro Leagues with the story of a contemporary， Black tween determined to blaze a trail of her own。

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Reviews

Miriam ，

Softball， a baseball mystery， and an intense game。 The perfect book for the fall sports season。 Nic Stone sucks you into her books。 The writing is intense， the characters are charismatic。 Best of all， Nic Stone takes on many of today’s issues facing African-American and Hispanic youth。 Her books are filled with positive images of people of all colors and races。 I'm definitely hooked on Nic Stone's books。Thanks to the BookLoft of German Village （Columbus， OH） http://www。bookloft。com for an ARC to Softball， a baseball mystery， and an intense game。 The perfect book for the fall sports season。 Nic Stone sucks you into her books。 The writing is intense， the characters are charismatic。 Best of all， Nic Stone takes on many of today’s issues facing African-American and Hispanic youth。 Her books are filled with positive images of people of all colors and races。 I'm definitely hooked on Nic Stone's books。Thanks to the BookLoft of German Village （Columbus， OH） http://www。bookloft。com for an ARC to read and review。 。。。more

Teresa ，

Thank you to NetGalley， Random House Children's， and Nic Stone for the opportunity to read Fast Pitch in exchange for an honest review。I am not usually a sports book fan， but I used to play softball when I was in elementary and middle school， so I thought this book would be a fun way to reminisce about my time playing in the past。 I was also interested in the Black representation offered by this book， not to mention the author， Nic Stone， is a genius writer with iconic works， such as Dear Martin Thank you to NetGalley， Random House Children's， and Nic Stone for the opportunity to read Fast Pitch in exchange for an honest review。I am not usually a sports book fan， but I used to play softball when I was in elementary and middle school， so I thought this book would be a fun way to reminisce about my time playing in the past。 I was also interested in the Black representation offered by this book， not to mention the author， Nic Stone， is a genius writer with iconic works， such as Dear Martin and Dear Justyce， that have found their way into middle and high school English classrooms。This book is written for a middle grade audience， more toward girls， but I can see boys enjoying this novel as well。 While the book revolves around softball （and baseball）， the core of the novel is actually about solving a mystery， which I wasn't really expecting。 I'll be honest， I didn't read the book description before diving in， as I adore Nic Stone's work no matter what， but I really loved the direction this novel took。Shenice is the captain of her all-Black softball team， the Firebirds。 She lives in an area where people still sport Confederate flags， but she and her team will not let that bring them down。 She knows African-Americans （and girls， to boot）， deserve a historic place as ballplayers。When Shenice meets her uncle， Jack， for the first time， she learns that her grandpa JonJon was a Black baseball player whose name and reputation was slandered by a theft set-up because of his race。 Shenice learns she might be able to clear her grandfather's name， if only she can get the right information from uncle Jack during his lucid moments。As Shenice becomes distracted with clearing her grandfather's name， her focus on her softball team falls a bit short。 Between breaking a historical record as a team and fixing the facts of a historic Black ballplayer， Shenice has a hard time balancing what is most important to her， but she's only in middle school， so she will figure it out with the help of her friends and family。I absolutely adored this book。 It is well-written， enjoyable for middle grade readers or readers of all ages beyond。 The mystery revolving around the crime Shenice's grandfather was framed for is a great plot focused around baseball， but adds so much more depth to Shenice， her story， and her dreams for Black girls and her softball team。 A well-rounded novel that runs more than skin deep。 。。。more

