“THE DISTANCE TO HOME,” by Jenn Bishop, Knopf Books for Young Readers, June 28, 2016, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 8 and up)
Quinnen is a talented pitcher. She’s smart, friendly and happy. Or at least she was.
Last summer, Quinnen was the star pitcher of he baseball team, which was headed for the championship. Quinnen was one of the best players on her team, and her loudest supporter was her older sister, Haley.
This summer, Haley isn’t at any of Quinnen’s games. She’s not at home. She’s not at school. Haley died in an accident at the end of last summer, and now Quinnen and her parents are just trying to get through each day. Without her sister to cheer her on, Quinnen feels lost.
There’s only one thing that feels normal — the Bandits. Life revolves around the local minor-league baseball team, and this summer, Quinnen and her parents will host on of the players for the season. As Quinnen gets to know some of the players, she starts to see happiness in a post-Haley world.
“The Distance to Home” opens with only a smattering of information. Quinnen’s story unfolds in chapters alternating “then” and “now.” And as the book progresses, you learn the whole story behind Haley’s death. This treatment of the story is effective in a number of ways:
- “Distance to Home” becomes a mystery of sorts. I found myself turning the pages not only to find out what would happen next, but what happened in the past.
- Author Jenn Bishop is able to pack emotional punches throughout the book. Quinnen’s grief is at times raw and other times numbing. It ebbs and flows, but there’s always a sprinkling just below the surface that is perfectly counterbalanced with humor and heart.
“The Distance to Home” is a heartfelt look at loss and the different paths people take because of it. While I personally am not a fan of baseball, I never found myself bored or confused.
