Rafael has dreams. Every chance he gets he plays in the street games trying to build his skills, get noticed by scouts, and—someday—play Major League Baseball. Maya has worries. The bees are dying all over the world, and the company her father works for is responsible, making products that harm the environment. Follow Rafael and Maya in a story that shifts back and forth in time and place, from Rafael’s neighborhood in the Dominican Republic to present-day Minnesota, where Maya and her sister are following Rafael’s first year in the minor leagues. In their own ways, Maya and Rafael search for hope, face difficult choices, and learn a secret—the same secret—that forever changes how they see the world.
Released on April 25 by Albert Whitman & Company
With a delicate hand and a big heart, Kurtis Scaletta beautifully illustrates baseball’s profound capacity to entrance and connect. As elegant and magical as the sport that inspired it. – Anne Ursu, author of Breadcrumbs and The Real Boy
Rooting for Rafael Rosales hits for the cycle with its multilayered storylines, and Scaletta triumphs with a grand slam. – BookPage
Scaletta weaves a powerful story of two children whose realities seem entirely dissimilar but, in truth, converge in significant ways, namely in their desire to excel and make a difference. – Publishers Weekly
★ Scaletta deftly weaves worry, optimism, and determination together in Rafael’s struggle to succeed and Maya’s grappling with love for her father. The tight focus on the emotional lives of his protagonists in these connecting narratives inspires genuine feeling for each. Full of heart and hope. – Kirkus Reviews
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