Thirteen-year-old Satoshi Matsumoto spent the last three years living in Atlanta where he was the star of his middle-school baseball team â a slugger with pro potential, according to his coach. Now that his fatherâs work in the U.S. has come to an end, heâs moved back to his hometown in rural Japan. Living abroad has changed him, and now his old friends are suspicious of his new foreign ways. Even worse, his childhood foe Shintaro, whose dad has ties to gangsters, is in his homeroom. After he joins his new schoolâs baseball team, Satoshi has a chance to be a hero until he makes a major-league error.
âA heart-warming story about a baseball player who learns that teamwork is much more important than being the star of the team. I loved the family dynamics and depiction of life, and especially baseball, in Japan.ââShauna Holyoak, author of Kazu Jones and the Denver Dognappers (Hyperion, 2019)
âPop Flies really pops! A lively, fun, easy read that draws you in and keeps you guessing.ââDori Jones Yang, award-winning author of The Forbidden Temptation of Baseball (SparkPress, 2017)
âAn engaging, sports-focused, family-driven Japanese spin on the new-kid-in-school narrative.ââKirkus Reviews
Sakura Medal longlist 2021
Parents Choice: Recommended 2020
American Book Fest Best Fiction award winner 2020