The kids who live in New Aukland, British Columbia, population 138, have never played baseball. Basketball in the gym, certainly, but baseball? Not likely, given that the only open playing area is on the shoreline, and the probability of wayward hits and wild throws being lost in the water seems inevitable. But when it appears that the only way to finagle a coveted school trip to Vancouver is to go as participants in a baseball tournament, the students decide to give it their best shot. This humorous short novel centers on their excursion as the children from a remote and isolated village make the most of the big city. Not only must they cope with escalators, restaurants, and multilevel buildings—all completely foreign to their existence—the team also has to bluff its way through their inaugural ballgame. These youngsters may be inexperienced, but they have no lack of creativity. Readers who first visited New Aukland in The Thumb in the Box (Groundwood / Douglas & McIntyre, 2001) will welcome a chance to return to the small Canadian village, while those new to the community should grab this opportunity to discover its charm. (Ages 7–10)

A Horn Book Fanfare Top Ten List selection and an SSLI Honor Book

Thumb and Susan come up with an ingenious plan that will take all of the village's nine school-aged kids on the trip of a lifetime. They'll form a baseball team, win the regional title and qualify to be sent to the provincial championships in Vancouver, courtesy of the school board.

Never mind that none of them has ever played baseball before. Never mind that there are no other teams to compete for the regional championship. Never mind that the village is not even wide enough to accommodate a baseball diamond.

With a lot of ingenuity and a little grownup help, including the advice of a shipwrecked British children's writer-cum-cricket-expert named Mr. Entwhistle, the New Auckland Beavers go into training and start packing their bags. But what will happen when they get to Vancouver? Will they be humiliated by the toughest teams in the province?