Magaly C。 ，

Shenice “Lightning” Lockwood is the captain of her 12U softball team in Georgia: the ONLY all-Black softball team。 On the cusp of making history in her league， she gets more some backstory on her family legacy of her great-grandfather， Jumping Bean JonJon， and meets his brother， Uncle Jack。 When Jack says something about JonJon being framed for crime， thus losing his baseball career， Shenice cannot get Great-Grampy JonJon off her mind。 Will this family mystery be the distraction that causes her Shenice “Lightning” Lockwood is the captain of her 12U softball team in Georgia: the ONLY all-Black softball team。 On the cusp of making history in her league， she gets more some backstory on her family legacy of her great-grandfather， Jumping Bean JonJon， and meets his brother， Uncle Jack。 When Jack says something about JonJon being framed for crime， thus losing his baseball career， Shenice cannot get Great-Grampy JonJon off her mind。 Will this family mystery be the distraction that causes her team their place in history？What a great middle-grade sports book！ Told from Shenice’s POV， this is an easy middle-grade chapter book that showcases the depth of family legacies and the importance of teamwork and family。 My very slight qualm—more of a pet peeve—is when plot action happens “off-screen” and readers are told from the MC/narrator。 Other than that， I loved the friendship dynamics， Shanice’s family， and her internal narration that will connect with young readers。 Nic Stone has created a lovely book full of history， sports action， and mystery to solve。 Love love love！ E-ARC provided by NetGalley。 。。。more

StacksNSnacks ，

Fast Pitch by Nic Stone is a fast-paced middle grade read that discusses racism by blending history and modern day together through the topic of baseball/softball。 Thank you to Random House Kids and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This book will be released， Tuesday， August 31st。 I don’t want to give too much away but if you are already a fan Clean Getaway， you will want to read this book！12-year-old Shenice Lockwood comes from a long line of baseball players。 As the cap Fast Pitch by Nic Stone is a fast-paced middle grade read that discusses racism by blending history and modern day together through the topic of baseball/softball。 Thank you to Random House Kids and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This book will be released， Tuesday， August 31st。 I don’t want to give too much away but if you are already a fan Clean Getaway， you will want to read this book！12-year-old Shenice Lockwood comes from a long line of baseball players。 As the captain of the Firebirds， she’s determined to do something no other team has ever done。 Be the first all-black fast pitch team to win the district championship。 Shenice becomes distracted from this goal， when her uncle tells her about her Great Grandfather who was on his way to becoming one of the first black baseball players in the Major Leagues until he was framed for a crime that ultimately overshadowed his baseball career。 Shenice is determined to uncover the truth， but will discovering the truth about her family’s past， cost her team the championship？I really liked Shenice as a character， with her strong， girl power energy。 Last year we learned about the Negro Leagues in school and this book was the perfect follow-up to learn more。 Fast Pitch is an important book about racism and belonging， but with a mystery twist。 。。。more

LaTrice McNeil-Smith ，

3。5 Stars but rounding up。

Julie ，

With thanks to NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for an early copy in return for an honest review。Shenice Lockwood is the captain of an all-Black softball team。 She also comes from a family with a long history of baseball。 I like how this book weaves together elements of realistic fiction and elements of historical fiction as Shenice tries to lead her team to the finals and solve the mystery of why her great grandfather was blamed for a crime。 I really like when a book leaves me wantin With thanks to NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for an early copy in return for an honest review。Shenice Lockwood is the captain of an all-Black softball team。 She also comes from a family with a long history of baseball。 I like how this book weaves together elements of realistic fiction and elements of historical fiction as Shenice tries to lead her team to the finals and solve the mystery of why her great grandfather was blamed for a crime。 I really like when a book leaves me wanting to learn more about something， and by the end of the book I definitely wanted to learn more about the Negro Leagues。 Overall， a good middle grade book。 。。。more

Kamrin ，

I just finished Fast Pitch by Nic Stone， and it did NOT disappoint。 She shares a story of Shenice， a 12 year old softball player in Georgia。 Shenice is the catcher for the first all black girl softball team in the DYSA， and they are hoping to go to the championship this year。 Their team would be the very first all black team to make it to the championship！ For Shenice， playing ball runs in the family。 Her dad， grandfather， and great-grandfather all played and had big dreams of playing profession I just finished Fast Pitch by Nic Stone， and it did NOT disappoint。 She shares a story of Shenice， a 12 year old softball player in Georgia。 Shenice is the catcher for the first all black girl softball team in the DYSA， and they are hoping to go to the championship this year。 Their team would be the very first all black team to make it to the championship！ For Shenice， playing ball runs in the family。 Her dad， grandfather， and great-grandfather all played and had big dreams of playing professionally， but none of them ever got the chance。 However， after a big loss， and a discovery of some old artifacts from her great-grandfather， she realizes maybe one of them was closer to the major leagues than the rest of them ever knew。 I loved everything about this book！ It was a perfect companion to her earlier middle grade book， Clean Getaway， with Scoob making an appearance。 I loved how this book represented a tight knit family even if there are a few secrets along the way。 I also loved that we got a glimpse into major league baseball and the racism that players experienced （and still experience）。 Speaking from a teaching standpoint， it would be a great book to use in the classroom！ Speaking as a Nic Stone fan， this book was everything I could have wanted！ 。。。more

