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Uma Krishnaswami
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Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh Hardcover – May 15, 2017

by Uma Krishnaswami (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 44 ratings
Teachers' pick
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Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature - Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA)

Nine-year-old Maria Singh learns to play softball just like her heroes in the All-American Girls' League, while her parents and neighbors are struggling through World War II, working for India's independence, and trying to stay on their farmland.

Nine-year-old Maria Singh longs to play softball in the first-ever girls' team forming in Yuba City, California. It's the spring of 1945, and World War II is dragging on. Miss Newman, Maria's teacher, is inspired by Babe Ruth and the All-American Girls' League to start a girls' softball team at their school.

Meanwhile, Maria's parents-Papi from India and Mamá from Mexico-can no longer protect their children from prejudice and from the discriminatory laws of the land. When the family is on the brink of losing their farm, Maria must decide if she has what it takes to step up and find her voice in an unfair world.

In this fascinating middle grade novel, award-winning author Uma Krishnaswami sheds light on a little-known chapter of American history set in a community whose families made multicultural choices before the word had been invented.

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Previous slide of product details
  1. Reading age
    8 - 12 years
  2. Print length
    288 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    3 - 7
  5. Lexile measure
    680L
  6. Dimensions
    5 x 1 x 7.5 inches
  7. Publisher
    Lee & Low Books
  8. Publication date
    May 15, 2017
  9. ISBN-10
    1600602614
  10. ISBN-13
    978-1600602610
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3–5—All fifth grader Maria Singh can think about is playing baseball. She confronts many challenges in pursuit of this dream, from convincing her father to let her wear shorts to getting the city council to approve a baseball field for her neighborhood. Maria is part of a community of families in World War II—era California. Many of the fathers in this community emigrated from India and married Mexican American women. Maria begins to see how much the institutionalized racism and individual prejudice they face weigh on her parents. Characters are well developed, and relationships are richly complex. Even the local mean girl becomes sympathetic as Maria learns that she and her family are being discriminated against because of their German ancestry. Krishnaswami skillfully handles issues of racism and sexism in a realistic and age-appropriate way. Although the cultural setting is very well defined, sometimes the historical background information can feel wedged into the story. However, this is a minor flaw, and Maria's realistic challenges and passion to play ball will keep young readers engaged. VERDICT This historical sports story will appeal to many elementary-aged students and provides a rich basis for a discussion of prejudice and the importance of standing up for one's beliefs. Recommended.—Gesse Stark-Smith, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Review

"Filled with heart, this tale brings to life outspoken and determined Maria, her love for baseball, and her multicultural community and their challenges and triumphs. A loving look at a slice of American life new to children's books." -- Kirkus Reviews

"This historical sports story will appeal to many elementary-aged students and provides a rich basis for a discussion of prejudice and the importance of standing up for one's beliefs." -- School Library Journal

"A testament to the power of family, identity, faith and one girl's strong drive for fairness. At the same time, it also shows us how difficult it is to evoke change, especially in the face of the twin forces of racism and sexism. . . . Readers will see in Maria a hero, not only for her own time, but for all time." -- Newbery Honor Winner Kathi Appelt, author of The Underneath

"This timely, important, superb novel made me cry, laugh out loud, and burn with anger at injustice. . . . A must-read for youngsters and adults alike." -- Anjali Banerjee, author of Maya Running, Looking for Bapu and Seaglass Summer

"A refreshingly different WWII story for middle-grade readers, with a empowering protagonist at its heart." -- Booklist

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lee & Low Books; Standard Edition (May 15, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1600602614
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1600602610
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 680L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 1 x 7.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 44 ratings

About the author

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Uma Krishnaswami

Uma Krishnaswami

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Uma Krishnaswami is the author of many books for children. She is also on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults.

