Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson (One of Mrs. McCallihan's fave books!)

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord
Reviewed by Henry Anderson

I liked the baseball parts of this story, but not so much the parts about the rest of Shirley’s life. I was interested in this book because I play baseball and I thought it was going to be more about baseball. The book is really about a girl named Shirley Temple Wong who lives in China but who moves to Brooklyn, NY and has many changes in her life.

At first it is really hard for her to speak English and make friends, but she works hard and tries her best. She really makes friends when she starts playing stickball with her classmates and learning about baseball. Shirley and her friends love the Brooklyn Dodgers and that team has Jackie Robinson, who is a great baseball player, the rookie of the year, and the first African American to play on a major league baseball team.

Learning about stickball in this book was also interesting. I recommend this book for people who like stories about friendship and finding your way in a new place.

If you want to read about Jackie Robinson you should find another book. Here is some good information about Jackie Robinson--I like him, he was a great baseball player. http://www.jackierobinson.com/about/bio.html