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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSIn Long Branch, New Jersey, the Acerra family had sixteen children, twelve of them boys, and every spring those boys came pouring out the back door with bats and gloves in hand. Baseball ran so deep in the family that their high school team had an Acerra on its roster twenty-two years in a row. In 1938, the nine oldest brothers formed their own semi-pro team, coached by their father, and began playing against teams across New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, drawing big crowds wherever they went. But playing together and staying together would take more than just talent for a family team that would face serious hardship both on and off the field.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a family own a white dog named Pitch?
✓ Answer
Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick
The family's white dog has a sport-themed name, Pitch. The same page names the four Acerra sisters, Catherine, Florence, Rosina, and Frances.
- First half
In what book does a sixth sibling throw a knuckleball that "danced in the air"?
✓ Answer
Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick
Jimmy's knuckleball was so wild it looked like it danced through the air. He was probably the most talented player on the family nine.
- First half
In what book do siblings take their very first plane ride together over a fairground in 1939?
✓ Answer
Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick
The 1939 flight was the first airplane trip any of them had ever taken. The ride came after the New York World's Fair honored them as the biggest family in New Jersey.
- Second half
In what book do four siblings join the Army and two join the Marines?
✓ Answer
Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick
Poser, Charlie, Eddie, and Bobby all served in the Army during WWII, while Billy joined the Marines and Freddie followed him into the Marines too.
- Second half
In what book does a sibling group win their league championship four times in six years?
✓ Answer
Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick
After they joined the Long Branch City Twilight Baseball League, the post-war Acerras won the championship four out of six years, with crowds filling the stands every Sunday.
- Near the end
In what book is a New Jersey family declared the longest-playing sibling lineup in history?
✓ Answer
Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick
Although the Acerras' playing days ended in 1952, history recognized them as the longest-playing all-sibling group ever in their sport.
