Out Of Left Field

Spunky fifth-grader Katy Gordon is the best baseball pitcher in her neighborhood. She spends every passing moment on the baseball diamond, where she’s mastered the art of pitching and left many neighborhood boys befuddled with her bat-missing “Sunday” knuckleball. However, when she’s recruited to play in the local Little League, she quickly runs into a massive problem. She’s a girl. And girls don’t play baseball.

Angry and frustrated with the league’s discrimination, Katy embarks on an adventure to prove Little League wrong — girls have played baseball before. Katy’s investigation leads her on a collision course with the past and present, where she learns extraordinary truths about women’s roles in baseball that were buried in history. Although the odds are stacked against her, can Katy prove that women belong on the baseball field too? Can she change the sport of baseball forever?

Set in the late 1950s, the story follows young, determined Katy Gordon, who refuses to give up her passion for baseball despite Little League’s rules. Out in Left Field details Katy’s journey to build her argument for women’s baseball, and it takes upon a detective-like atmosphere, where Katy searches to uncover valuable truths about women’s history. In her quest she reads important articles about famous historical figures like Jackie Mitchell, who was a professional girl baseball player. The story incorporates a nice blend of fictional characters with actual historical events, and this inclusion makes the heavier topics of the United States’s history, like the space race and segregation, easier to digest within an uplifting, fictional tale.

Katy’s resilient attitude toward hardships is admirable, and her curious yet innocent personality can cause even the most stubborn readers to root for her cause. Many readers will relate to Katy’s experiences, too, as the book perfectly relays the realistic struggles of fighting against overwhelming odds. Whether it’s supporting the inclusion of girls in Little League or the desegregation of major league baseball, Katy’s character fits with the book’s central theme of advocating for what’s right. Out in Left Field teaches readers that it’s important to stand up for what you believe — even if people disagree with your claim. 

While the story focuses mainly on Katy’s passion for baseball, it occasionally jumps to different topics, such as the increasing tensions between the United States and Russia or the relocation of a popular baseball team. These shifts may be a little aggravating for the readers. More importantly, its conclusion can also feel underwhelming for readers who want a clear resolution to all the book’s issues. However, the book’s main message is important as the story teaches that everyone’s fight for justice is different and important. And through whatever outcome, people’s efforts can have substantial, lasting effects on others, such as Katy’s influence on other girls who want to play baseball. Although Out Of Left Field is the third book in a series, it is still an enjoyable story for readers who haven’t read the first two books. 

Overall, Out of Left Field is a charming story that showcases a young girl’s fortitude in the face of unfortunate circumstances. Thanks to the enjoyable main character, Katy Gordon, and her cast of engaging side characters, the book presents an inspiring tale of fighting for what’s right while exploring some heavier topics like segregation, women’s rights, and the space race. The end of the book also contains some excerpts about real woman ballplayers that connect the story’s central message with historical figures. This roughly twenty-four-page section features hand-drawn images of the ballplayer with a small paragraph detailing her role in baseball and her accomplishments. As a result, Out Of Left Field’s fictional tale sheds light on these important historical figures through a beautiful, well-written story about advocacy and baseball. Readers interested in learning more about the history of baseball should also read the picture books Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki and Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl’s Baseball Dream by Crystal Hubbard.

Sexual Content

• None

Violence

• None

Drugs and Alcohol

• During conversations, Katy’s mom regularly smokes, and motions with a cigarette. For example, her mom “sat down and stubbed out her cigarette.”
• Throughout the story, Katy’s mom and Aunt Babs regularly drink beer. For example, Katy’s mom “went to the fridge, opened a beer, [and] handed me a coke.”
• During a Yom Kippur dinner, Katy’s Gramma and her extended family drink “wine so sweet they even let [Katy] have a taste.”
• During a barbecue, beer and cigarettes are offered to family members. Katy “got an Orange Crush out of a big washtub full of ice and bottles of soda and beer.”

Language

• The narrator repeatedly uses the term “Negros” for the black community.
• Some of the boys at baseball tryouts shout insults such as “chimp-face,” “butt-sniffer,” “stinker,” and “candyass,” at Katy and the other boys.
• Katy’s coach once utters “Jesus” in astonishment.
• Katy’s mom curses multiple times; she uses “darn tootin’,” “ass,” and “bastards.”
• Katy’s friend uses “crap,” “stupid,” and “jerks” in anger toward the Little League committee. 
• Sticks, one of Katy’s classmates, begins to say, “That’s a load of bull—” but he stops mid-sentence.
• When a kid was making fun of Katy, PeeWee once mutters, “Aw, for the love of Pete. Shut your trap.”
• Joey and Josh, Katy’s classmates, twice utter “damn” in astonishment at Katy’s pitching ability.
• A retired ballplayer, Toni Stone, repeatedly uses “damn” and “hell” in frustration.
• One of Katy’s classmates, Matt, once shouted “jeez-Louise” in surprise at an announcement.

Supernatural

• None

Spiritual Content

• Katy’s family celebrates “Yom Kippur. The end of the Jewish New Year.”
• Katy’s family repeatedly says, “the prayers” and “Hebrew prayers” before eating Yom Kippur meals.
• Madge, one of Katy’s classmates, talks about her church and explains that her “pastor said godless communists shouldn’t control the heavens.”
• People pray “for Laika’s safe return” from space. 
• At one point in the story, Katy’s best friend celebrates “Hanukkah” with her family.