Yapha ，

Batball （as her brother calls it） is in Shenice's blood。 Her father played， her grandfather played， and her great grandfather was almost one of the first few Black players drafted into the MLB （right after Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige）。 Something happened though， but no one knows exactly what。 Now Shenice is leading her softball team， the first all-Black softball team in the league， to the U12 fast-pitch softball regional championship。 She is catcher and team captain。 But when she starts to Batball （as her brother calls it） is in Shenice's blood。 Her father played， her grandfather played， and her great grandfather was almost one of the first few Black players drafted into the MLB （right after Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige）。 Something happened though， but no one knows exactly what。 Now Shenice is leading her softball team， the first all-Black softball team in the league， to the U12 fast-pitch softball regional championship。 She is catcher and team captain。 But when she starts to learn details about her great grandfather， she becomes distracted。 Can she solve the mystery without losing focus on the games？ This was a great sports story AND a great historical mystery。 Highly recommended for grades 4 & up。eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley 。。。more

Kelly ，

Nic Stone doesn't write a bad book。 This is such a sweet read about Shenice， a middle schooler who is captain of her all-Black softball team。 The team has dealt with ups and downs in who they play against -- it's mostly white， and the team definitely experiences racism -- but they don't let it hold them back from celebrating when they are on a winning streak。 While on the road to championship， Shenice learns about the history and legacy of ball in her family， including learning about her great g Nic Stone doesn't write a bad book。 This is such a sweet read about Shenice， a middle schooler who is captain of her all-Black softball team。 The team has dealt with ups and downs in who they play against -- it's mostly white， and the team definitely experiences racism -- but they don't let it hold them back from celebrating when they are on a winning streak。 While on the road to championship， Shenice learns about the history and legacy of ball in her family， including learning about her great grandfather's near-call with the majors and how he was framed for a crime。 She's focused on helping her team make history while also working to clear the history of her family。 Shenice is such a fabulous tween character。 She's got all of her emotions right， all of her thoughts right， and is all of her own age。 There are some little digs in there that hurt -- calling Wall-E "that old movie about a robot" felt especially painful -- but they were authentic and real to the character。 I loved her fortitude， as well as the passion she has in getting to know her great uncle and helping him find resolution for his brother。 A great book about Black girls in sports。 。。。more

Mary ，

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review。Fast Pitch follows twelve year old Shenice "Lightning" Lockwood， captain of her all-black softball team， and the fourth generation of Lockwoods to pursue the sport。 When a visit to her Uncle Jack， brother to her Great-Grampy JonJon who left baseball after he was suspected of a crime， reveals that JonJon may not have committed the crime at all， Shenice goes to great lengths to find evidence to clear Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review。Fast Pitch follows twelve year old Shenice "Lightning" Lockwood， captain of her all-black softball team， and the fourth generation of Lockwoods to pursue the sport。 When a visit to her Uncle Jack， brother to her Great-Grampy JonJon who left baseball after he was suspected of a crime， reveals that JonJon may not have committed the crime at all， Shenice goes to great lengths to find evidence to clear her Great-Grampy's name。This story was beautiful。 It was a quick read， but it was rich with history and modernity。 Shenice was a delight of a narrator。 The story was funny and authentic and full of passion， and Nic Stone did a phenomenal job of including the truth about baseball's history。All in all， I really enjoyed my time with this book。 It was brief， but it was thoroughly enjoyable， and I would recommend it even to readers who may not be into middle grade but are still looking for an all-around solid read。 。。。more

