I still remember my very first Scholastic book fair. I remember checking the pocket of my corduroys every few minutes for the money my mother had given me when I left for school that morning. It was tightly wrapped in the preview flier Ms. Razmus had passed out the day before, and every so often I would give it a squeeze just to prove it was still there. My worry would ease when I heard the telltale crinkle and rustle of paper. Every lesson that day seemed endless for a child

After finishing Leah on the Offbeat, I was reminded of that timeless classic, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” More specifically, the melodious and uplifting chorus of “for it’s one, two, three strikes you’re out at the old ballgame.” Becky Albertalli is on strike two, so I’m going to need her next book to be a grand slam home run, and not the one she co-authored with Adam Silvera because he has never failed me. If it isn’t, I’ll have to look The Upside and Leah in the eyes and