The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz

                                            The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz

Sports Fiction, Historical Fiction

Ages 9-12

Grades 4-7

299 pages - paperback

c. 2009

     The Brooklyn Nine is a story about a German, Jewish immigrant family and their love of baseball that covers nine generations. The story begins when Felix Schneider arrives in Brooklyn, New York in 1845 and end with Snider Flint, the nephew of the owner of a memorabilia shop in 2002. The book is arranged by nine innings or chapters, corresponding to each generation. Within each chapter there are three sections or outs.

Love of baseball, Brooklyn, and the Brooklyn Doger’s are in the blood of the Schneider family. Each chapter features a particular family member, often boys but sometimes girls as well. Along with the history of baseball current events are also brought into the story along with real historical figures. Through the years the Schneider family dodges bullets on a Civil War battlefield, witness the establishment of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, pitch a perfect game and deal with the devastating loss of family and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Through it all, one thing remains true: the bonds of family are as strong as a love of the game.

Along with the family story of each chapter the current issues and concerns of the times are presented. The struggles of immigrants are highlighted in the opening chapter. Felix also meets Andrew Cartwright, who helped found the Knickerbocker Baseball Club. In helping the Knickerbocker Volunteer Fire Department fight a major fire in Manhattan Felix injures his legs and can no longer run or play baseball. He then decides to make a baseball with a wine cork as center and twine and thread wrapped around it and the leather from his shoes damaged in the fire. He scratched a small S for Schneider on the baseball.

Stuart Schneider inherits his father’s homemade baseball and gets to play a game of baseball in Spotsylvania, Virginia during a lull in the fighting during the Civil War. Mike “King” Kelly was one of the first baseball stars and a hero to Arnold Schneider, but sadly when Arnold finally gets to meet him in 1894, he finds out that Kelly has become a drunk and has also run off with the special baseball bat that Arnold’s father had given him. Religious and racial discrimination is explored in the story of Walter Schneider in 1908. His family is barred from a hotel while they are on vacation because they look Jewish and Black Americans are barred from playing major league baseball. Walter meets Cyclone Joe Williams who was perhaps the greatest pitcher of that time. Because of his race he never played in the majors. Francis Schneider loves the Brooklyn Doger’s, and she is also a wiz at math. In 1926 she meets John Kieran, journalist for the New York Times sport section. In 1945 Kate Schneider plays for the Grand rapid Chicks in the All-American Girls Baseball League.  In 1957 Jimmy Flint, her son, faces his fears of the bully in his classroom and the threat of the Cold War. Michael Flint, in 1981, find himself pitching a perfect game during the Little League season at Prospect Park. Finally, in 2002 Snider Flint is having to deal with a lot of disappointments and a bad attitude. The old family house was destroyed by fire, and they are forced to share a small apartment with his uncle Dave. Snider broke his leg escaping the fire. His Uncle Dave finally insists he help in his antique shop by finding out the story behind several baseball items. This assignment changes a lot of things for Snider and at the end he gets to keep the baseball his ancestor Felix made in 1845 although he does not know that.

A good read and not just for baseball fans. There is humor, heartbreak, and action and a cast of very real and diverse characters. Highly recommended.