Baseball Crazy
Grade 4–8—These stories range from lighthearted to serious, with some focused more on character and family drama than sports action. Though the selections are brief, each one is characterized by a distinct perspective. In Jerry Spinelli's "The Great Gus Zernial and Me," an orphan is awestruck during his first visit to a big league ballgame. Frank Portman microscopically details the frantic internal monologue of a hapless outfielder in "Mark Pang and the Impossible Square." Ron Koertge's two-person play, "Riding the Pine," is compelling, while Sue Corbett's "Fall Ball" and John H. Ritter's "Baseball Crazy" delightfully blend sports action and insight. The collection includes both well-known writers (such as Joseph Bruchac) and lesser-known names (including Paul Acampora and David Rice); teachers and librarians can use these excellent stories as a lead-in to the authors' longer works. This enjoyable collection should appeal to a wide audience, including reluctant readers, and could also be an excellent read-aloud.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.