On a Wing and a Tear

“Over eight hundred human generations ago,” the Animals participated in the Great Ball Game, a match between the Birds and the Mammals to determine who was better. After the Birds rejected Great-Grandfather Bat, he joined the Mammals and led them to victory. When a rematch is announced, Bat—“the original, the bat who carries the mantle of winged-rodent sports history”—must find a way to get from Chicago’s Albany Park, where he’s healing from a torn wing, to the Cherokee playing field near Macon, Ga., that doesn’t involve flying. He turns to his elderly Cherokee and Seminole friend Charlie Halfmoon, who—along with his grandson Ray, Ray’s friend Mel, and their neighbor Gray Squirrel—agrees to chauffeur Bat to the game. During their journey, they encounter myriad obstacles, including a pair of vloggers determined to kidnap Bat. Muscogee author Smith (Harvest House) expertly incorporates characters from previous books into this lightly magical standalone tale. Combining humor, suspense, and a quiet reverence for one’s ancestry, Smith examines how the power of community can affect emotional and physical healing, and the strength it takes to do both. Ages 8–12. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (Sept.)