In the beginning I worried about the story in this book but stuck with it. The first 85% is a great read. Things slow down considerably and get a bit messy in the end. But still the story holds together well and I would give it an overall rating of good vs great. The story itself is intriguing and I loved reading about the ball players. Chris was a bit of a mess, but that’s to be expected at his age. Some actions though seemed overly mature for a 12 year old.

Good read if you enjoy family drama and baseball.

A different sort of coming of age story. Set in 1952, it's all about the Canadian northern league - low level baseball-but with themes of dealing with life in the early 1950s. Baseball cards were a real thing in those days but who would expect a road trip centered on them. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. While this wasn't for me, I know there's an audience and that Mooney has great affection for his characters and baseball.