From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
I cannot even imagine a family made up of 12 brothers and four sisters, but this true story about the baseball-loving Acerra family who lived in New Jersey in the 1920s and 1930s shows that there were advantages to having large families. The author uses engaging language such as "slap. slap. slap" (unpaginated) to describe the sound of the brothers leaving their house to play the sport they loved so much. There are many interesting facts about the brothers included in the story; for instance, an
...more
This is one of those books that left me feeling more fascinated than actually emotionally invested -- I'm not quite sure why, the writing style just didn't pull me in, but my boys loved it and asked for many reads so I've ended up feeling rather fond of it. Mostly my head just spins imagining being the mother of enough boys to comprise a whole baseball team (not to mention there were a few girls, too)! Definitely recommended to fans of sports books and baseball history but also does a good job o
...more
A true story of an all-brothers baseball team during the 1940s and 50s in New Jersey serves to highlight themes of cooperation, family, and even a nod to women's issues. Gr 1-5.
...more
Factual and at the same time enormously upbeat. Great illustrations that bring the reader right to the time period.
Very engaging story. The old-fashioned illustrations are fantastic too.
I saw this recommended in USA Today in a story about baseball books for kids. I really enjoy books that help me discover interesting, real-life stories, whether they are picture books or full length. While reading this, kids will also learn about life in an earlier time. The pictures are very well done, the text is not too long, but not too brief, and the appendix at the end includes some photos and explanations. Kids will probably be amazed to learn that families with 16 children were not all t
...more
The fascinating story of the Acerra brothers, 12 boys who played for the longest-running, all-brothers baseball team in history. More than a baseball story, it's a story about family and teamwork.
...more
A unique look at family and baseball. The illustrations are lovely and the text really brings this group to life.
Great story about family with retro-style illustrations -- I absolutely love this book!
Fantastic baseball biography about a family baseball team.
Dec 05, 2011
Alison
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
kid-friendly,
best-of-year,
middle-school,
family-read-aloud,
non-fiction,
2012,
elementary-school,
read-aloud,
biography,
5k
Sep 18, 2012
Elisabeth
marked it as to-read
Nov 17, 2012
Christi
marked it as to-read
Nov 26, 2012
Kathy
added it
Jan 15, 2013
Kathy
marked it as to-read
