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Gr 8 Up—A feel-good novel about baseball, pick-up trucks, and barbeque, with plenty of teen drama. When Marisa Marlowe moves to Lewis Creek, SC, from Maryland just as baseball season begins, star pitcher Austin and the rest of the people in town effect her transformation into a real Southern belle. Marisa gets a job in the flower shop that is owned by Austin's mother and Austin can't help falling for her even though she suffers from life-threatening bouts of depression. As the teens become closer, Austin begins to understand some of the reasons that his own father committed suicide and starts the process of forgiving him. Then there's Jay and Brett, also excellent ball players on the Lewis Creek team, who are dealing with their own relationship and all of the issues that go along with coming out. Dialogue and some mild swear words lend to the authenticity of the teen voices.