Finding Buck McHenry

Daydreamer Jason, 11, has just been dropped] from his Little League team. Seeking solace at the baseball-card shop, he makes a startling hypothesis: 'Buck McHenry, ' star pitcher of the Negro Leagues], could be school custodian Mack Henry. Mr. Henry's identity, in doubt through much of the book, provides a mystery, a bittersweet revelation, and a satisfyingly dramatic denouement. The characterizations are pungent, the action (on and off the diamond) involving. A solid, rewarding story. --K. Finalist, 1992 Edgar Allan Poe Award, Juvenile Category (Mystery Writers of America)

Children's Choices for 1992 (IRA/CBC)