Gr 3-6-Jackson approaches the end of fifth grade with mixed feelings: he's ready for middle school, but word is that eighth graders make life miserable for the incoming class. It's May, though, and now he's looking forward to baseball. The team has some great players, but is down a second baseman, and if one can't be found, the season is going to have to be forfeited. When Gig's sister shows up at practice, Gig is furious. But Sydney quickly shows her stuff, leaving Jackson in a quandary. Does he support Gig by trying to pressure her to quit the team, or does he put his feelings for the team ahead of their friendship? To further complicate matters, Jackson and his brother are shuffled back and forth between their divorced parents' households, and his mother is dating again. The adults in his life want him to challenge himself. Can't they see that his life is already full of challenges? Coy effortlessly captures the voices of boys on the verge of adolescence. Jackson and his friends are fully developed. Gig's perception of his sister as always showing him up comes through clearly, and when he tells Jackson, "Baseball was the one place I didn't have to deal with her. Now she wants to wreck that, too," students will appreciate the dilemma. Gripping play-by-play and a fast-moving plot will appeal to sports enthusiasts and reluctant readers.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. ( )

MSBA Nominee 2009-2010

I am not the target audience for this book. I knew it the second a character stuck food up his nose and ate it. Additionally, the action never seemed to go anywhere. Conflicts were set up and nothing happened. I wouldn't have nominated it for this list. ( )

Top of the Order is about a boy and the baseball team he is on. First thing that happens is there baseball team is short one player. So the whole team starts looking for someone anyone. So Gig’s sister shows up to prates one day everyone on the team is mad expertly Gig. They all think girls can’t play baseball girls play softball. Finally the team gets over that there is a girl on their team. They played their archenemy but they lost. They were mad they faced one last time and Gig’s sister showed that she can play by scoring the first run. There team own everyone was happy.

I would rate this book a 4 star****. I recommend this book to anyone who likes baseball. This book was funny. This book was also weird. This is weird in a good way. That is what I think about this book. ( )

Four boys, Jackson, Gig, Issac, and Diego is falling in to baseball. While they were playing baseball, needed second base to have a team. But when the four boys ask somebody to play the second base, the person who was asked says no. Then one day, Gig's sister, Sydney came to the game and asked the coach(Issac's dad) that can she play the second base. Unfortunately to Gig, the coach said yes. It was unlucky for Gig but the baseball team had made up. Gig didn't want Sydney to play in his team so, he did all kinds of things. He asked his friends to play second base, he asked the other three kids to help him to get Sydney out of the team. But still Sydney didn't come out of the game. Then there was a baseball tournament with the other baseball team. How can they survive with Gig mad at Sydney? ( )

Four boys in fifth grade (Diego, Gig, Isaac, and Jackson) are together in everything: baseball, family problems, and a teacher who bores them. The problem, however, is finding a good guy to play second base on their community baseball team. When Gig's sister show up to play, it makes Gig furious and threatens to ruin his friendships. Can the gang hang together through the season?