T。J。 Burns ，

BUDDY READ: Contemporary/Romance > Fast Pitch by Nic Stone -- Starting to August 2nd 2021https://www。goodreads。com/topic/show/。。。 BUDDY READ: Contemporary/Romance > Fast Pitch by Nic Stone -- Starting to August 2nd 2021https://www。goodreads。com/topic/show/。。。 。。。more

Michelle ，

Nic Stone is simply brilliant。 She tells a fabulous story while teaching us about history at the same time。 I absolutely love that Shenice was so dedicated to softball。 That representation is much needed in my classroom。 Her whole team was easy to root for。 Also， seeing Scoob from Clean Getaway was a nice touch。

Priscila Patatas ，

This digital ARC was offered in exchange of an honest and unbiased review:•3，5*Pros: Heartwarming story of 12-year-old Shenice， captain of an all-Black softball team。 Focuses on family and following your legacy。 Relevant points about the still-present oppressive racism in the world of sports。 A beautiful look into sisterhood。。Cons: Odd vocabulary and expressions for 12-year-olds， that made it slightly jarring to be fully immersive。

Sam ，

I love The Sandlot and I love stories about girls of colour kicking butt， of course I loved this！！

Courtney ，

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 I’ve read a few short stories from Nic Stone in the past， but never read a longer work from her。 So， even though I have little interest in softball， I jumped at the chance to review Fast Pitch。 And even as a non-fan of sports， I still enjoyed it。 Despite my lack of sports knowledge， I’m still aware of the trend of the girl being the underdog in many sports stories， so to see a heroine I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 I’ve read a few short stories from Nic Stone in the past， but never read a longer work from her。 So， even though I have little interest in softball， I jumped at the chance to review Fast Pitch。 And even as a non-fan of sports， I still enjoyed it。 Despite my lack of sports knowledge， I’m still aware of the trend of the girl being the underdog in many sports stories， so to see a heroine like Shenice who excels at softball。 I loved the camaraderie between the Shenice and the other Black girls on the team as they face off against the racism and bigotry that comes their way as the first all-Black team。 There’s also a sense of Shenice following in the footsteps of previous generations of her family who also played the sport， including her father， grandfather， great-uncle， and great-grandfather。 I admired her determination to get justice when she found out that her great-grandfather JonJon’s career came to an end after being framed for a crime he didn’t commit， somewhat clouding her focus from the here-and-now with her team。I like how Stone depicts sensitive issues to the Black experience， while also conveying a fairly lighthearted tone with the sense of community in the bonds between the characters。 This is a fun book centering Black girlhood， and one I would recommend for both kids and adults。 。。。more

Sarah ，

Another hit for this author！

Amani ，

TW: racismShenice Lockwood is the captain of the softball team。 When her uncle informs her about a crime that a relative allegedly does， Shenice decides it's time for her to act like Nancy Drew。 She wants to take matters into her own hands and lead the investigation。。 The importance of a legacy is discussed and I liked how Stone talks about racism in the same way that it would occur in real life。 It's not in the entire book， but it will make you stop and think。 This is my third Nic Stone book an TW: racismShenice Lockwood is the captain of the softball team。 When her uncle informs her about a crime that a relative allegedly does， Shenice decides it's time for her to act like Nancy Drew。 She wants to take matters into her own hands and lead the investigation。。 The importance of a legacy is discussed and I liked how Stone talks about racism in the same way that it would occur in real life。 It's not in the entire book， but it will make you stop and think。 This is my third Nic Stone book and I’m excited for Nic’s future books！ 。。。more

