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 American coach. Now that his father's overseas assignment has finished, he's moved back to his hometown in rural Japan but he no longer fits in. Living abroad has changed him, and his old friends are suspicious of his newly acquired foreign ways. Even worse, his childhood nemesis, Shintaro, whose dad has ties to gangsters, is in his homeroom. As if that's not bad enough, his grandfather, who's suddenly obsessed with his robo-pet, doesn't seem to remember him.

Satoshi joins the baseball team at his new junior high school. However, rumor has it that the school's new owner is going to replace the baseball team with a trendier sport if they don't make it to the finals in the summer tournament. But when he he gets into a fight with Shintaro and is kicked off the team, suddenly the team, his future, and lives are at risk. Satoshi must find a way to make amends -- and keep his family safe.

"Vibrant conversations, outstanding sound effects, and fascinating cultural differences keep listeners riveted." -- AudioFile Magazine

**Parents Choice Award 2021**

**American Fiction Awards Winner 2021**