The Aurora County All-Stars

Twelve-year-old House Jackson—star pitcher and team captain of the Aurora County All-Stars—has been sidelined for a whole sorry year with a broken elbow. He's finally ready to play, but wouldn't you know that the team's only game of the year has been scheduled for the exact same time as the town's 200th-anniversary pageant. Now House must face the pageant's director, full-of-herself Frances Shotz (his nemesis and perpetrator of the elbow break), and get his team out of this mess. There's also the matter of a mysterious old recluse who has died and left House a wheezy old dog named Eudora Welty—and a puzzling book of poetry by someone named Walt Whitman. Through the long, hot month of June, House makes surprising and valuable discoveries about family, friendship, poetry . . . and baseball. Can one boy save the baseball season, solve a decades-old mystery, and survive a summer of poetry and pageants? A Heartwarming Friendship Story: Follows twelve-year-old pitcher House Jackson as he navigates a long, hot Mississippi summer of healing, discovery, and learning who his real teammates are—both on and off the field. Enemies to Teammates?: The team’s only game is up against the town pageant, run by his nemesis, Frances Shotz—the very girl responsible for his broken elbow. A Small Town Mystery: When a mysterious old recluse dies, he leaves House a wheezy dog named Eudora Welty and a puzzling book of Walt Whitman’s poetry, unlocking secrets about his family he never imagined. Perfect for Baseball Fans: A classic coming-of-age story packed with sandlot baseball, Southern charm, and laugh-out-loud moments that feels like a home run.