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Get a grip, Vivy Cohen!

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Written by: Sarah Kapit
New York: Dial Books, 2020. Fiction.

All Vivy Cohen wants to do is to play baseball but she already has two strikes against her, she is a girl and she is autistic. Ever since she met her baseball hero, VJ Capello, and he showed her how to grip a knuckleball she has been perfecting her pitch. Her older brother Nate says she throws a wicked knuckleball and she wants a chance to prove that she, Vivy Cohen, can pitch in a real baseball game. But her mom doesn't think Vivy should play baseball because it's to dangerous, even though her brother has played for years. Her mother thinks she should play softball because softball is safer for girls. But you can't grip a softball in a good knuckle grip, the ball is to big and Vivys hands are to small. Vivy tries to explain to her mom how she feels but she just can't seem to find the right words. How do you share a dream that no one believes in but you?

Get a grip, Vivy Chohen isn't a book about a girl who loves baseball it is so much more. This is an endearing story about an 11 year old girl with a disability who goes out and shows the world what she is made of. Vivy is a charming realistic character who learns about relationships, trust, and speaking up for yourself. She taught me a lot about what its like to be autistic and the struggles that come with a disability and how disabilities don't define who you are. This book was a home run hit!



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