ALA Booklist (Mon Jun 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Teddy Hopper feels like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, as he is already being scouted for a career in professional baseball. But in his shadow is his sister, Gemma, who must put her own baseball dreams aside in order to keep her family afloat after their mother leaves, while also navigating the awkwardness of middle school. Gemma and Teddy's complicated relationship makes the piece shine. Instead of the normal "fix everything at the end" approach that most middle-grade or YA novels do, Spangler's graphic novel has the siblings repair and damage their relationship repeatedly over the course of the plot, making their relationship feel very honest and realistic. Her artwork, rendered in black ink lines with aqua washes, is equally genuine, capturing all the complex emotions and feelings that Gemma is going through in body language and facial expressions, while also making the many action scenes involving baseball riveting and engaging. A surprise hit for fans of sports comics and family dramas alike.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Apr 03 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In a family where baseball is life, how do you keep swinging for the fences when life throws nothing but curveballs?Seventh grader Gemma Hopper is used to standing out in a crowd. She can't help it-she's 6 feet tall. Everyone knows her older brother, Teddy, the 14-year-old slugger on his way to Florida with an exclusive travel team. But even though Gemma pitches his batting practice every day, she feels like she's little more than his shadow. Home life is not much better: Since their mom left, Gemma cares for her younger twin brothers and picks up all the household chores while her dad works. Feeling abandoned by her mother, used by her brothers, and ignored by her father, Gemma already has three strikes. Middle school social turmoil adds to the personal turmoil, and Gemma takes out her frustrations during one of Teddy's daily batting practices, pitching her hardest and striking him out. It's recorded by an onlooker, going viral overnight and giving her a chance to reimagine possibilities for her life. Spangler's mix of paneling and full-page spreads creates a visual tone that's both cohesive and dynamic. The black, white, and blue-green palette fluctuates only once, adding a contrasting reddish-brown anti-Gemma during the poignant penultimate scene when the titular character is duking it out against her inner critic. Gemma's resilience and realism will have readers rooting for her. Main characters are White.A sensitively told story about the power of self and sports. (Graphic fiction. 9-13)

School Library Journal (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Gr 6 Up— Gemma Hopper feels invisible, even though she's the tallest girl in her grade, because her dad and town only seem to care about her baseball star brother, while her mom is taking time "to find herself." Meanwhile, she's left taking care of her younger twin brothers, doing all the dishes and laundry, and barely has any time to herself. On top of all that, she must play pitcher for her brother's batting practice. When she's given an assignment to write about her family tree, she doesn't know what to do because her maternal grandparents are no more present than her mom. Her best friend has started hanging out with a popular girl who's pressuring her for an introduction to Gemma's brother. Under all this pressure, it's no wonder that Gemma cracks. She makes up her family history, because there's no one to help her with it. Setting the popular girl up with her brother goes horribly wrong and leads to a fight with her best friend, and she accidentally embarrasses her brother in front of a crowd when she pitches what she wants instead of easy hits. It's only after getting out of her brother's shadow that she realizes she might have some baseball aspirations of her own. Gemma is down, but never out. Spangler crafts a story any middle schooler will understand, weaving together the troubles of Gemma's daily life into an intriguing graphic novel that kids will want to read. The distinct art style conveys Gemma's tendency to curl in on herself, and the palette changes to show when she's giving herself a hard time on the mound. VERDICT A good purchase for libraries.— Stacey Shapiro