Danilo Was Here
by Tamika Burgess
Intermediate, Middle School    Harper/HarperCollins    304 pp.
1/25    9780063159662    $19.99
e-book ed.  9780063159686    $8.99

In this fast-paced historical novel, Danilo is a Black Panamanian living in a neighborhood destroyed by the United States’ invasion of Panama in 1989. Since the first night of the attack, life has become more and more difficult for him and his family. Papá left them prior to the military action in search of better opportunities in the States, but lately he hasn’t been calling or sending money home. As a former baseball player, Papá introduced Danilo to the game and nurtured his considerable talent, but in his absence, Danilo decides to stop playing. But then, ironically, Danilo’s skill as a baseball player provides him with the chance to reconnect with his father by playing and training in California for a few months. Ultimately, he must decide if he wants to follow in his dad’s footsteps to become a baseball player or pursue a different dream. Burgess has created a sympathetic character in Danilo, a kind, hardworking boy who has PTSD and copes with microaggressions and stereotyping in the U.S. The scenes involving baseball are particularly well written and feel authentic. This novel may hold special appeal for baseball fans, but one needn’t be an aficionado to enjoy the story.

From the March/April 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.