A young aspiring violinist learns the value of family ties and team spirit in this picture book lushly illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner E.B. Lewis about a down-on-their-luck baseball team and the music that turns their season around.

Reginald loves to create beautiful music on his violin. But Papa, manager of the Dukes, the worst team in the Negro National League, needs a bat boy, not a "fiddler," and traveling with the Dukes doesn't leave Reginald much time for practicing.

Soon the Dukes' dugout is filled with Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach--and the bleachers are filled with the sound of the Dukes' bats. Has Reginald's violin changed the Dukes' luck--and can his music pull off a miracle victory against the powerful Monarchs?

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: 04/01/1998
ISBN: 9780689800993
Pages: 32
Weight: 0.87lbs
Size: 8.55h x 11.33w x 0.34d
Award: Coretta Scott King Award - Honor Book
Award: Georgia Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Nevada Young Readers' Award - Nominee

Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 04/06/1998 pg. 77
Booklist 06/15/1998 pg. 1765
School Library Journal 07/01/1998 pg. 72
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/1998 pg. 289 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/1998 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 20672 / Bat Boy & His Violin
Reading Level: 4.1 / Interest Level: Lower Grade / Point Value: 0.5