Rick Kotani's 400 Million Dollar Summer:

by Waka T. Brown

Oregon Book Award–winning author Waka T. Brown hits a home run in this middle grade novel about a baseball-obsessed twelve-year-old who moves to Oregon to help his grandfather—an elusive old man with a shrouded past—but ends up learning unexpected truths about his family and how they mysteriously parallel the Japanese folktale of the Urashima Taro.

Rick Kotani is looking forward to spending the entire summer playing baseball. Sure, his team never wins, but he's been practicing a special pitch he knows is going to land him a 400-million-dollar major league contract…someday. That all changes when his mother throws a curveball of her own: Instead of playing ball in California, Rick will be heading to Oregon to help keep an eye on Grandpa Hiroshi while they move him to a retirement home. Trading no-hitters to be a babysitter? Rick is beyond bummed.

But once there, Rick discovers Grandpa is actually pretty cool, and the two bond over a Japanese folktale about a fisherman, Urashima Taro, who trades his life on earth for the riches of an underwater kingdom. And like the fisherman, Rick soon forgets about his team back home when he joins a super-competitive local league that only cares about being the best—at any cost.

As the team racks up the wins and Grandpa makes his final move, Rick must decide which ending he wants for his story: Will he fall in line with his ruthless teammates and their victory-obsessed coach in his own "underwater kingdom," or will family, true friendship, and integrity lead him back to shore?

Genres: Sports, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Family, Magical Realism, Baseball, Childrens

272 pages, Hardcover

Published February 18, 2025

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the page count was a little too heavy on the adult issues in this middle grade novel, though one of the threads I did especially appreciate is the way adults often don't look out for kids' health in youth sports, and Rick's child perspective was completely believable, if heartbreaking. It didn't all come together entirely for me in the end, even if I would have gladly read a whole book with Toni as the main character.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

While Rick isn't going to get a $400 million dollar contract like one of his favorite players just turned down, he does enjoy playing baseball. He's all set for his summer when his mother, an often out-of-work actress, in their new apartment, getting used to the fact that his parents are separated. When his mother gets a call from her father's neighbor that he needs some help, Rick and Annie are soon traveling 15 hours from Los Angeles to the Oregon coast to be with Grandpa Hiroshi. While things aren't horrible, the house needs a lot of work, and it's apparent that being alone is putting the grandfather in danger. Rick hasn't seen his grandfather for a number of years, and enjoys spending time with him, even though his grandfather is determined to "read" him a book in Japanese about Urashima Taro, where the stories seem suspiciously close to the grandfather's life. Since he can't play video games, Rick wanders outside, and comes across some boys who are throwing rocks at wildlife. Ducking out of the way to avoid being noticed, he runs into Toni, whose brother Henry is one of the jerks, along with Pete, Joey, and Michael. Toni invites him to play wiffle ball with her, and she tells him that throwing his curveball is a bad idea because it could mess up his arm. The boys invite Rick to come play with their baseball team, since one of their players, Rich Garcia, is off at a fancy baseball camp. Even though Toni is a great player, she's not on the team, but umpires instead. Rick has taken one of the turtles the boys were bothering back home, and his grandfather seems to enjoy having a pet of sorts. The grandfather is much less thrilled about visiting the Chateau at Sandy Shores, which is a rather rundown senior facility. Pacific Woods Senior Living, however, reminds him of the college where he taught. The mother pushes the cleaning out and repairing of the house into high gear, planning on putting it on the market August 1. Meanwhile, Rick is playing with the Warriors and their unpleasant Coach Putnam, who is letting Rick play even though the roster has already been submitted, just pretending he is Rich. Through the grandfather's Urashima Taro stories, Rick finds out some family secrets that explain why his mother is not close to his grandfather, and some amends are made. When the Warriors go to the state championship, the coach has Rick pitch way too much, and he injures his arm. Toni is the only one to check on him. When the grandfather sells his house to a family of teachers for below the asking price, he doesn't have the money to go to Pacific Woods, but makes his peace with the Chateau. Back home in Los Angeles, Rick gets a note from Toni telling him that he can change his game... and includes a bunch of supplies he can use to umpire.
Strengths: Since I always secretly wanted to spend the entire summer on my grandmother's dairy farm, cleaning out the barns with my cousins, I am a sucker for any book where the main character gets to stay with a grandparent. Rick's grandfather is still lucid, reasonably amenable to going into assisted living, and willing to engage with Rick. The family secrets aren't dark, but show how sometimes families struggle with difficult issues and handle them in ways that aren't ideal. Rick does get to play baseball, and like many middle school students, thinks that if he just plays well enough, he too can someday get a 400 millions dollar contract. I love that Toni shows him that there are other ways to approach that sort of dream. There's a great sense of place with this one as well, and the vicarious fourth of July celebration was very fun!
Weaknesses: I was uncomfortable with Coach Putnam, especially when he broke the rules by playing Rick. The Warriors should have been disqualified and not won the championship. His bad coaching was never addressed, but there were a lot of other things going on. Toni was treated horribly by her family, and that wasn't addressed, either.
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who enjoy books about visiting grandparents for the summer (McDunn's Caterpillar Summer, Greenburg's Battle of Junk Mountain, St. Antoine's Three Bird Summer, Matson's Firefly Summer, Sternberg's Summer of Stolen Secrets), or who just want to go back to summer vacation and play baseball!

