Reviews with content warning for Racism - Fast Pitch

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Fast Pitch by Nic Stone

10 reviews

mnerd63's review against another edition

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emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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zinelib's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I drop my gaze from her blue eyes, which remind me of swimming pool water on a sunny day...and kind of creep me out a little.

lol--love that take on blue eye superiority.

The protagonist of this softball and family redemption story, Shenice "Lightning" Lockwood, is a 4th generation ball player, who is now captain of the first all-Black 12 and under team in the Dixie League. It's unclear to her what stopped her grandfather from making it in the Negro Leagues and later MLB...until she meets her great uncle. Jack has something to tell Lightning, but he also has dementia, which makes it hard for her to follow.

This is an enjoyable story, and I like seeing Nic Stone write a female protagonist. There's a little romance, which I think is distracting and unnecessary, but all in all, good story, and I appreciate Shenice's rage.

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electricvaps's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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biblioboyd's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was so great!! I love Nic Stone's narration too.

Fast Pitch follows pre-teen Shenice Lockwood. She's captain of the first all Black girls' softball team. The softball World Series is coming up and winning the series would be a dream come true. But Shenice's focus is shaken when her Uncle Jack reveals that a family crime might have been a set up after all.

The family mystery and the softball plot lines in this wove together perfectly. I absolutely loved it. I was invested in Shenice's journey on both sides. I really hope we get to see more of Shenice in either a sequel or in another middle grade set in the same neighborhood as this one.

I loved seeing how supportive Shenice's family and friends were. It gave me such a warm feeling. Also there were so many characters based off of Nic's real life friends and it was so cute! Loved that Scoob shows up in this one as well, can't wait to read Clean Getaway soon!

Rep: Black female MC (possibly bisexual but not certain), Black cishet male side character with a bad knee and uses a cane, majority Black female cast, white WLW side pairing, various Black side characters.

CWs: Racism, medical content, injury/injury detail. Moderate: Death, death of parent.

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pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

CW: blood, racism, dementia, medical content - scenes of going to the hospital/in the hospital

Once I heard this was inspired by The Sandlot, one of my all time favorite movies and I knew I had to read it. If you're also a fan of The Sandlot, I can tell you, you're going to enjoy it. There are many plot points that nod to the film. Shenice is a fierce main character and I loved her tenacity. She is a great captain and I loved her friend group! This was such a sweet read with a mystery element and an important conversation about the history of Black people in baseball and the MLB.

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jackelz's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

I loved everything about this book. The softball, the history of the Negro Leagues, the team dynamics, the sleuthing, and how it was all tied together.

My favorite scene was when Cala struck out that loud mouth boy that told the girls they weren’t hitting right. While I have a clear love for baseball, softball and baseball are two different sports, and I don’t understand when people think softball is easier because it’s a “girls” sport.

Did you know: Players in the Negro Leagues and their stats weren’t recognized by MLB until 2020.

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