fleeceball

In reading we have been working on what to do when you get to a word you can't read or don't know what it means. I had a small group with me when this conversation happened:

Kid 1: Ms. Ewing, I tried all my strategies, but I don't know what a fleeceball is. What is it?

Me: Well let's look at the words before and after the word to see if we can figure it out. (we read for a bit together) I think it's a made up word. I know this author makes up words sometimes, so what do you think this made up word means?

Kid 2: It's not a made up word Ms. Ewing. My brother called me a fleeceball one time. It's real.

Kid 1: No, I don't think you're right either. I think it's inside baseball. Yeah. Ms. Ewing, I'm going to write that. I think that's what fleeceball is. It's a real word. See?