Amy ，

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the review copy of this book。 This was intriguing to me because I have enjoyed Nic Stone’s work in the past and I played softball in high school。 Holy moly， does Nic Stone know how to write a story！ This follows Shenice Lockwood， captain of the Fulton Firebirds。 The team is on the path to make history as the first team made of all-brown faces to win the U12 championship。 However， Shenice’s concentration is broken by family drama。 Long ago， h Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the review copy of this book。 This was intriguing to me because I have enjoyed Nic Stone’s work in the past and I played softball in high school。 Holy moly， does Nic Stone know how to write a story！ This follows Shenice Lockwood， captain of the Fulton Firebirds。 The team is on the path to make history as the first team made of all-brown faces to win the U12 championship。 However， Shenice’s concentration is broken by family drama。 Long ago， her great， great grandfather was shunned from the major leagues when he was accused of a crime his younger brother swears he didn’t commit （and Great Uncle Jack has proof！） Determined to solve the mystery at hand and clear her great great grandfather’s name， Shenice runs the risk of letting down her team。 Shenice is a strong and wonderful main character！ I loved watching as she grew and reflected。 It was really awesome to revisit a favorite character from Clean Getaway as well！ 。。。more

Eva B。 ，

FINALLY a MG book about sports that features softball instead of the "girl has to prove herself so she can play baseball/football with the guys" trope。 FINALLY a MG book about sports that features softball instead of the "girl has to prove herself so she can play baseball/football with the guys" trope。 。。。more

Phoenix （Books with Wings） ，

The first Nic Stone book I read was。。。not great （Odd One Out） but I am SUPER excited about this one。 I LOVE sports books， especially girls in sports， and given that I PLAY softball， this one looks extremely interesting！ I'm also fascinated with how it is going to tackle how white softball is because， and I say this as a white teen， it is very white， and that needs to change。 Really looking forward to this book！ The first Nic Stone book I read was。。。not great （Odd One Out） but I am SUPER excited about this one。 I LOVE sports books， especially girls in sports， and given that I PLAY softball， this one looks extremely interesting！ I'm also fascinated with how it is going to tackle how white softball is because， and I say this as a white teen， it is very white， and that needs to change。 Really looking forward to this book！ 。。。more

Alicia ，

The book went by so fast that I thought I was reading a rather long short story but it has all of the elements of an entertaining read for middle grade-- a bit of a mystery， a girl who needs to solve it while juggling another obligation-- in this case taking her softball team to finals。 You see the companion， Scoob， from Clean Getaway as a peripheral character and center， like the other， on social justice elements with history。 Shenice is learning about her family's history with the baseball and The book went by so fast that I thought I was reading a rather long short story but it has all of the elements of an entertaining read for middle grade-- a bit of a mystery， a girl who needs to solve it while juggling another obligation-- in this case taking her softball team to finals。 You see the companion， Scoob， from Clean Getaway as a peripheral character and center， like the other， on social justice elements with history。 Shenice is learning about her family's history with the baseball and the Negro League。 And it's a whole lot of The Sandlot， like for real， for real。 So if you're a Sandlot fan， it's kind of all there。 Could the characters have been a little more fleshed out and a little more care to develop everyone？ Yes， but altogether it was a family-centered sports-forward story about our heroine， Shenice。 。。。more

Susan Metallo ，

When the captain of a softball team discovers that her great-grandfather was framed for a crime that cost him his spot as one of the first Black players on an MLB team， she embarks on a quest to find the real culprit。 I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review。Family， friendships， and a quest for justice burn bright in this gripping middle grade novel。 The humor and the protagonist's loving community keep the story fun and uplifting even as he When the captain of a softball team discovers that her great-grandfather was framed for a crime that cost him his spot as one of the first Black players on an MLB team， she embarks on a quest to find the real culprit。 I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review。Family， friendships， and a quest for justice burn bright in this gripping middle grade novel。 The humor and the protagonist's loving community keep the story fun and uplifting even as her quest for racial justice forces her to confront the darkness and pain of racism in the past and the present。 This novel has something for mystery lovers， realistic fiction lovers， and sports fans--plus plenty of thought-provoking thematic material--making it an ideal choice for classrooms and book clubs。 I highly recommend this book to all middle grade and younger YA readers （grades 4-8）。 。。。more