[Melissa Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waka T. Brown does it again. Her stories have a beautiful way of intertwining all of the experiences and emotions of the modern-day life of a kid, with a connection to the cultural heritage of the protagonist. In Rick Kotani's 400 Million Dollar Summer, we meet our protagonist just as he and his mom are in the process of moving into a temporary apartment after his parents' breakup. The reason for the huge monetary amount being in the title is revealed in the first lines of the book. It's the amount a major league player turned down because of the team's reputation. It's amazing how early in the story Brown skillfully foreshadows a major theme of the novel. And like any baseball-playing kid, Rick dreams of earning that kind of fortune for himself--starting that very summer on a team in his hometown of Los Angeles. By the beginning of chapter 2 however, any plans Rick had for the summer go up in flames. His maternal grandpa needs some help, and they take off for Oregon to spend the summer with him.
There are so many aspects of this book that kids can relate to, including divorce/separation, grandparents, estrangement, friendship, and playing along with something--even when you know it's wrong. Rick makes some new friends and even gets to play on a baseball team over the summer after all. But the coach is dishonest and he's cheating by playing since he wasn't on the roster. He eventually gets injured due to the coach's "win at all cost" attitude. Unfortunately, this is also something many kids can relate to. Over the course of the story, we see Rick evolve and get to know his grandpa. We seem him come to some realizations about what's really important.
The pacing is brisk, the writing is tight and concise and the characters are well-developed. This book would make a nice addition to a 4-6 grade class.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic sports story where learning to love the game means a lot more than winning. Rick is all set to spend his summer playing baseball and being a champion when he and Mom need to move in with Grandpa to help his transition to a senior living complex. In addition to being away from home and his friends, Rick is navigating his parents splitting up and is worried for the future. Luckily he finds a new crew to play baseball with, but even with success, he's made to not feel good enough. It is through friendship and Grandpa sharing the folktale of Urashima Taro, with the message that we must not forget those we love, that Rick truly finds his purpose. Rick learns that lesson applies not only to his estranged father, but also the game of baseball and what it means to him beyond posting Ws. This book is full of Waka T. Brown's clear and compelling prose, beautiful mythology, and poignant family moments. And tons of fantastic sports writing that makes you feel like you're stealing 2nd base right there with Rick, hearing the crack of the bat, and bearing the brunt of an unfair coach's disappointment. It is also full of those freedoms found in summer that young readers love--skipping rocks, first pets, new friends, milkshakes, and fireworks. I think this is a book that should not only be in libraries, but also every 4th-6th grade classroom. It will be such a gift to kids who love sports and are looking to get into full length middle grade novels. Highly recommend!

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, and I'm not even a baseball fan. Yet there is so much more to this engaging middle grade novel than baseball! Twelve-year-old Rick Kotani's parents have recently separated, and he's now spending the summer with his mother and his aging grandfather, on the Oregon coast. He misses his dad and he misses his friends in Los Angeles.

Rick wants to be a major league pitcher someday. He subs in a summer league in this new town, meets other kids there, and makes a friend in Toni, the kind sister of a boy who, unfortunately, bullies others, including trying to hurt a large turtle on the beach. Rick takes the turtle home and Grandpa allows the turtle to stay as an unusual pet. Rick names him Mr. Flex.

Rick's mom is trying to convince Grandpa to move into a lifecare facility, and there are two visits to the two different facilities in town, one nicer than the other. But can Grandpa afford it? He assures his daughter he can. (These parts really hit home for me, having been through this with my own parents.)

In addition to these contemporary issues, there is some magical realism, which I love. Expertly woven throughout the novel are bits and pieces of a Japanese picture book that Grandpa reads aloud/translates to Rick in segments, and it soon becomes clear to Rick that Grandpa is talking about his own life, not the protagonist of the picture book.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old LA-native Rick is obsessed with baseball—he’s a pitcher on his 12U team—and dismayed to learn that he’s going to have to spend the summer in a small town on the Oregon coast. He and his mom need to help his grandfather sell his house and find an assisted living facility. Rick doesn’t know much about Grandpa, whose relationship with Rick’s mom is distant and strained, but he turns out to be pretty cool. He shares a special Japanese picture book with Rick, a folk tale about a man named Urashima Taro. But Rick is confused when Grandpa starts messing up the pronouns in the story, using “I” instead of “he,” putting himself in the place of the main character. Is this a sign of dementia, a language barrier, or something else?

