Schrempp, Skyler. Three Strike Summer. McElderry, 08/2022. 308pp. Fiction. GRADES 4 – 7. $17.99. 978-1-5344-9914-0. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Gloria Mae and her family move from the devastated dust bowl of Oklahoma to California, and get work as migrant fruit pickers. The title refers to Gloria’s love of baseball as well as her father’s leadership in a strike against the orchard for unfair labor practices, such as high prices at the company store and mandatory rental of shacks for the laborers. The plot lines about the historical issues of the Depression and Gloria’s participation in the local children’s baseball team are both interesting, although the narrative is repetitive at times. All of the characters appear to be white, even though there were people of color at these labor camps at the time. Reminiscent of the Newbery Honor classic Blue Willow by Doris Gates (Viking, 1940) but not as memorable or inclusive of various ethnicities. Review based on an ARC. This book has California-specific content.
Penny Peck—San Jose State University iSchool