A High Five for Glenn Burke
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- Create Date：2021-04-29 09:51:02
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Phil Bildner
- ISBN：1250763282
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Summary
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 Walker does a school presentation on former Major League Baseball player Glenn Burke， it's more than just a report on the inventor of the high five。 Burke was a black gay baseball player in the 1970s--and for Silas， the presentation is his own first baby step toward coming out as gay。
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。 Kids get pulled from the team， fingers point at Silas， and he stages one big cover-up with terrible consequences。 Was it a mistake to share his truth？
A High Five for Glenn Burke is Phil Bildner's most personal novel yet， and drives home the message that there's no one way to come out--and there's a place in the field for everyone。
When sixth grader Silas Walker does a school presentation on former Major League Baseball player Glenn Burke， it's more than just a report on the inventor of the high five。 Burke was a black gay baseball player in the 1970s--and for Silas， the presentation is his own first baby step toward coming out as gay。
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。 Kids get pulled from the team， fingers point at Silas， and he stages one big cover-up with terrible consequences。 Was it a mistake to share his truth？
A High Five for Glenn Burke is Phil Bildner's most personal novel yet， and drives home the message that there's no one way to come out--and there's a place in the field for everyone。
Reviews
Brianna Coats
，
Great story that teaches you to be true to yourself even when no one agrees。
Dedra
，
I loved this book。 It was the perfect blend of baseball， humor， and honest conversations。 A must read！
Holly
，
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， 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。 。。。more
Jennifer Mangler
，
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。
Janice
，
A great book for middle schoolers。 I loved learning about Glen Burke and reading Silas’s coming out story。 The way he obsessed about it and freaked out when he told people about it felt SO REAL。 The author did a great job expressing that terror。 I also noticed how， even though Silas knew he was gay， there was absolutely nothing sexual happening in the book， which makes this a great book for younger middle schoolers。
Eliza Savage
，
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。
Uri
，
honestly， there were parts of this that moved me to tears。 beyond thrilled that this book exists for the youths。
bjneary
，
What a great read！ I read this as part of #BitAboutBooks Winter Reading Challenge （Direction in the Title） and 6th grader Silas Wade is such a likeable relatable character with lots of friends and a secret。 When he researches Glenn Burke， a baseball player， he finds the challenges Glenn Burke faces on and off the field arresting and surprisingly hits close to home for Silas。 With lots of frenetic energy， enthusiasm for baseball， and the need to stand out as the funny guy on his baseball team， Si What a great read！ I read this as part of #BitAboutBooks Winter Reading Challenge （Direction in the Title） and 6th grader Silas Wade is such a likeable relatable character with lots of friends and a secret。 When he researches Glenn Burke， a baseball player， he finds the challenges Glenn Burke faces on and off the field arresting and surprisingly hits close to home for Silas。 With lots of frenetic energy， enthusiasm for baseball， and the need to stand out as the funny guy on his baseball team， Silas also has a strength and fragility。 This is such a good book about being true to yourself， being honest and upfront ---Silas' challenges will ring true to middle grade readers; a must read！ 。。。more
Chris
，
Realistic fiction about a sixth grade boy’s struggles of how， if， and when to tell his friends， family， and baseball team that he is gay。 Imbued with so much baseball terms， slang， and stats that it will make your eyes glass over if you're not a fan。 Realistic fiction about a sixth grade boy’s struggles of how， if， and when to tell his friends， family， and baseball team that he is gay。 Imbued with so much baseball terms， slang， and stats that it will make your eyes glass over if you're not a fan。 。。。more
Brenda Kahn
，
Phil Bildner nailed it with this engaging novel。 In High Five for Glenn Burke， we have a narrator who is endearing as well as irritating。 His energy just crackles and that can be a bit exhausting。 We also have superb baseball - history （that I didn't know） as well as mechanics of practice and games。 We have a stressed out family that is doing their best。 We have a best friendship that has hit the skids。 Most of all， we have an author who skillfully combined these ingredients to realistically por Phil Bildner nailed it with this engaging novel。 In High Five for Glenn Burke， we have a narrator who is endearing as well as irritating。 His energy just crackles and that can be a bit exhausting。 We also have superb baseball - history （that I didn't know） as well as mechanics of practice and games。 We have a stressed out family that is doing their best。 We have a best friendship that has hit the skids。 Most of all， we have an author who skillfully combined these ingredients to realistically portray an adolescent's coming out in all its messy glory。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Lisa
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Loved this book！
Andrew
，
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; 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
Elisabeth
，
I wish the book discussed Glenn Burke’s blackness more， but in general this one stuck with me。 I wish a teacher had recommended this book to me in sixth grade。
Jamie
，
Both a wonderful coming-out story and an exciting baseball story， this one is sometimes heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful。
Laura
，
“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 “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？ （view spoiler）[ There were one or two sudden turns involving Zoey， Silas’s best friend， that gave me whiplash。 I wasn’t a big fan of Zoey。 But there were so many other wonderful characters to love。 Hope you meet them all！ （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Emily
，
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 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。 。。。more
Melissa
，