Meanwhile, Rick meets a girl named Toni while out exploring the creek. While there, he rescues a turtle from Toni’s twin brother and his friends, who are tormenting it, and takes the turtle home with him to keep as a pet. (Surprisingly, his mom has no objection to taking a wild animal out of its natural habitat.) Rick learns that Toni loves baseball, too, but since she’s a girl she can’t play on her brother’s 13U team. But Rick can—sort of. A player named Rich Garcia had to leave for baseball camp, leaving the team (which already finalized its roster) without their star player. Desperate to win at any cost, the coach lets Rick join the team under Garcia’s name, using Garcia’s jersey.

At home, they sell Grandpa’s house and find him a new place to live, and Rick also learns more about Grandpa’s past. I had some trouble following the story of Grandpa’s past and his relationship with Rick’s mother. I know Grandpa had essentially abandoned his family to move back to Japan to help his parents out. Part of what made it confusing was that it was told in pieces over the course of the book; it was also mixed in with the Urashima Taro story, which Grandpa uses a sort of metaphor for his regrets. Overall, it's a bit jumbled and confusing. There’s also a magical realism element that (for me) didn't mesh well with the rest of the story. It's a small part of the story, though, and the baseball elements were really strong and engaging.

[Diana of Shelved by Strand · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this digital ARC based on the title and the promise of a sports novel -- always a request in my middle school classroom. However, this is much more a family relationships novel, with some friendships and a fairy tale thrown in. Rick and his mom are spending the summer on the Oregon coast to clean out Grandpa's house in preparation for a move to assisted living. Rick gets the chance to play on a local club baseball team, something he hopes will replace the club opportunities he's missing back home in California. His closest friend ends up being a teammate's sister (who is sometimes allowed to play), probably his best option as a lot of the team are spoiled brats. The coach isn't any better as Rick illegally plays in another player's spot on the roster, something that should have cost the team their playoff chances.

Rather than much baseball action, this story centers more in Rick getting to know his grandfather and his mother rebuilding her relationship with her father. Rick bonds with Grandpa over a fairy tale of an underwater kingdom that has many parallels to their own family history. It was a great family story and a story of finding integrity in friendships -- but it won't satisfy my readers looking for a story about 400 million dollars or an epic summer of baseball.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. All thoughts are my own.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Rick wants to do is spend his summer playing baseball with his friends. When his out of state grandpa started struggling to live on his own, Rick and his mom head out of town for the summer to help him out. A story about identity and family, Rick’s story is compelling and filled with so many great lessons especially after Rick finds out how transactional he is to the baseball coach in the town he’s only visiting. I really enjoyed learning more about Japanese culture and the way Brown wrapped a Japanese folktale into the story seamlessly. The drama between Rick’s grandpa and his daughter was at times intense, but Brown’s gifted storytelling kept it from overwhelming the book. I loved the idea of the past not dictating every action of the future and even if a lot of time had passed by, healing is still possible if you want it. This is Brown’s fourth book and now I have three more to add to my backlist tbr!

Thank you Harper Kids for the gifted copy.

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rick Kotani's summer is not off to a great start. Instead of playing baseball with his team in LA, he is stuck on the cold coast of Oregon helping his mother. He can't stay with his dad because his parents are separated and his dad is assigned overseas with the diplomatic corps. Rick's mother doesn't have the best relationship with her father, but answered a neighbor's call to come after he fell. Events seem to take a turn in Rick's favor when he discovers he can play in a summer league--the only catch is, he has to play as someone else who was on the roster but is away at camp. Rick, as an accomplished pitcher, is thrown into a world of money and high stakes sports where winning is the only reason for celebration. When Rick injures himself pitching in a championship game, he finds out what his new teammates think of his value. Meanwhile, Rick helps his mom and grandfather mend their relationship and discovers his true value through the traditional stories his grandfather tells him.

[Donna Metler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Rick’s plans for the summer are baseball, baseball, and more baseball. With a coach who actually wants to win and doesn’t play everyone, maybe even make regionals or state.

Then his mother throws a spanner in the works by taking him to spend the summer with his Grandfather, who has been struggling physically, and hopefully move him into assisted living.

