This badge is designed by author Rachele Alpine to complement her book, recommended for readers in grades 3-8.

You Throw Like A Girl

Gabby is ready to have the Best. Summer. Ever. Her softball team is rumoured to win the championship and she can’t wait for her dad to see her strike out anyone who tries to stop the team from making that happen, after all, he’s the one who taught her everything she knows about playing ball.

Except, when her dad is deployed overseas and her mom decides to move the family to stay with Gabby’s grandma while he is away, her summer quickly turns into the Worst. Summer. Ever.

That’s because when Gabby arrives to her mom’s hometown, she is devastated to find out that because all the girls are more interested in competing in the annual Miss Popcorn Pageant, there’s no girls’ softball league this year. And after one, terrible, horrible miscommunication, Gabby accidentally signs up for the pageant and her mom, a past beauty queen herself, is ecstatic. For a girl who would rather rock a pitching glove over princess gowns, this is very very bad.

But this doesn’t mean Gabby is giving up on her softball dreams. No girls’ team? No problem. She decides to disguise herself and sign up for the boys’ team instead. Her pitching can rival any boy or girl, and she is determined to keep her promise to her dad.