This was a family listen and it stretched over such a long period of time and had and lost my attention too many times to really give it a fair assessment. It is a sweet story of Theo Thomas, 14, (named for Thelonius Monk) and his uncle Raymond, a Vietnam vet struggling to adapt to civilian life who show up in Destiny, FL at Miss Sister Grandersole's Rooming House and Dance Academy. How Theo came to be in his uncle's care is foggy, but it is not a happy relationship. Raymond is bent on controlling Theo and hates his interest and amazing talent in music (Miss Sister has a piano) because it reminds Raymond of his sister, Theo's mother, who ran-off with a hippie and disrespected his military service. Both Theo's parents were killed in a car crash when he was little and he was raised mostly by his grandparents in KY. This move is hard on Theo even without his uncle's domineering ways (forbidding him to play piano, for one). Theo befriends Anabel and her interest in baseball cements their friendship, giving him another reason to stay in Destiny, despite his uncle's threats to move them elsewhere. The two work on a project for Destiny Day, the town's annual historic celebration and investigate the possibility that Hank Aaron spent time there during Spring training. Meanwhile, Miss Sister has an approaching dance recital and needs Theo's help on the piano. Anabel, though enrolled in dance class, must thwart her mother and Miss Sister to avoid participating. How Theo and Anabel leave expectations behind and gain a sense of self-worth is part of the story's appeal. The resolution (esp. between Theo and Raymond) is also a little foggy - to me- but satisfactory. A good, clean story with admirable characters, appropriate for ages 10-14. ( )

This story is a historical fiction tale that takes place a little bit after the Vietnam War. The reader follows the tale of Theo, a boy who goes to live with his Vietnam veteran Uncle who doesn't want him. Theo is able to cope with playing piano and his journey with Anabel to learn about old baseball players that have lived in the town. Overall, I thought this was a really good book. The language used was suitable for children and had humor in it. The story did have some depth in it. It dwelled into the topics such as loss and belonging. I think this is a good book to have in the classroom and may be good for the kids that like to read sports-related fiction as well.

I wanted to rate this higher; I loved the storyline and I loved Theo's sweet innocence. The storytelling is a a little disjointed to me as a reader, however. The dialogue between characters is choppy; I think meant to portray local dialect, but it comes across as stilted - from my adult standpoint. From the viewpoint if a child, it's a simple sweet story about a very sweet boy and his new best friend, a rebelous tomboy. I do think it will have appeal to younger readers, however. ( )

Ever since his parents died when he was very young, Theo Thomas has lived with his grandparents on their Kentucky farm -- but now that his grandparents can't take care of themselves, much less him, his Uncle Raymond is his reluctant new caregiver. Uncle Raymond is a Vietnam vet with a chip on his shoulder and little patience for his young nephew. With Theo in tow, Uncle Raymond heads for Destiny, Florida, where he has a new job and a room reserved at Miss Sister Grandersole's Boarding House and Dance Studio. Theo's not too sure about his new town. There are just two things that he really likes: baseball and playing the piano. Miss Sister has a beautiful piano in her dance studio, but Uncle Raymond hates music and won't allow Theo to play -- and as for baseball, who knows if they'll even be in town long enough for Theo to join a team? But as Theo settles in and makes a new friend who is just as baseball-crazy as he is, he's determine to find a way to stay in Destiny -- even though his Uncle Raymond seems to be determined to find a way to leave.

Ah, these folksy small-town stories. I have a limited amount of patience for them. Why do I keep picking them up, you might ask? Well, when they are done right, they can be excellent. Alas, this one was just mediocre. I felt like there was too little motivation for some of the decisions made by the characters, and the whole baseball school project/mystery just irritated me. But if you enjoy this sort of story, you're likely to find it much more charming than I did. I'm just not the right reader for this book. ( )