Stumptown Kid
by Carol Gorman
A sports-mystery/suspense novel for young readers.

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	Gorman, Carol and Ron J. Findley. Stumptown Kid. Peachtown Press, 2005. ISBN: 1561453374; paperback ISBN - 10: 1561454125; ISBN-13: 978-1561454129.  223 pg. Ages 9-12, Grades 3-7.  $14.95 Compare the book jackets.  The jacket above was designed for the paperback edition but readers liked it so much that the publisher decided to use it on new printings of the  hardback edition too. <--- is the  original hardcover jacket.	From the publisher:  In a small Iowa town in 1952, eleven-year-old Charlie Nebraska, whose father died in the Korean War, learns the meanings of both racism and heroism when he befriends a black man who had played baseball in the Negro Leagues.    Read more about what Peachtree Press has to say by visiting their site. Ron J. Findley About  RON J. FINDLEY:  Ron has been involved in baseball since he was a boy growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As a child he says he was always looking for a sandlot baseball game, and many of the ideas for Stumptown Kid are based on his memories of that time. He has coached youth football, baseball, and softball teams for many years.  As an adult he was among the best in amateur leagues in Cedar Rapids, where he still lives. And how did a ball player like Ron come to collaborate with Carol, who admits she never played ball except when it was required in gym class?  Well that's part of the story Carol tells when she visits schools -- it's a story that will make writers know that everyone has a story.

Comments and Reviews:

Would you risk your life for your best friend? Charlie Nebraska has experienced a bit more in life than your average eleven-year-old boy. ... The story of Luther and Charlie is remarkable. It will make you laugh, cry, and want to tell everybody you know about this small-town kid and his great friend. This story examines themes such as heroism, friendship, relationships, and racism. You do not have to like baseball to appreciate this story; it is as timeless and powerful as S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. — Kelly Grebinoski (Children's Literature)

State/National Recognitions

Florida State

Nominated:  2008-09 Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List (grades 3-5)

Washington State

Nominated:  2008 Sasquatch Award

South Carolina:
          Nominated:  South Carolina Children's Book Award

Alabama: 

Nominated:   Emphasis on Reading Program 2006-2007 Booklist  

Louisana: 

Nominated:  Louisiana Young Readers' Choice list (Louisiana 2008) Study Guide (PDF Download)

New Hampshire: 

Nominated: Great Stone Face Children's Book Award (New Hampshire 2006-07)

Pennsylvania:

2005-2006 Pennsylvania Young Adult Top Forty List
Nominated: Keystone State Reading Association (Pennsylvania) Young Adult Book Award 2006

Kansas:

Included on the Kansas State Reading Circle 2005 Recommended Reading List.
Listed in the Kansas National Education Association "Reading Circle Catalog."— This is a powerful historical novel about racism set in a small Iowa town in 1952. This fast-paced story is a winning mix of baseball and suspense. Eleven-year-old Charlie befriends Luther Peale who once pitched for the Negro Baseball League. When Luther offers to coach Charlie's neighborhood team for a game against the Wildcats it opens up racial divisions in town.

Iowa:

Nominated for the 2007-2008 Iowa Teen Award.
Included in Iowa City (Iowa) Community School District 2006 Summer reading list for 5th-6th grade readers.
Best Teen Reads 2005 -- Featured title in seminars and handbook by Sharron L. McElmeel.

2006 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People

The Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights has announced its 2005 Outstanding Book Awards and issued an honorable mention to Carol Gorman & Ron Findley for Stumptown Kid.

Featured in article:  "Stumptown Kid." By: McElmeel, Sharron L.. School Library Media Activities Monthly, Dec2005, Vol. 22 Issue 4, p35-37, 3p; Column: The Book Bag.

Featured as a discussion book at "The Many Faces of Children's Literature" conference held in Hauppauge, NY on October 27, 2006.  Discussion Group V: Batter Up! Boys, Baseball and Bias also included: Heat by Mike Lupica; Gold Dust by Chris Lynch; Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki; and Chief Sunrise, John McGraw, and Me by Timothy Tocher.

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"It's a winning season for young baseball buffs. ...  In Peachtree's Stumptown Kid, Carol Gorman and Ron J. Findley tell of an unlikely friendship between a white boy and a black baseball player in the 1950s." -- Publishers' Weekly 2/21/05 "Lots of Batters Up!"

“Themes of honesty, loyalty, and heroism are imbedded in this powerful, fast-paced story… Readers will enjoy this winning mix of sports, suspense, and heroism, and delight in the baseball wit and wisdom.”—School Library Journal 
 
“…poignant story….Young readers will discover how prejudice can destroy individuals and communities while honesty and heroism create true strength and enduring bonds.”—Des Moines Register  (Read the complete review.)

"As Luther's coaching turns Charlie and some friends into a team good enough to take on the local champs, Charlie sees his quiet friend's presence opening up racial divisions in town..." -- Booklist

Selected as a collaborative reading title on Morton Grove Public Library's (Illinois) Kids' Webrary's Sports Booklist.  Access the list.

Learn more about the negro leagues by reading:

• Black Diamond by Patricia McKissack and Fredrick McKissack, Jr.  Scholastic pb., 1998. 192 pages. Ages 9-12.
• Negro Baseball League by Ernest C. Withers.  Harry B. Abrams, 2005.  192 pages.
• A Negro League Scrapbook by Carole Boston Weatherford.  Boyds Mills Press, 2005.  48 pages.  (picture book)

And a book about a Black Baseball Hero in:

• Dad, Jackie, and Me by Myron Uhlberg.  Illustrated by Colin Bootman.  Peachtree, 2005.