Follow the Ball

"Follow the Ball" by Ralph Henry Barbour is a story set at Holman's School, that follows the journey of Joe Kenton, a skilled baseball player, as he deals with tough choices about friendship, competition, and what it means to work together. Friendship, doing what's right even when it's hard, and a love for sports are big ideas in the book, all shown through what Joe and his friends experience as they grow up. At the start of the story, Joe is thinking about the past year and his complicated friendship with his roommate, Hal Norwin. As the school year is ending, Joe feels like he could have done better in his classes and made more friends, especially with Hal. Everything changes when Hal secretly enters their dorm and gets caught. Joe steps up and takes the blame so that Hal can play in a crucial baseball game. This act of kindness is a turning point in their relationship and hints at the struggles they will have to overcome later on.