Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh

Maria Singh is a girl who likes baseball. She wants to play it. This book takes place during World War II. Her dad doesn’t want her to play because he doesn’t want her to wear shorts. Her dad is a Punjabi Indian, and her mom is Mexican. They live in California.

Maria has problems with Elizabeth, a girl at school who is not very nice. Her family is German. People hated Germans during World War II. India is under British rule, and they are fighting for freedom. The laws in California don’t let Maria’s parents buy property because her dad is from India. He can’t become a citizen. Will the laws change? Will they buy the land? Will Maria play ball? Read the book to find out.

I could believe Maria is a real person. I thought this was a book about real people, a true story. It’s not. In the back, there’s “The History Behind Maria’s Story.”

I like what Maria says about hate. The advice in the book is nice. I didn’t know people like Maria’s mom could lose their citizen rights by marrying someone like Maria’s dad. I didn’t know a lot of Indian men married Mexican women then because they couldn’t marry people of other races. I do not like that law. I wouldn’t exist. I would recommend this book to people who want to learn the history of this time period.