The Way Home Looks Now

A grieving Chinese-American family begins to find strength and healing through a shared passion for baseball in this warm, hopeful novel set in 1972. Twelve-year-old Peter longs for the days in “the Before,” when his older brother, Nelson, taught him how to throw a palm ball and they listened to Pittsburgh Pirates games on the radio with their mother. Everything changes when Nelson is killed in a car accident: Peter’s mother disengages from the family, leaving him and his father, Ba, to hold things together for younger sister Laney. Peter believes that joining a Little League team could help make “the After” more bearable for all of them, a goal that’s put to the test when Ba comes aboard as coach. Shang (The Great Wall of Lucy Wu) skillfully balances the different aspects of Peter’s life, robustly characterizing his friendships and his time at school and home. Issues of sexism, racism, and struggles with depression are handled deftly in scenarios grounded in reality, including an ending that’s hopeful without being pat. Ages 8–12. Agent: Quinlan Lee, Adams Literary. (Apr.)