Happy book birthday to Screaming at the Ump by Audrey Vernick

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Audrey Vernick's books (she's the author whose books I've reviewed the most here on this blog), but I'm also just a huge fan of Audrey Vernick in general. She's made of all kinds of awesome. For an author to be talented in writing:

• Fiction
• Non-fiction
• Picture Books
• Novels
• Silly stories
• Heartwarming stories

is no small feat. She's like the kidlit jack-of-all-trades.

Well today she has a new novel hitting shelves called Screaming at the Ump from Clarion Books. Here's the lowdown:

Twelve-year-old Casey Snowden knows everything about being an umpire. His dad and grandfather run a New Jersey umpire school, Behind the Plate, and Casey lives and breathes baseball. Casey’s dream, however, is to be a reporter—objective, impartial, and fair, just like an ump. But when he stumbles upon a sensational story involving a former major league player in exile, he finds that the ethics of publishing it are cloudy at best. This emotionally charged coming-of-age novel about baseball, divorce, friendship, love, and compassion challenges its readers to consider all the angles before calling that strike.



Now here's the thing: I hate baseball. I'm not going to even pretend I like it. But whenever I read an Audrey Vernick book, she makes me love the sport. So whether you love baseball or hate it, you should read it. And while you're at it, read Audrey's other books too, because she's awesome.

Water Balloon
Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team
She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story
Bark and Tim: A True Story of Friendship 
Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?
Teach Your Buffalo to Play Drums
So You Want to Be a Rock Star
Bogart and Vinnie: A Completely Made-Up Story of True Friendship