Three Strike Summer

By: Skyler Schrempp

Narrated by: Skyler Schrempp

NAMED A 2023 ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN’S RECORDING!

Four starred reviews!

“Told in a voice that is so real it reeks of filched peaches, this book is a home run.” —Amy Sarig King, Printz Award–winning author of Dig and The Year We Fell from Space

Sandlot meets Esperanza Rising in this “vividly rendered, emotionally vulnerable” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) middle grade historical novel about a strong-willed girl who finds her voice in a tale of moxie, peaches, and determination to thrive despite the odds.

When the skies dried up, Gloria thought it was temporary. When the dust storms rolled in, she thought they would pass. But now the bank man’s come to take the family farm, and Pa’s decided to up and move to California in search of work. They’ll pick fruit, he says, until they can save up enough money to buy land of their own again.

There are only three rules at the Santa Ana Holdsten Peach Orchard:
No stealing product.
No drunkenness or gambling.
And absolutely no organizing.

Well, Gloria Mae Willard isn’t about to organize any peaches, no ma’am. She’s got more on her mind than that. Like the secret, all-boys baseball team she’s desperate to play for, if only they’d give her a chance. Or the way that wages keep going down. The way their company lodgings are dirty and smelly, and everyone seems intent on leaving her out of everything.

But Gloria has never been the type to wait around for permission. If the boys won’t let her play, she’ll find a way to make them. If the people around her are keeping secrets, then she’ll keep a few of her own. And if the boss men at the Santa Ana Holdsten Peach Orchard say she can’t organize peaches, then by golly she’ll organize a whole ball game.

Great Story to listen to with the whole family

This audiobook was great to have on while driving with the Family. Highly recommend for road-trip!

A Winner

Wow.
What a rich first novel by this talented author and actress. There were so many layers of metaphor and resonant thematic plot. The dialogue and characters were very well flushed out. I can see this becoming a staple read in school curriculum. With its strong female protagonist, historical setting, and beautiful storytelling, this book is as important as it is gripping. I will be getting a copy for all the young readers I know and recommending it to readers of all ages.

Fabulous book with spectacular audio

I'm in the car a lot, and listen to audiobooks all the time. This is the book I was dying to have in my car back when I was driving young kids. Seriously, they will not want to leave the car, it's that good. Schrempp's story of a young girl in the Depression is incredibly engaging already, but what she brings to the audiobook is like the very best read aloud. It is the perfect thing for a long car ride.