Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen

by Marissa Moss

Other authorsC. F. Payne (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 2004

Status

Available

Local notes

921 MIT

Barcode

5540

Collection

Publication

Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (2004), Edition: 1, 32 pages

Description

In 1931, seventeen-year-old Jackie Mitchell pitches against Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game, becoming the first professional female pitcher in baseball history.

Awards

Monarch Award (Nominee — 2007)
Chickadee Award (Honors — 2006)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — Elementary — 2007)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 2016)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2004

Physical description

32 p.; 8.5 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member Hennigar
This book tells the story of the day Jackie Mitchel, a 17 year old pitcher in a women's league struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

The story told fascinated me because I hadn't known anything about Jackie until I read this book. The illustrations are high quality and it is a read that readers of
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any age can enjoy.

In a classroom this would be a good book to use during a unit on famous women in American history. I believe this story of Jackie would intrigue many of the students.
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LibraryThing member amanda_c
Quality:
This well illustrated book uses simple text and full-page illustrations to tell the little-known story of Jackie Mitchell, a female pitcher who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gherig in the same game.

Potential Use:
Mighty Jackie: The Strike Out Queen would make an excellent addition to any in-
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or out-of-class review of baseball history, or the history of women in sports.

Child Appeal::
Mighty Jackie shows that the phrase “you throw like a girl,” needn’t be an insult. This book would be of educational value to all children, and of particular interest to girls who are interested in sports.
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LibraryThing member madamepince
At each new elementary school, I put this book on the acquisitions list. 1) Because I love baseball 2) Because the illustrations are terrific and add to the text in the way that pictures are supposed to 3) Because girls today need to know that the equality (such as it is) they have is something
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their grandmothers probably would not have experienced. Read the author's note on the last page. At the age of 17, in a game against the New York Yankees, Jackie successfully strruck out 2 of the greatest hitters in the league at that time, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Following the game, the Commissioner of Baseball voided Jackie Mitchell's contract because the game was "too strenuous" for women and put and end to her career in the major leagues.
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LibraryThing member Ms.Penniman
Retelling: Jackie Mitchell was a woman who pitched for the Chattanooga Lookouts in the 1930s despite a prevailing attitude at that time that women shouldn't play baseball. In an exhibition game against the New York Yankees she struck our Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in succession. This book is the
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story of how she proved that baseball was her game too.

Thoughts and Feelings: This book ends on a high note, but I just couldn't help myself. I had to research the end of the story. If Jackie was really able to prove that women should be aloud to play baseball than why don't they today? Her coach ended her contract shortly after her grand triumph. Jackie became a sideshow.
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LibraryThing member matthewbloome
This is really a dark part of the history of major league baseball that even today I doubt qualifies as resolved. There aren't too many favorable descriptions of the people involved, though they probably don't deserve one if what I read here is true.

The book is well done. The writing is at an
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approachable level. The description of the event is vivid. The evidence of thorough research is plain to see. All in all, I'd read this to kids. I doubt Babe Ruth fans would be overly fond of the portrayal he received; nor would Lou Gehrig fans though Marissa Moss didn't give him quite the villianizing portrayal that Mr. Ruth was offered.

This is a good book about a tough subject. At least when an author chooses to write about the terrible decisions made to racially segregate Major League Baseball, the MLB can respond with acknowledgment that it was wrong and that they've since done what they could to right the situation. They can't do that with women in baseball. It's still held as a man's game where there are no girls allowed. The "Boys Only" mentality of the game still exists.

Overall, a wonderful book. I wish that the events mentioned inside never happened, but since they did they deserve the kind of recognition that this book gives them.
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LibraryThing member jfoti
I really enjoyed this book for a few reasons. Firstly, I believe that the book did a nice job of bringing historical information into the book, whether it is presenting the life of Jackie Mitchell or exposing students to the ideas of gender roles and how they have changed over time. Building off of
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this idea, I like how the book talks about such an important issue of gender roles and women's rights in such an accessible way. I think that readers will root for Jackie and see how she is just as talented and deserving as the boys, without realizing that they are tackling a much larger issue than baseball. Lastly, I believe that the book does a really nice job of presenting Jackie as a character that is presented with difficult obstacles, but succeeds in overcoming them. The book presents her as a great role model and a figure that children can really look up to.
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LibraryThing member ashleyschifano
This is a true story about Jackie Mitchell. Jackie loved baseball from an early age. She soon was better than any boy in her neighborhood. She loved pitching the most and had a certain pitch that could strike anyone out. When Jackie was seventeen years old, she played for a small team that no one
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knew much about. That was until she was able to play against the New York Yankees and Babe Ruth. She grew up in a time period where girls didn't play baseball or any sport for that matter. They especially didn't play in the major leagues. She struck out Babe Ruth! The most famous baseball player of all time and she was a girl.

I really liked this story. I myself played softball for many years and the sport of baseball is very dear to my family. I chose this book because it was about a woman in the major leagues. I was no where near professional league level, but I too was a pitcher. This story would be great to show kids so they realize they can do anything with hard work and dedication.
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LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
A picture book biography of Jackie Mitchell, focusing on the April 2, 1931, game in which she struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as a pitcher for the minor league Chattanooga Lookouts. Succinctly told but with suspense as the balls are called and wraps with a sense of Jackie's satisfaction of a
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job well-done. Full-bleed illustrations and facial closeups add to the drama of the story.
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Pages

32

Rating

(44 ratings; 4.2)
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