Description

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In the small town of Lewis Creek, baseball is everything. Especially for all-star pitcher Austin Braxton, who has a one-way ticket out of town with his scholarship to a top university. All that stands between him and a new start is one final season. But when Austin starts flunking Chemistry, his picture-perfect future is in jeopardy. A failing grade means zero playing time, and zero playing time means no scholarship.

Enter Marisa Marlowe, the new girl in town who gets a job at his mom's flower shop. Not only is Marisa some home-schooled super-genius, but she's also a baseball fanatic and more than willing to help Austin study. As the two grow closer, there's something about Marisa that makes Austin want more than just baseball and out of Lewis Creek—he wants a future with her. But Marisa has a past that still haunts her, one that she ran all the way to South Carolina to escape.

As Austin starts to peel back the layers of Marisa’s pain, it forces him to look beyond the façade of himself and everyone he thought he knew in his town. What he sees instead is that in a small town like Lewis Creek, maybe baseball isn’t everything—maybe it is just the thing that ties them all together.

About the Author

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Michelle Smith was born and raised in North Carolina, where she developed a healthy appreciation for college football, sweet tea, front porches, and a well-placed “y’all.” She’s a lover of all things happy, laughs way too much, and fully believes that a little bit of kindness goes a long way. She now lives near the Carolina coast with her family.

Praise For…

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"Gr 8 Up—A feel-good novel about baseball, pick-up trucks, and barbeque, with plenty of teen drama. When Marisa Marlowe moves to Lewis Creek, SC, from Maryland just as baseball season begins, star pitcher Austin and the rest of the people in town effect her transformation into a real Southern belle. Marisa gets a job in the flower shop that is owned by Austin's mother and Austin can't help falling for her even though she suffers from life-threatening bouts of depression. As the teens become closer, Austin begins to understand some of the reasons that his own father committed suicide and starts the process of forgiving him. Then there's Jay and Brett, also excellent ball players on the Lewis Creek team, who are dealing with their own relationship and all of the issues that go along with coming out. Dialogue and some mild swear words lend to the authenticity of the teen voices. VERDICT An additional purchase for large collections of contemporary YA fiction."—Allison Silva, England High School, AR