Characters
Who is the main character of Keeping Score?
Maggie
Where does Maggie live (City and State)?
Brooklyn, NY
What’s the name of the Dodgers’ home stadium? (
Ebbet's Field
One theme is friendship. Name 3 people/groups who show Maggie the most consistent friendship?
Her family / her neighborhood friends / Jim early on.
“It was like keeping score made her part of the game.” What does this reveal about Maggie?
She feels connected and important through baseball.
What’s Maggie’s nickname, especially related to her love of baseball?
Magie
What baseball team does Maggie love?
The Brooklyn Dodgers
What skill does Jim teach Maggie that becomes very important to her?
Keeping score at baseball games
What lesson does Maggie learn about trying to “fix” people’s problems?
She learns she can’t fix everything, but she can still care
When Jim tells Maggie, “You’re a real fan,” why is this so special to her?
Because it means he recognizes her passion and knowledge of baseball.
Who is the friend Maggie learns about scorekeeping from?
Jim
What big event happens to Jim that changes him forever?
He goes to fight in the Korean War.
What does Maggie believe about keeping score—that it can somehow…?
Help the Dodgers win or change outcomes.
How does the novel show the effects of war on soldiers?
Through Jim’s silence and struggles after coming home.
Maggie’s dad says, “Sometimes all you can do is be there.” How does this connect to Maggie’s relationship with Jim?
She can’t solve his problems, but she can show up and care.
What does Maggie’s dad do for a living?
Firefighter
How does Maggie feel when Jim doesn’t answer her letters?
Hurt, confused, rejected.
Who is Jackie Robinson, and why is he important to Maggie’s world?
First African American Major League player; Maggie admires him and he symbolizes hope.
Why is hope an important theme in the book: who does it help and how? What are two things Maggie hopes in?
It helps Maggie through hard times and reflects her belief in the Dodgers and in Jim.
How does the author use Maggie’s growing up to reflect bigger life lessons: what are 3 things Maggie learns?
Maggie learns about responsibility, disappointment, and hope, like adults do in real life.
Maggie tries to help Jim after he comes home from war. Name 3 ways she tries to connect with him?
visiting him, writing letters, and sharing baseball scorekeeping.
How does Maggie show growth by the end of the novel?
She learns that she cannot fix everything, but she can keep caring and showing love.
How does Maggie’s love of baseball help her cope with challenges in her life?
It gives her focus, hope, and a way to connect with others, like Jim.
Compare Maggie’s scorekeeping to her way of coping with life
She wants order and control in baseball, like she wants in life, but she learns life can’t always be controlled.
Why do you think Linda Sue Park used baseball as the backdrop for this story instead of another hobby?
Baseball was central to Brooklyn culture at the time and symbolizes community, hope, and life’s unpredictability.