Painting the Game, Patricia MacLachlan
Painting the Game, Patricia MacLachlan
List: $9.99 | Sale: $7.00
Club: $4.99

Painting the Game

Author: Patricia MacLachlan

Narrator: Lillie Ricciardi

Unabridged: 1 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/16/2024


Synopsis

In this middle grade novel by Newbery Award–winning author Patricia MacLachlan in her “signature lyric language delivered in spare but satisfying prose” (Booklist), a young girl tries to untangle her love of baseball from her complicated relationship with her professional pitcher father.

Lucy’s father is a minor league baseball player, a professional pitcher hoping to get called up to the majors, and Lucy inherited his passion for the game. But she’s never played pitcher. She worries her skills would be compared to her dad’s and she’d never measure up. And his pitching may mean big things for his career and their family, but it’s also what keeps him away from home so much of the year. Sometimes, Lucy isn’t sure what would be worse: being bad at pitching or being great.

Still, this summer, Lucy wants to learn to throw the perfect knuckleball. She wakes up at the crack of dawn to practice in secret, without her friends Tex and Robin—or even the goats who watch them play. Even as she trains relentlessly, Lucy wonders if she’ll ever feel brave enough to share her progress with her mom or dad. Can she prove to them, and herself, that she has what it takes?

About Patricia MacLachlan

Patricia MacLachlan (1938–2022) was the author of many well-loved novels and picture books, including Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal; its sequels, Skylark and Caleb’s StoryEdward’s EyesThe True GiftWaiting for the MagicWhite Fur Flying; Fly Away; and Snow Horses. She lived in western Massachusetts.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lindsey on January 26, 2024

I received this ARC from @SimonKids, and I absolutely loved it!! Great story and length, perfect for a child of any age. Loved Lucy and her relationships with her parents, as well as Edgar, Ruby, Tex, and Robin. It was a very heartwarming story and loved the portrayal of a girl playing sports. Thank......more

Goodreads review by Melanie on August 06, 2024

What heart Patricia MacLachlan infuses into her books like Just Dance, My Father’s Words and My Life Begins and now, Painting the Game! 11 year old Lucy Chance loves baseball and the dad who taught her to play the game. He’s a minor leaguer and has to be gone often, but whenever he’s home, he braids......more

Goodreads review by Darla on April 14, 2024

It's Spring and baseball is back. Baseball fan or not, this last title from Patricia MacLachlan is perfection. Here are five reasons I loved this book: ⚾Lucy Chance (11) is fearless. When she has her hair in those lucky braids, batters better be ready. ⚾Ruby the dog will play catch with you. She will......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on April 17, 2024

I love Patricia MacLachlan’s writing. It’s warm. It’s deceptively simple. And you leave her books feeling better than when you started. That’s certainly true for Painting the Game. I’m not a fan of baseball. I don’t really care for it at all. But through Lucy’s eyes, I could understand the love and p......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie on April 12, 2024

I received a free copy of this book for review. The Sarah Plain and Tall series is a childhood favorite of mine so it was with much nostalgia that I picked up this last published book by the now deceased Patricia MacLachlan. I was so happy to see it was about a girl in sports as athletics were a huge......more