It’s not the first time Nick Spirakis had to run away from a charging 2,580-pound rhinoceros while playing right field. It’s 1948, and his neighborhood pickup game plays daily inside the city zoo. What is new is the local professional team has just been purchased, and the new owner is holding a “Mudpuppy for a Day” bat boy contest, where the winning boy will wear the official team uniform and join professional players on the field. Every boy in town is entering. When Nick’s parents insist he work the day of the contest, Nick feels his rebellious side rear up for the first time. He would do anything to enter . . . but at what price? (Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Awards, 2020)