The Aurora County All-Stars

A state award nominee for next year, this book includes many characters that we have met in Deborah Wiles's other books. Ruby Lavender, the Snowbergers, and others join a new character, House Jackson, in the quest to find meaning in a small town. House loves baseball, but the death of the town "old coot" leaves him struggling to keep a secret from his friends and struggling to find meaning in life. Baseball is House's true love, but the town insists on putting on a pageant on the one day of the year when the team plays it's only real ball-game. House has to try and figure out a way to save the day, and that's a lot of pressure for a 13-year-old. The style of writing here is just like Wiles's other books and if you didn't care for Each Little Bird or Love Ruby Lavender, than you won't care for this. The baseball theme and the Walt Whitman poetry are nice additions for me, but they won't overcome the style of writing for those that don't enjoy it.