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4.6 out of 5 stars
44 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • wushouse
    5.0 out of 5 stars Important history!
    Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    An entertaining book that teaches important WWII US home front history!
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  • melody carrier
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed this youth book on a serious topic
    Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I liked this book because it was written for youth so the chapters went quickly. I was reading it to meet a reading requirement for a United Methodist Women's Reading program. The topic was an historical throwback to California in the 40's when Eastern Indian people were not allowed to have citizenship in the US.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Gabby
    5.0 out of 5 stars Show diligence and win!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Maria's perseverance paid off, she did not give up on wearing pants rather than a
    dress.
    With encouragement from her aunt, she continued to play ball and won over her father in the end.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Great midde grade historical fiction. Well researched, well written.
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  • LitPick Book Reviews
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great reminder to Americans about how they have worked through racial issues in the past
    Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2022
    Maria Singh is a courageous nine-year-old girl living in California. It is 1945, and with the World War II situation, things are not so great for Maria’s family. Her family is about to lose their farm. In these tough times, the one thing Maria wants to do is play on her school's first-ever girls’ softball team. Maria’s father (Papi) is from India where people did not approve of girls running around in shorts and playing sports. Further, her challenges are compounded by racial bullying in schools. So, will Maria be able to break the barriers of injustice, racism, and conventional mindset to pursue her passion to play softball?

    I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. The author creates a higher degree of engagement for the readers by slowly building various obstacles Maria faces throughout her journey. The author's use of Spanish and Punjabi words paints a nice picture of multicultural elements throughout the story, surfacing the evolution of life of early immigrants and providing an opportunity for young readers to familiarize themselves with different languages. The book illustrates and motivates readers to follow their passions no matter what obstacles they must face in their lives. Furthermore, in light of recent past racial events in America, this book serves as a great reminder to Americans about how they had worked through racial issues over the last century to evolve into a diverse and inclusive society that can coexist in harmony with various cultural differences.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Dorine White
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2017
    The Story-
    It is 1945 and World War II is happening in Europe. Fifth grader, Maria Singh, wants to play ball, just like the women in the All American Leagues. Her chance becomes reality when her teacher puts together an all girl softball team. However, Maria's Papi from India does not want her wearing shorts, and her Mama from Mexico, wants her to keep an eye on her little brother Emilio.

    Determined, Maria sets out to follow her dream, but life is not so easy. Her father is not allowed to become a citizen of the US and thus, can't buy land. When the owner of their farm decides to move, Maria's family needs to come up with a plan, and fast. As her father fights for his rights in the US and for the rights of his people against the British in India, Maria must learn to deal with the hatred of people who don't understand people who are different, whether in religion, color or country.

    Maria takes a risk and steps up to the school board, asking for a ball field for kids to play in and sports for girls. At home, her Mama and Papi also fight, for their land and freedoms.

    My Thoughts-
    This book is a treasure trove of the American immigrant experience. Previously, the Indian/Mexican interracial couples of the 1940's and their experiences were unknown to me. This book does a great job highlighting the differences between the cultures and the loving ways they fit together.

    Maria is just like many other girls. She wants to be herself and break free from the rules of her parents. Of course, her journey comes full circle when she realizes that her problems involving softball are actually small compared to the world problems of war and freedom. The author combines all of the problems, big and small alike, into a seamless story.

    I really enjoyed Maria's inner dialogue. She is smart for her age, and unravels words and feelings of hate and revenge for what they really are, fear and insecurity. Maria is able to make mistakes, learn from them, ask forgiveness and then move on. She faces the racism and sexism in stand up ways and learns to move beyond the aggression their feelings cause, and actually search out solutions.

    This is a great read. I'm giving it 5 stars!
    One person found this helpful
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  • SunshineRose
    5.0 out of 5 stars An important introduction to the inequalities and discrimination faced by specific immigrant groups, many of which still go on.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2017
    It was 1945 and, with World War II going on, all nine-year-old Maria wanted to do was play baseball. Her aunt built planes and women were starting to play professional ball so, when her teacher started an all-girls team at her school, Maria was thrilled. Unfortunately her Mexican mother and Indian father had old-fashioned ideas about what girls could do, so she knew it would be hard to convince them to let her play.

    As she learns about teamwork and baseball, Maria also starts to learn about prejudice and racism when her little brother is beat up for being different and a German classmate lashes out at her. When she finds out her father can’t become a U.S. citizen or own the land he’d worked for years, through the confidence earned from playing the game she loved, Maria learns to speak up and make a difference in her world.

    This book is an important introduction to the inequalities and discrimination faced by specific immigrant groups, many of which still go on today. Readers are also given insight into the world of adha-adha “half and half,” (Mexican-Hindu families) which also serves to educate. It should be in every elementary and middle school library, and would make for excellent discussions as part of a book club.

    Highly recommended for ages 10-14.

    I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Joey ISU
    1.0 out of 5 stars Propaganda
    Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2019
    Woe is us, such victims of racist America. Life must be better in Mexico. Marketing hate to children? Sad.
    One person found this helpful
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