Lizanne Johnson ，

As a middle school librarian I want to spend my limited budget and my own money on books that fill gaps in the collection and that students will read。 Building my diverse collection has been rewarding as I see my students seeking out the new titles and getting excited to see themselves represented in books。 Fast Pitch is a definite purchase。 It is not only a diverse book。 It is about girls playing a sport - Black girls。 They aim for excellence and seek truth about the past。 They deal with racism As a middle school librarian I want to spend my limited budget and my own money on books that fill gaps in the collection and that students will read。 Building my diverse collection has been rewarding as I see my students seeking out the new titles and getting excited to see themselves represented in books。 Fast Pitch is a definite purchase。 It is not only a diverse book。 It is about girls playing a sport - Black girls。 They aim for excellence and seek truth about the past。 They deal with racism- casual and intentional。 Books with female characters who play sports is an area in fiction that is frequently lacking。 The way Ms。 Stone includes racism in her book， both present day and historically fits so well and feels so real。 I look forward to recommending this book。 Thank you NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers for Random House Children’s for the opportunity to review this title。 It is a must have for my Title I middle school library。 。 。。。more

Emily Baker ，

Thank you Netgalley， Nic Stone ， and Penguin Randomhouse for this E-ARC of :Fast Pitch by Nic Stone•“… we all know Black girls are magic…”•Seeing all of Nic Stone’s post on instagram about the release of this book sold me on it before I even started。 I mean who didn’t grow up loving The Sandlot？ •In true Nic Stone fashion this book included a plot related to racism in the past and how it is still relevant and prominent today。 •I do not know anything about “Batball” （baseball/softball… although I Thank you Netgalley， Nic Stone ， and Penguin Randomhouse for this E-ARC of :Fast Pitch by Nic Stone•“… we all know Black girls are magic…”•Seeing all of Nic Stone’s post on instagram about the release of this book sold me on it before I even started。 I mean who didn’t grow up loving The Sandlot？ •In true Nic Stone fashion this book included a plot related to racism in the past and how it is still relevant and prominent today。 •I do not know anything about “Batball” （baseball/softball… although I did play t-ball where i enjoyed chasing butterflies in the outfield）， but this book was still super enjoyable for a YA / middle grade audience！•It kept reminding me of Holes as well！ The need to find the treasure to break the family curse and restore the name！ •I loved this one and can definitely see it being used in classrooms！ 。。。more

Josephine Sorrell ，

Shenice is a girl with a family baseball legacy。 Now it has caused a huge weight on her young shoulders。 The weight involves a scandal surrounding her great-grandfather。 She feels it’s her job to try and clear his name all the while trying to win a historic title as the captain of her softball team。Twelve-year-old Shenice “Lightning” Lockwood has baseball in her blood and plans to lead her all-Black fast-pitch softball team （a first in the Dixie Youth Softball Association）， the Fulton Firebirds Shenice is a girl with a family baseball legacy。 Now it has caused a huge weight on her young shoulders。 The weight involves a scandal surrounding her great-grandfather。 She feels it’s her job to try and clear his name all the while trying to win a historic title as the captain of her softball team。Twelve-year-old Shenice “Lightning” Lockwood has baseball in her blood and plans to lead her all-Black fast-pitch softball team （a first in the Dixie Youth Softball Association）， the Fulton Firebirds， to victory at the district championship。 In the attempt to cheer his daughter after a disappointing loss， her father shows her memorabilia from her family’s baseball lineage。 This event prompts him to take Shenice to visit her great-uncle Jack。 He tells her the story of her great-grandfather’s rise from the Negro Leagues to the majors and how racial prejudice played a part in his being framed for the theft of a famous baseball glove。 Here is where Shenice feels compelled to seek answers。This middle-grade novel discusses race at a level readers will understand and many can relate。 The story is filled with images of positive Black girls without downplaying the historical realities of her family playing baseball in the American South。 And how sadly enough it still affects her in the present as she attempts to make history herself。 Notably， her coach is a White woman in a same-gender marriage。 The mystery is compelling but for a non spirts follower， at times， I was ready to get through the softball stuff to get more into the intrigue。 All in all， Fast Pitch is quite an adventure。 。。。more