Rick meets a new team, and, through his grandfather’s stories, learns more about his Japanese heritage…except…his grandfather’s life ALSO runs pretty close to said folk tales. His new team…doesn’t follow all the rules…things just aren’t quite what they seem…or are they?

This is an enjoyable book for those who enjoy baseball. Cross-generational stories, or folk tales. I think it will find its place in many school libraries and classrooms.

[LS Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the folktale portions of this story the best. Rick learns to love and bond with his grandfather through the folktale. Savvy readers will understand the meaning of the tale and it makes the overall story so meaningful. But anyone who knows about little league baseball will know that misrepresenting one player for another will cost you all the wins that team has when the "faked" player played. There were no consequences for this deception. Toni's character could have been so much more. Did she have to be a "victim" the entire story? I would love to see a second book that focuses on her because she was awesome.

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot going on in this book, but I loved how there is a gentleness to the main characters -- they are all going through difficult times (mostly to do with family) and while there are certainly many moments where they are regular humans, full of sorrow or spite, or just the need to leave a situation giving them discomfort, they also all manage to find ways to let their best selves shine through. It's a sad book in a lot of ways -- many things that can't be fixed, disappointments and disillusionments -- but I love that it also feels like life -- moving forward, finding forgiveness where you can, changing the game where you can. Rick is a really good kid, and Toni is stellar.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick just wants to play video games and baseball with his friends at home in LA but when his Mom gets a call that his grandfather needs help, he and his Mom end up in Oregon for the summer. Rick meets some neighborhood kids and learns they are down a player on their team. He ends up taking the place of Rich who has ditched the team for a special training camp and the kids and coach don’t seem to care that Rick is not officially registered or technically old enough for their team. Meanwhile, his grandfather and mother have a lot of issues to work out, least of which is selling his home and finding a place in an assisted living home.

[Deena Lipomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baseball player Rick spends the summer with his mom in Oregon to help move his estranged grandpa from his house to assisted living, meets new friends, gets his first pet, and learns about his family's past. Sports, family, and Rick's personal growth are all perfectly intertwined in this novel. The ending is a perfectly woven tear-jerker, with the final chapter being satisfying if not perfect. A great choice for middle schoolers seeking a summer vacation book with family and feeling.

[Waka Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read and review! I'm very proud of Rick Kotani's story, and it's one that I probably didn't have the skills to write a few years ago. With interwoven storylines, some magical realism, and my first boy protagonist, I had many stops and starts before finding my footing. I hope you all enjoy it!

[Sharon Pegram · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet summer story about baseball-- the dreams and realities and how they sometimes clash--and family life. Rick's summer visiting the grandfather he barely knows leads him to a deeper understanding of his family's history, values, and even himself. Note: I read an ARC of this novel.

[Maya Prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another poignant, layered, and thoroughly engaging middle grade novel from Waka T. Brown. In this novel, Rick spends the summer in Oregon, away from his friends back in LA, in order to help his aging grandfather sell his home and move into a retirement community. Facing the mortality of your grandparents is hard enough, but Rick is also caught in the tension between his mom and grandfather as they grapple with a painful past. Rick finds himself escaping to play as a sub on a local baseball team. The author skillfully weaves lessons about the perils of competition with a theme built around how we get to define ourselves and write our own endings. A dash of magical realism paves the way for a lovely, touching ending.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A baseball-obsessed kid moves to Oregon to help his grandfather—an elusive old man with a shrouded past—but ends up learning unexpected truths about his family and how they mysteriously parallel the Japanese folktale of Urashima Taro.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book starts when Rick Kotani's grandpa's neighbor calls Ricks mom and Rick and his mom goes to Oregon I think that would be super fun to go Oregon but cleaning someones house would be boring I think I could make friends like Rick if I where Rick I would have so fun being in Oregon.

[CYBILS Awards]

From Ms. Yingling: https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...

[Chari · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Loved the Japanese stories and how Ricks relationships grew with his grandpa and mom. Also liked that Rick had to deal with disappointment and change of plans/direction in life.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic and I can't wait to get it in the school library/recommend it.

[Anna Koukouli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family bonds and sports intertwine in this story full of heart. Brown's writing is so emotional and compassionate, it warmed my heart.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this bk abt Rick and mom going to OR to help grandpa move into a ret home. Rick makes friends and joins a local baseball league. #japanesefolktale

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for 4-6th grade book talks for SRP. Baseball, boys, family issues, a grandfather from Japan, folk tails and learning to be who you are.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baseball, the Oregon coast, Japanese folk tales and turtles. So sweet. And the narrator was just terrific!

[Joy Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great middle grade story with an even better ending! The ending was so satisfying. Loved it!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/3.6 stars

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow for me, but I think it would be great for the target audience.