DUGOUT

Sports, spells, and sibling rivalry abound.

Sisters Stacy and Gina Cavallaro have a tempestuous relationship both on the baseball field (playing for opposing Little League teams) and at home with their grandmother, who happens to be a kindly witch. Stacy’s team, the Rooks, is an utterly hopeless laughingstock, perpetually coming in last. After a squabble with her sister, Gina purloins a bit of her grandmother’s magic and casts a spell on Stacy’s glove. Although she’s not entirely sure of the results, Gina’s spell unexpectedly works, and soon the Rooks have a new member among their ranks: a lumbering zombie with a penchant for chewing baseballs over brains. Furious, Stacy conjures her own retaliatory spell, leaving Gina plagued by a pernicious poltergeist. Whether the sisters like it or not, they soon find they must work together to save the league, their friends, and each other. This graphic crowd-pleaser is a delightful confection of monsters and baseball, evoking feelings of a mashup of The Sandlot and Goosebumps with a generous dose of humor and an emphasis on teamwork. Author and illustrator Morse (who has coached 10 Little League teams) has a keen eye and ear for both aesthetics and the camaraderie of the Rooks, making readers feel like one of the gang. Additional baseball facts presented by the Rooks in comics form immediately follow. Gina, Stacy, and their grandmother present white, and their teammates are diverse.

A grand slam.