Eddie's Ordeal (Neate)
Gr. 5-8. Eddie, 13, is thrilled to make the school basketball team, but when his grades slip, his dad is furious and makes Eddie quit the team. Tension builds until father and son are barely speaking. But why is Dad so angry? Is he hiding a secret from his past? The fourth book in the series about five friends who hang out together focuses mostly on Eddie, though there is also a lively subplot about Liz, who bonds with the cool new girl, Jasmine, and then becomes jealous of Jasmine's success. The therapeutic stuff is occasionally overdone ("I hear you, and I understand"), but there's plenty of building tension as Dad's secret is revealed and Liz competes with Jasmine in the talent show. The talk is casual and contemporary, and readers will like the family drama as well as the warmth among friends and the realistic view of failure and success.Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved