The Aurora County All-Stars

From the Publisher

[set star] "A poignant and humorous coming-of-age story."—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"A slow-simmering stew of friendship and betrayal, family love and loyalty, and finding oneself."—SLJ [set star] "A home run for Wiles."—Publishers Weekly (starred)  

Elizabeth Ward

There's much to savor: bubbly prose…a dog named Eudora Welty and a kid named Parting Schotz…lots of baseball lore; and a cliffhanger of an all-star game that brings the whole town together. As one character sighs, "It's positively Thornton Wilder." But it's Thornton Wilder on a sugar high—and that's some high.
—The Washington Post

Publishers Weekly

Batter up! National Book Award finalist Wiles (Each Little Bird That Sings) delivers the third book set in her fictional Aurora County-a more boy-friendly read than its predecessors, with plenty of talk about baseball and what constitutes a stalwart team. Twelve-year-old House Jackson, the Aurora County All-Stars captain and star pitcher, has slogged through the preceding year with an out-of-commission elbow. Instead of playing baseball, he's spent most of his time indoors, reading the classics to an old recluse, Mr. Norwood Rhinehart Beauregard Boyd. But when Mr. Boyd dies, House is reminded of his itch to play. Unfortunately, the All-Stars' only game of the year is scheduled for the same day as Aurora County's 200th anniversary pageant, an event directed by pesky 14-year-old Frances Shotz, the girl who broke House's elbow. After a series of minor mishaps, betrayals and bouts of miscommunication, House and Frances work out a hilarious compromise that all readers can root for. In the spirit of Ernest Thayer's poem, "Casey at the Bat," the energy during the game mounts, and sports fans will be on the edge of their seats to see which team triumphs. Quotations from Walt Whitman's poetry, baseball players and Aurora County news dispatches pepper the story and add color; Love, Ruby Lavenderfans will enjoy Ruby's fortuitous cameo. A home run for Wiles. Ages 10-up. (Aug.)

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Publishers Weekly

* “Batter up! National Book Award finalist Wiles (Each Little Bird That Sings) delivers the third book set in her fictional Aurora County—a more boy-friendly read than its predecessors, with plenty of talk about baseball and what constitutes a stalwart team. . . . A home run for Wiles." (starred review)

Children's Literature - Theresa Finch

In this third book of her "Aurora County" trilogy, author Deborah Wiles introduces us to twelve-year-old House Jackson and his baseball-loving friends. It is nearly time for the annual game between the All-Stars and the Raleigh Redbugs, and it appears that Jackson's life is full of complications. As captain of the team and pitcher, Jackson has seemingly hidden out for the past year nursing his broken elbow. Little do his friends and teammates know that he has spent his year of convalescence by reading to an elderly gentleman, whose past intertwines mysteriously with Jackson's own. Set in an easier, gentler South, perhaps in the 1940's or 1950's, this is a story of friendship, missing one's deceased parent, learning to "approach his problems," and even betrayal by a best friend. House's nemesis Frances Schotz, who caused House's injury, is back again this summer. She has returned to Halleluia just in time to direct the 200th anniversary pageant, scheduled for the very same day as the All-Stars' one big game. Wiles paints a picture of "simmering days" filled with the voices of "the Mamas" and the "cicadas calling from the trees." Baseball trivia, avid card collectors, quotations from Walt Whitman, and Aurora County news dispatches sprinkled throughout this coming-of-age book give it a sense of reality and belonging to a bygone era. Ruby Lavendar fans will find their heroine among the cast of characters, along with House's best friend Cleebo, his little sister Honey, and Eudora Welty, his adopted dog. Readers will be on the edge of their seats with each inning of the big game and each chapter—what a crowd-pleasing novel! Reviewer: Theresa Finch

Kirkus Reviews

In Aurora County, Miss., only one baseball game matters: the annual contest between the All-Stars and the Raleigh Redbugs, scheduled this year at the same time as the once-in-a-lifetime pageant celebrating Aurora County's. Worse, Frances Schotz, the girl who broke pitcher House Jackson's elbow last year, is directing the pageant and their mamas have signed up all the other players. Already upset about witnessing the death of elderly recluse Norwood Boyd, a man somehow associated with his own dead mother, the quiet 12-year-old needs to find a way to save his team's game and placate the Mamas in spite of his weakened arm. Wiles connects all these elements with snippets of Walt Whitman, quotes from baseball greats and the historical fact of segregation to forge a poignant and humorous coming-of-age story. Parts of House's story first appeared as a serial in the Boston Globe. Although some characters appeared in previous novels, this one stands on its own, and with each iteration Aurora County becomes more real. (Fiction. 10-14)

The Washington Post Book World

"There's much to savor: bubbly prose (a little girl 'twinkles' down some steps, House 'bulldozes' to a stage); a dog named Eudora Welty and a kid named Parting Schotz; a wonderfully convoluted plot involving an old man's death 'at the simmering time just before daybreak,' a sheaf of Walt Whitman quotes; a Fourth of July pageant; lots of baseball lore; and a cliffhanger of an all-star game that brings the whole town together. As one character sighs, 'It's positively Thornton Wilder.' But it's Thornton Wilder on a sugar high—and that's some high."