Year of the Meatball - Paperback

by Angela Calabrese (Author), Rebeckah Gerstner

This laugh-out-loud contemporary middle grade combines two cultures, three llamas, a new co-ed baseball team, and a healthy dose of Italian meatballs. Finding the true meaning of friendship could be Joey's biggest homerun yet.

Joey Marconi's life in the Bronx covered all the bases--the best pizzeria on the planet, a winning baseball team, and Yankee Stadium just a pitcher's throw away. But when his family moves to the country, Joey slides into a major slump. To make matters worse, his Nonna's legendary meatballs are starting to taste lousy.

Then he meets Bobbi Ming--a baseball lover whose face and heart bear the scars of a tragic accident. Joey's not sure what to think of their budding friendship, but he relies on her to help navigate his new life--including school bullies, Nonna acting crazier than his curveball, and a trio of loveable llamas. There's a lot to figure out.

Joey and Bobbi make a strong team, but when Bobbi buckles under the weight of being teased, Joey must decide where his true loyalties lie--with his new friend, or the biggest baseball game of his life.

Author Biography

In third grade, Angela Calabrese discovered the power of words when a holiday poem she wrote moved her teacher to tears. She's been tinkering with words ever since. Angela is married to a warm-hearted guy who's specialty is making her laugh. She's a proud mama to two daughters and lives with her husband and their pampered cat in upstate New York.