Pop Flies, Robo-Pets, and Other Disasters

Written by Suzanne Kamata

Narrated by Nicholas Richardson

Thirteen-year-old Satoshi Matsumoto spent the last three years living in Atlanta where he was the star of his middle-school baseball team—a slugger with pro potential, according to his coach. Now that his father’s work in the US has come to an end, he’s moved back to his hometown in rural Japan. Living abroad has changed him, and now his old friends in Japan are suspicious of his new foreign ways. Even worse, his childhood foe Shintaro, whose dad has ties to gangsters, is in his homeroom. After he joins his new school’s baseball team, Satoshi has a chance to be a hero until he makes a major-league error.

“A heart-warming story about a baseball player who learns that teamwork is much more important than being the star of the team. I loved the family dynamics and depiction of life, and especially baseball, in Japan.”—Shauna Holyoak, author of Kazu Jones and the Denver Dognappers (Hyperion, 2019)

“An engaging, sports-focused, family-driven Japanese spin on the new-kid-in-school narrative.”—Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: One Elm Books, an imprint of Red Chair Press
• Release date: Sep 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822617896

Suzanne Kamata

Award-winning author Suzanne Kamata was born and raised in the United States, but has lived in Japan for more than half of her life. Suzanne raised two kids and now lives with her husband in Aizumi, Japan.