Melissa ，

This was a fab YA/ middle grade read。

Kim ，

In the afterward it was mentioned that author Nic Stone had the movie The Sandlot in mind when she was writing her latest book Fast Pitch。 This story was reminiscent of that wonderful story， but it is so much more， as well。 I was reminded of the movie A League of Their Own， too。 In both stories characters are struggling to find themselves and fit into their particular worlds。 In Fast Pitch， main character twelve year old Shenice "Lightning" Lockwood has a stable， loving family。 She is captain of In the afterward it was mentioned that author Nic Stone had the movie The Sandlot in mind when she was writing her latest book Fast Pitch。 This story was reminiscent of that wonderful story， but it is so much more， as well。 I was reminded of the movie A League of Their Own， too。 In both stories characters are struggling to find themselves and fit into their particular worlds。 In Fast Pitch， main character twelve year old Shenice "Lightning" Lockwood has a stable， loving family。 She is captain of a local softball team; the first in their area to be an all black girl team。 Shenice knows her heart and mind， and she loves her team and all they have accomplished， and dreams of a historic championship are close at hand 。 A family secret comes to light and Shenice finds herself distracted from softball， but still tries her best to support her team on their quest toward winning。 There is much to love in this story。 Shenice is a strong female character， and her family is closely knit; lessons imparted on her are of integrity， honesty and honor。 The subject of racism and past inequities and injustices are parts of the theme， but so are teamwork， friendships and family ties。 This book is a true gift， and one I look forward to sharing with my middle grade readers。 Softball， friendship， teamwork - being the best person one can be; all lessons to be learned， as well as a bit of fun and humor through the eyes of a 12 year old girl。 。。。more

Julie ，

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for an early E-ARC of this book。I really love Nic Stone's writing， and her gift with middle grade is superb！ In Clean Getaway and now Fast Pitch she takes a modern character and story and folds in history in a way that will appeal to fans of both realistic and historical fiction。 She keep the length of her books relatively short and I know that will also draw in lots of my middle grade readers。 The cover art is absolutely incredible as well。Fast Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for an early E-ARC of this book。I really love Nic Stone's writing， and her gift with middle grade is superb！ In Clean Getaway and now Fast Pitch she takes a modern character and story and folds in history in a way that will appeal to fans of both realistic and historical fiction。 She keep the length of her books relatively short and I know that will also draw in lots of my middle grade readers。 The cover art is absolutely incredible as well。Fast Pitch is the story of a young girl， Shenice Lockwood， who is the captain of her fastpitch softball team。 There is nothing she wants more than to lead her team of Black and brown players to the FastPitch World Series and to beat their rich， white opponents。 But Shenice becomes distracted by a mystery surrounding her great grandfather who played in the Negro Leagues， and was falsely accused of a crime that changed the family baseball fame trajectory forever。 She is determined to learn the truth and clear her great grandfather's name， but will she be able to remain focused enough on her own game to win the World Series？ Powerful characters， fast-faced can't put it down story， and a whole lot of heart makes this a middle grade powerhouse。 Nic Stone hit it out of the park with this one， and I am excited to share it with my students。 。。。more

Carmensutra ，

Can I give this book 10 stars？ Nic really outdid herself with this story of a middle grade softball player trying to get her team to be the first all-Black district team to win the championships， dealing with elderly family members and their health issues， a maybe crush？ This was adorable and immersive and went SO FAST！ If you loved the Sandlot， this is a MUST READ。

Christie ，

Softball， baseball history， a scandal from her family's past， and the bonds of teammates and family。。。 Fast Pitch will engage readers with all of these aspects of the story。 You won't regret hopping on the team Firebus and going along for this ride！ Softball， baseball history， a scandal from her family's past， and the bonds of teammates and family。。。 Fast Pitch will engage readers with all of these aspects of the story。 You won't regret hopping on the team Firebus and going along for this ride！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Fast Pitch

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Fast Pitch&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Fast Pitch&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0