
Warrior on the Mound
Candlewick Press · Paperback · May 13, 2025
Narrated by twelve-year-old Cato, this intense and evocative story of racial unrest in prewar North Carolina ends with a dramatic match between white and Black little league teams.
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- Who it’s for
- A vivid first-person voice brings baseball and the realities of segregation into sharp focus.
- Themes
- Segregation, Racial injustice, Dreams and dialogue
- Pacing
- Fast
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Narrated by twelve-year-old Cato, this intense and evocative story of racial unrest in prewar North Carolina ends with a dramatic match between white and Black little league teams. 1935. Twelve-year-old Cato wants nothing more than to play baseball, perfect his pitch, and meet Mr. Satchel Paige––the best pitcher in Negro League baseball.
Continue reading
But when he and his teammates “trespass” on their town’s whites-only baseball field for a practice, the resulting racial outrage burns like a brushfire through the entire community, threatening Cato, his family, and every one of his friends. There’s only one way this can end without violence: It has to be settled on the mound, between the white team and the Black. Winner takes all. Written in first person with a rich, convincing voice, Warrior on the Mound is about the experience of segregation; about the tinderbox environment of the prewar South; about having a dream; about injustice, and, finally, about dialogue. Back matter includes an author's note, historical background, biographical information about Negro League players, and more. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection "A HOME RUN."—School Library Journal, starred review "NOT TO BE MISSED."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
On the Mound
A vivid first-person voice brings baseball and the realities of segregation into sharp focus.
Come here for
- Baseball dreams set against the injustice of segregation
- A young narrator’s rich, convincing voice
Expect
- An intense story shaped by racial unrest and the hope of dialogue
Where it sits
| 20th-Century U.S. | 85% |
|---|---|
| Baseball & Softball | 64% |
| Prejudice & Racism | 54% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Baseball & Softball
- Prejudice & Racism
- Activism & Social Justice
- Authors
- Sandra W. Headen
- Publisher
- Candlewick Press
- Published
- May 13, 2025
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- Segregation · Racial injustice · Dreams and dialogue
- Reading lane
- Baseball & Softball