Goodbye, Mr. Spalding [Paperback]

★ “(I)nformative, entertaining, nostalgic, and…humorous. Background information and primary source photos about Athletics personnel, Shibe Park, the bleacher community, and the Spalding Baseball Company help readers to better understand the story. This novel works well as a read-aloud and would be a great addition to the history curriculum.”—School Library Connection, starred review

“This appealing historical middle-grade novel is perfect for fans of beloved baseball-centered novels like Linda Sue Park’s Keeping Score. Barr knows her baseball history and brings rich detail to mid-1930s Philadelphia…sports fanatics will eat up the appended material. A sweet debut about friendship and the love of the game.”—Booklist

“Barr carefully constructs a well-paced adventure…completely accessible to modern readers. All the characters…are well-developed…(and) (q)uotes from the 1934 Sporting News…further illuminate the actual events. Life lessons, baseball, and good friends; it's all here.” —Kirkus ReviewsJimmie Foxx is definitely dead. I can tell by the way his glassy eyes are staring at me through the fishbowl. Finally. Who knew it would take three years for one fish to die? That means three years since the Philadelphia Athletics have played in a World Series. It also means Rule #13: Bury all dead family pets in Shibe Park for luck.
I turn onto my back and stare at the hairline crack across the bedroom ceiling. I should be more upset, and I squeeze my eyes shut trying to find an ounce of sadness. Instead, I feel a charge of excitement as my lips curl into a smile. Every time I bury a pet fish at Shibe Park, thel£€