The Aurora County All-Stars

Take all of Deborah Wiles books, triple the humor, enjoyment and pathos quotients...and you have the pleasure you will experience in reading AURORA COUNTY ALL-STARS. Wiles takes a quantum leap forward, not only portraying the mythical South of her previous books, but in acknowledging some of the realities of the here-and-now-South. With appearances of characters from her previous novels, as well as introducing us to compelling new ones, a Deborah Wiles novel is like coming home and having a glass of "sweet tea" on the front porch with old friends. Having devoured this novel in one big gulp(like the other Wiles books),I am already looking forward to her next "trip home."

Deb Wiles is one of those children's book authors that can touch your soul, warm your heart, and teach you a lesson all at the same time. This story takes place in Hallelujah Mississippi, like "Love, Ruby Lavender" and "Each Little Bird that Sings." However, although the main characters from previous stories each make appearances, it is House Jackson, a young boy who is the focus here. House is a boy who loves baseball and in addition hides a secret he shares with only his father about a mysterious man. In addition, Ms. Wiles deals with discrimination without being too heavy handed about it. As always the names of her characters have hidden meanings and references so see if you can catch them. I also learned that Walt Whitman, poet extraordinaire, was a huge fan of baseball. Who knew... As a librarian and a lover of children's literature I strongly recommend this books for all readers 8 years old and up. Ms. Wiles offers a story that will suck you in while challenging you to think about all that is going on.