Goodbye, Mr. Spalding

During the Great Depression, twelve-year-old Jimmy Frank lives across from Philadelphia’s Shibe Park with his friend Lola. Their families earn extra money by selling seats on the roofs of their flat-topped homes, which overlook the Philadelphia Athletics’ field. When lower ticket sales lead the park’s manager and owner to plan a wall that would remove that view, the children look for ways to stop it. The threatened construction would affect both their connection to baseball and an important source of household income for families on the street.