Bat 6 is a very unique novel and almost reads like a non-fiction recount of eye witnesses who were on the field the day the two 6th grade girls' softball teams met for the first and only time to play the traditional game for the 50th time in the history of the their two home towns. For all the girls, this game is the culmination of an honored tradition for their grade. Nine girls are chosen from each town to represent it and play a friendly softball game. They have all year to prepare for this one game and then the torch is passed on to the next group of 6th grade girls. But this year is different: it is 1949 and for some, the scars of WWII are beginning to heal; for others, the wound is still bleeding. The two towns in this story represent the to polar ends of the reality of a recovering nation following the war, particularly in the west, where Japanese families returning from internment camps were faced with both welcoming arms and resentment from their neighbors. This story is told by all 21 players who were there for the game, including Shazam, whose father was killed at Pearl Harbor, and Aki, whose family has just returned to her home town after several years in a Japanese internment camp. That these two have something to fight about seems obvious after the incident, but leading up to the game, none of the players would have guessed there would be a conflict on the field. Now that they all are forced to admit there is something wrong, they all must see the point of view of both of these players and acknowledge their own feelings in the process.This book is really fascinating in its use of the voices of these 21 6th grade girls. Author Virginia Euwer Wolff uses these authentic perspectives to draw in young readers and give the story its authentic and true-story feel. This story presents the difficult issues of intolerance, injustice, prejudice, and racial discrimination in a way that tweens can understand. Some of the characters had some clues about how Shazam felt about Japanese people but they did not know how deeply those feelings ran or how violently they might be axpressed. For Aki's friends, they were happy to have her back - a missing part of their community and their school, she is welcomed home after her family is released from their imprisonment.This story and others like it open up a conversation about discrimination and unfair treatment that gets tweens thinking of their own feelings and perspectives. Aside from conveying important facts about the Japanese internment camps and life after WWII, this story brings up basic things like actions and consequences, prejudices, fairness, conflict and anger, and gives young readers an opportunity to consider where their own judgments and conflicts might be. Multicultural novels like Bat 6 are critical in providing perspectives other than our own, and this is especially valuable for tweens and teens. By placing young people in the shoes of others, they are given a glimpse into that person's feelings and experiences. This is one of the most effective ways to experience empathy and this type of literature plays an important role. Age Range: 8 - 12 yearsGrade Level: 3 - 7Paperback: 240 pagesPublisher: Scholastic Paperbacks; Reprint edition (April 1, 2000)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0590898000ISBN-13: 978-0590898003
A challenging read told from the perspective of 24 different girls. It can be a little tricky to keep the various narrators straight, but combined the voices paint a compelling story of post-WWII life in the rural Northwest. Two small towns have a long standing softball game that pits the 6th grade girls against each other- the Bat 6 game. This year each town has its champion- for Bear Creek Ridge it is Aki whose mother had also been an MVP softball player and whose family has finally moved back home to their orchard after trying to resettle after internment. At the Barlow school it is a new girl with extraordinary natural athletic talent and a hatred of Japanese Americans stemming from her father's death at Pearl Harbor. The two are on a collision course culminating at the Bat 6 game where the attitudes and beliefs of two towns will be revealed and played out. It is impossible to life in the northwest without eventually confronting the topic of the internment of Japanese Americans. Bat 6 is an example of how pernicious racism is when it is swept under the rug and not talked about. What makes this book a valuable read is how it deals directly with the racism faced by Japanese American families and doesn't shy away from a realistic portrayal of that time and place. For me one of the most powerful images about the internment (besides seeing a preserved copy of the actual exclusion order poster at the UW libraries) is down at the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum. There are two high school year book pages- the senior graduating class in 1941 and the class a year later. 1941 shows a pretty diverse student body and a year later half the class has disappeared. It is startling and shocking. What is even more shocking is how few of these families returned and what they faced when they did.
What do You think about Bat 6 (2000)?
Another good book from Wolff. I enjoyed how this book was written in the view points of each 12 year old girl on two different soft ball teams. The first half of the book leads up to the big game and the second half describes what happened at the game and after. Good book that addresses prejudice in a way that actually the book "Nurture Shock" (that I recently read) said research says we should address it--openly talking about our differences to our children because if we don't, if try to "ignore" them in hopes that our children will too, it will just cause more problems. Here is an excerpt from the book that makes my point: "Why didn't they say so? Why didn't they tell us...? We would have known.... We would of understood. I asked my mom why nobody explained it to us before. My own mom...didn't know the answer. My own dad said, 'I thought you did know.' 'Well, I didn't. So there.' I said."
—Jenny
Every year in the towns of Barlow and Bear Creek Ridge, a softball game takes place between two sixth grade teams. In 1949, each team is convinced that they are going to win. Bear Ridge Creek believes they are going to win because of Aki, an incredibly talented Japanese-American who has spent a years in an Interment Camp during World War II. Barlow believes they are going to win because of Shazam, a phenomenal player with a horrible secret. No one could have predicted what ended up happening at the Bat 6 baseball game in 1949.Bat 6 is a work of historical fiction about racism and living in post World War II America. The author skillfully paints the time period, and religious and political beliefs of the people during that time. The issue of racism is dealt with in a head on manner that some people may not seen as appropriate for young readers, but the overall message, being that racism is bad and has consequences, is well played out. The story is told through the alternate points of view of the twenty-one girls in in the Bat 6 softball game. The use of so many narrators is interesting, as if gives the reader many different reactions and opinions, but at times feels overwhelming. It can be difficult to keep the names and stories of the twenty-one narrators straight for an adult reader, never mind a child. There are a few characters who feel very well established. It is impressive that the author takes so much time to develop Shazam, who's dislike of Japanese may seem shocking. Still, one leaves the book believing that Shazam is not necessarily a bad child, but someone who has had such beliefs pounded into her, and struggles with letting them go. Bat 6 may start off slow, but once the story gets to the softball game, the readers patience will pay off as they are treated to an interesting story about softball, racism, and small town life in the 1940s.Recommended Grade level- 4-6
—Nancy O'Toole
two main characters named, aki, and shazam. prepare for the game of the year, have difficult lives, aki has returned from a place that she does not mention, probalbly to embarrased. and shazam being controlled by her mother all the time. both girls play in different teams. these conflicts by these two girls might affect their play in the most important game.i could connect this book to the world b/c it shows how personal situtations & conflicts could affect some thing so important. i believe this happens all the time, b/c not everything could be as perfect, there is always something in the way of doing or happening in an important time.i would give this book 3 stars b/c the plot in this book didnt really get me and it seemed very vague, and strange. yet overall it shows how conflicts maybe solved, and how something so big could affect another thing.
—Angeluismanzueta