Great middle school "you be you" story。 Good read for feeling what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes and knowing how it feels to be worried that your whole world will implode if you let people know who you really are。 Great middle school "you be you" story。 Good read for feeling what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes and knowing how it feels to be worried that your whole world will implode if you let people know who you really are。 。。。more
Alexa Hamilton
，
Silas Wade loves baseball and he loves hamming it up。 He puts the two together for his presentation for class and plays Glenn Burke， the inventor of the high five。 That is not Glenn Burke's only claim to fame though。 Glenn Burke was gay。 It's one of the reasons Silas wants to highlight him， only he doesn't mention it in his report and he doesn't want anyone to find out。 Because he's not quite ready to come out。The situations in this book are perfectly middle school。 The was Silas starts to come Silas Wade loves baseball and he loves hamming it up。 He puts the two together for his presentation for class and plays Glenn Burke， the inventor of the high five。 That is not Glenn Burke's only claim to fame though。 Glenn Burke was gay。 It's one of the reasons Silas wants to highlight him， only he doesn't mention it in his report and he doesn't want anyone to find out。 Because he's not quite ready to come out。The situations in this book are perfectly middle school。 The was Silas starts to come out to folks in his life， the way kids are interacting with each other。 Silas is not always easy to like， and he absolutely loves baseball and is maybe ahead of the curve with his baseball knowledge but it works here。 And by the end， you're absolutely rooting for Silas and for everything to turn out right。 。。。more
Jake
，
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。
Luzenskets
，
Not exactly what I expected but an interesting and compelling story！
Aud
，
3。5。 Well written。 Felt like we got to know the main character pretty well， and Silas was very likeable。Got a little bored with the baseball， but it got the point across that it’s a huge part of Silas’ life。 Also， the split between who you know at school vs extracurriculars was well done。 Silas’ world feels very real。It’s hard to articulate the next part。 The world has changed a lot since Glenn Burke。 It’s still hard to be gay， for sure， but nothing like it was。 Exactly what was Silas so scared 3。5。 Well written。 Felt like we got to know the main character pretty well， and Silas was very likeable。Got a little bored with the baseball， but it got the point across that it’s a huge part of Silas’ life。 Also， the split between who you know at school vs extracurriculars was well done。 Silas’ world feels very real。It’s hard to articulate the next part。 The world has changed a lot since Glenn Burke。 It’s still hard to be gay， for sure， but nothing like it was。 Exactly what was Silas so scared of regarding coming out？ He didn’t seem to be afraid of being bullied or anything specific， just terrified of people knowing， in general。 I suppose that’s plausible， it definitely changes your life to be out， but I wouldn’t have minded a deeper look at that。 He’s from a very loving family and what appears to be a very inclusive community。 I’m not saying his fears aren’t valid， but I wouldn’t have minded a deeper examination。Not my personal cup of tea， but well-written， with resonant emotions and well-rounded characters 。。。more
Dawn Ferencz
，
This is sweet and full of hope。
Paul Yenne
，
The core story of a young boy coming to terms who he is and starting the process of coming out is fantastic， compelling， and important for a middle-grades book like this one。 However， the book was/did two things that I am not a fan of。 The first is， it's a sports book， and I have never loved reading about sports， or descriptions of sporting events， and there is a decent amount of that。 Second， I've never loved books that reference contemporary pop-culture， it takes me out of the book and gets me The core story of a young boy coming to terms who he is and starting the process of coming out is fantastic， compelling， and important for a middle-grades book like this one。 However， the book was/did two things that I am not a fan of。 The first is， it's a sports book， and I have never loved reading about sports， or descriptions of sporting events， and there is a decent amount of that。 Second， I've never loved books that reference contemporary pop-culture， it takes me out of the book and gets me thinking about how the book will age。 But， having said that， it is a tremendous and important book， that just wasn't my cup of tea。 。。。more
Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens
，
Baseball-obsessed Silas is a 6th-grader whose journey to self-acceptance begins with a school presentation on Glenn Burke， the 1970s baseball player who invented the high-five， who was gay， and whose real-life story did not have a happy ending。
Jill Pace
，
I read the entire thing in a single sitting because I couldn't put it down。 So good。 I read the entire thing in a single sitting because I couldn't put it down。 So good。 。。。more
Yapha
，
What an amazing story！ Each part of it -- the baseball， the coming out， the middle school friendships -- would have been a good story on their own。 Together they knock it out of the park （baseball metaphor completely intended！） I didn't know about Glenn Burke before， and I am grateful that I do now。 Highly recommended for grades 5 and up。 What an amazing story！ Each part of it -- the baseball， the coming out， the middle school friendships -- would have been a good story on their own。 Together they knock it out of the park （baseball metaphor completely intended！） I didn't know about Glenn Burke before， and I am grateful that I do now。 Highly recommended for grades 5 and up。 。。。more
Laura Hoyler
，
Wonderfully told story- having this book in a classroom library will be a blessing for kids like Silas- or anyone！
Meg
，
Love， love love this book！ And I don't even like baseball。 MG readers are going to devour this fun， heartfelt story about coming of age and being true to yourself。 I particularly loved Coach Webb- he is exactly the kind of supportive adult I wish every kid had。 Love， love love this book！ And I don't even like baseball。 MG readers are going to devour this fun， heartfelt story about coming of age and being true to yourself。 I particularly loved Coach Webb- he is exactly the kind of supportive adult I wish every kid had。 。。。more
Erin
，
An emotionally charged book about a boy named Silas who loves baseball and identifies with the baseball player Glenn Burke whose sexual identity causes him to be shut out of MLB in the early 1980’s。 Silas is worried that he will be shut out from the sport too as he comes to realize he is gay and is beginning to come out to his friends and family。 This was such a touching and caring book for everyone to read。 The messages and support throughout this book are amazing。
Brenda
，