A very American novel written by an amazingly gifted, and talented Korean American writer in Linda Sue, Park. This book is a story about Maggie's relationship with another avid baseball fan who is later drafted to go to war in Korea. This is a story about the human bond, and devotion to such bonds. It is also a lamenting story about the loss, and heart-ache that are a byproduct of war. By all accounts, the author is every bit American as any other, the only reason that I even mention that she is 'Korean American' is to make the connection between a very American story and an Author that might not be viewed as equally American. Living in, and experiencing America is what makes us American. This is a book that I would like to pair with another book of Park's "When My Name Was Keoko." This pairing, I think, would be a good one to show how diverse, and yet similar, our American culture really is. This is also a good book for my Korean students to have another positive example that they can identify with. ( )

This brilliant children's novel is set in Brooklyn in the 1950s, the golden age of New York City baseball. Young Maggie, a devoted Dodgers fans, listens to games with the firefighters at the local station, until one day a new guy is listening to a Giants game on the radio. Despite their conflicting allegiance, Maggie and Jim become friends and he teaches her how to score a baseball game. Then he is drafted into the ambulance service in the Korean War. They keep in touch but then Jim suffers a trauma that prevents him from being able to communicate with anyone.

The novel depicts Maggie's efforts and sacrifices to connect with her friend through baseball and doesn't shy away from the horrors of war, or the futility of this particular war. Along the way, Maggie also invents sabermetrics (okay, I'm kidding, but it's not too far of a stretch). This is a loving book about friendship and healing. ( )

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I picked this up because it's Linda Sue Park although I'm no baseball fiction fan. The first quarter of the book was baseball heavy but once Jim went to war in Korea, the story became more engaging for me. Maggie's thoughtful earnestness about baseball, her friendship with Jim and her projects (saving money for baseball tickets, her scoring notebooks, etc.) is endearing and heartfelt. Booktalk: Maggie loves baseball. She is a big fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Everyone in the neighborhood is. Well, except for Dan, the new firefighter. He’s a New York Giants fan. But Maggie doesn’t mind too much because Dan loves baseball as much as she does. He also taught her how to score every play in every inning of every game by drawing a chart like this. But then Dan has to go away to fight in the Korean War. So Maggie writes him lots of letters telling him what’s going on in the neighborhood and how the Giants and Dodgers are doing. Dan sends Maggie a few letters…not much since he’s busy fighting a war, but a few. Then…he stops sending letters…and Maggie needs to find out what’s happened to him. ( )

Young Reader Reaction: Keeping Score is a poignant book emphasizing the strength of faith, whether it is rooting for a team or in prayer for another person. The character and plot development is astonishing. At first, readers see Maggie as an avid Dodger’s fan who adopts keeping score to prove that it is not merely a childish fascination. Later, she is a mature young lady who retains that optimism and the belief that every problem has a solution. She perseveres and has hope despite continual losses. All of the characters are genuine and bonded together through baseball. Park blends the themes of history (1950s, Korean War) and baseball fluidly. In fact, it is almost as strongly a war-themed novel as it is about baseball.

For middle school students, Keeping Score offers a peek into history, especially the less attractive aspect of war, and follows the journey of a young girl entering her teens. This book suits baseball and history lovers, with an accurate portrayal of life in the 1950s. I was rather surprised by the books alignment to reality in the details and the emotional whirlwind of personal obstacles within the main character.

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