A High Five for Glenn Burke

A 2021 NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2020
A 2021 ALA Rainbow Book
A Bank Street Best Book of 2021

A heartfelt and relatable novel from Phil Bildner, weaving the real history of Los Angeles Dodger and Oakland Athletic Glenn Burke--the first professional baseball player to come out as gay--into the story of a middle-school kid learning to be himself.

When sixth grader Silas Wade does a school presentation on former Major Leaguer Glenn Burke, it's more than just a report about the irrepressible inventor of the high five. Burke was a gay baseball player in the 1970s--and for Silas, the presentation is his own first baby step toward revealing a truth about himself he's tired of hiding. Soon he tells his best friend, Zoey, but the longer he keeps his secret from his baseball teammates, the more he suspects they know something's up--especially when he stages one big cover-up with terrible consequences.

A High Five for Glenn Burke is Phil Bildner's most personal novel yet--a powerful story about the challenge of being true to yourself, especially when not everyone feels you belong on the field.

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Published: 02/25/2020
Pages: 288
Weight: 0.8lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780374312732
Age: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.1
Point Value: 6
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 508869 / High Five for Glenn Burke


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2019
School Library Journal 01/24/2020 pg. 1
Booklist 02/01/2020 pg. 45
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2020

About the Author
Phil Bildner is a former New York City public school teacher and lives in Newburgh, New York. The author of many books, among them the Rip & Red series, he speaks at numerous schools and libraries every year.