Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta

Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta
264 pages
Mark Twain Nominee

Really liked this book. All about baseball, an old curse, and a town where it has rained every day for 20 years.

(from booklist)
Those who don’t know an RBI from an ERA should look elsewhere, but for readers who eat and sleep sports, Scaletta’s debut is a gift from the baseball gods. It centers on 12-year-old Roy McGuire, whose dreams of being a major leaguer are literally dampened by the fact that it has been raining in his hometown for 22 years. The rain began during a contest with neighboring Sinister Bend, and it ends right after Roy returns from baseball camp to find a new foster brother, Sturgis, living at his house. Their relationship is rocky, but no one can deny Sturgis’ throwing power, and soon both boys are ramping up for an epic rematch between the two towns. Various asides and in-jokes make clear that Scaletta is steeped not only in baseball lore but in such movie classics as The Natural and Field of Dreams, and that sort of larger-than-life magic realism lends his story the aura of a proper tall tale. Sports nuts, including reluctant readers, will sense they are in good hands with this one. Grades 4-8.