Soar!

Baseball is Jeremiah’s life. He eats it, breathes it. So when the doctors tell him he can’t play after a major operation, Jeremiah decides to shift his focus. He will coach baseball.

His opportunity comes sooner than he expects. He and his dad move to a small town in Ohio with a great baseball tradition. Jeremiah is excited, until he learns the tradition is under attack. And the middle school he attends doesn’t really even have a baseball team.

Jeremiah decides that cannot be the case. He recruits players and starts coaching the ‘team.’ He gets the assistant principal on board and next thing you know, he is the official assistant coach of the middle school team.

But the local scandal is about to ruin baseball forever. Is Jeremiah up to the challenge? Will he be able to restore the town’s faith in its favorite game?

Soar! by Joan Bauer is a great story, even for non-baseball fans. Yes, there’s a lot of baseball talk, but not so much that those who know nothing about the game will get lost. The focus is on passion, relationships and overcoming obstacles.

Highly recommended for ages 8 and up.