In August 1941, two children united in their attachment to a town in upstate New York and their hope that the Dodgers will win the pennant, become firm friends as they attempt to fulfill their quests--the adopted, polio-stricken Mariel to learn about her real mother; Brick to return to his fire-ravaged farm. The short chapters of this quiet story are easy to read and filled with details of the era.

It is the summer of 1941. Mariel, a victim of polio, lives in Brooklyn with her "almost mother" Loretta, who had been her nurse in a hospital in Windy Hill. Now Mariel is learning to adjust to her crippled legs, neighborhood prejudice, and her own fear of being unable to live a normal life. Loretta constantly encourages Mariel to keep trying, telling her of President Roosevelt's battle with polio. Brick comes to live with Loretta, his mother's best friend, when his family has to give up their farm in Windy Hill. Brick feels responsible for the loss because he had helped to save his neighbors' orchard from a fire, but was not able to save his own. Both children have compelling reasons to return to Windy Hill. Brick needs to help the neighbor pick his apple crop or his farm would be lost also. Mariel needs to put a name and face to her vague memories of her mother. Giff weaves these elements into a moving story of friendship, love, and need. And through it all the characters follow the achievements of the Brooklyn Dodgers, whose tenacity after so many years of failure gains them the pennant and helps Mariel understand that Loretta speaks truly when she tells her that she can accomplish anything. Giff portrays an era that is probably unfamiliar to young readers. But the themes are universal. The fears of the terrible ravages of polio and the near hysteria concerning its spread are with us today in the age of AIDS. And if the characters are just a bit too altruistic and the plot just a bit convoluted and contrived, so be it. It's really all about love, sacrifice, and courage. Readers will be swept away. (Fiction. 10-12)

When a fire destroys the apple crop on his family's upstate New York farm in 1941, a boy is sent to live temporarily in Brooklyn. There he befriends a young polio victim who wishes to accompany him home. "Giff brings together two appealing young characters in this story of friendship, family and finding where one belongs," said <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW. Ages 8-12.<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Apr)

Gr 4-6-The year is 1941; the Dodgers are vying for the pennant, and Mariel lives just blocks from Ebbets Field. Though she is happy with her "almost mother" Loretta, she is preoccupied with who her birth mother was. Hospitalized in Windy Hill with polio at age four, she was lovingly nursed back to health by Loretta, a nurse who subsequently adopted her. Now Brick, Loretta's friend's son, is coming to stay with them because a fire has destroyed his father's apple orchard, forcing his parents to find work elsewhere. Unhappy as the boy is to be sent away, he is further tortured because he helped Claude, a grandfatherly neighbor, save his orchard while his own family's trees burned. Though Brick is determined to get back to his town 200 miles away to help Claude harvest the apples before winter, he and Mariel become fast friends, and he is not bothered by her legs that curve "like the pretzels." The children run off to save Claude's apples and solve the mystery of Mariel's past. Claude invites Brick to stay on and gives him a sizable orchard of his own. Mariel, finally at peace with herself, returns to Brooklyn. Children will understand the protagonist's self-consciousness about her misshapen legs and her wish to be like the other kids. They will applaud her spunk and admire Brick's loyalty and determination. Giff's writing is filled with wonderful details that appeal to all of the senses. Readers experience the treacherous fire just as realistically as they cheer when Mariel catches a fly ball. A compelling story of two unforgettable youngsters, their strength, and their friendship.-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.