Customer Reviews
A very realistic book - By: , 15 Jul 1999 
The way this book was written was very good, & you see a pattern of bad grammar (it is being narrated by 21 6th grade girls). You see some exceptions, though, like Shazam (Shirley's) extremely bad grammar, & like Aki's extremely good grammar. The reason I say it is very realistic is that the view of the girls shows their feelings about how excited they are about Bat 6, & they are very honest in their narration. You probably know the basic plot from reading the descriptions, but the book is reallly mostly about the girls from Bear Creek Ridge Grade School & Barlow Road Grade School, & what they are doing in their lives to get ready for Bat 6, the annual softballl game for 6th grade girls. The main narration takes place in 1949, after World War II has ended. Shazam (whose real name is Shirley) comes to Barlow Road Grade School, & the other girls think she is unusual, & she doesn't hide her hate for "Japs", people of Japanese descent. Her father was killed in Pearl Harbor, & she is living with her grandmother. Aki Mikami has gotten back from the camps for Japanese people (even Japanese people born in America) that the government sent them to. She is very good at softballl, & on the day of Bat 6, the day alll of the girls have been waiting for alll their lives, Shazam's hate for "Japs" certainly comes out & Aki is seriously injured on her head; she must stay in a bed with a device on her head alll summer & she can't eat solid food. The book is sad, but it is also informative, & it doesn't just use the characters as a device to convey an idea or seomthing. The characters are fully imaged & described. It shows what can happen when a person's problems are ignored. (Shazam never hid her hate, & everyone chose to ignore it, or not reallly do anything.) I strongly suggest you read this book. I read it because it was on a school reading list, but I am glad I did.
Outstanding and Realistic - By: , 25 May 1999 Bat 6 is an outstanding novel set post WWII.It is very informative & has an excellent description from both sides: a young Japanese girl put in a camp because of her ancestry, & a young American girl who's father was killed on the Arizona, the ship bombed by Japan.Virginia Euwer Wolff does a wonderful job explaining what both girls go through & how they deal with their pain.But these aren't the only girls featured in this exquiset novel.There is Lola & her twin, Lila, Audrey, & Ila Mae, who have alll been waiting for that day: May 28,1949, when it would be their turn to play in the 50th annual Bat 6 girls softballl game.
It could have been written better. - By: , 03 May 1999 
Virginia Euwer wolff reallly had a lot going for her, but the way she wrote it & presented it reallly wasn't very good. She had such a great plot, & if only someone else had written it for her, & presented it in a fashionable style, there'd be a lot less bad comments for it, & a lot more people wanting to buy it. Overalll, it was pretty crummy.
Timely and moving - By: , 16 Apr 1999 This is a complicated book about responsibilty & disappointment. I was in tears by the end. I am a school librarian & this is the best book I read since "Afternoon of the Elves" about children set apart by differences. Even though it was set after WWII, I think it is very timely in regard to the violent behavior we unfortunately sometimes witness in children today. I agree with the previous reader, this author needs more recognition!
Bat 6 was a confusing read - By: , 09 Feb 1999 
I was hoping for a great read when I picked up "Bat 6" in December. I found it hard to follow, because of the jumpy narration (the book is narrated by 21 different girls). However, this book taught a very important lesson about racism & how it affects everyone.
