Baseball Turnaround

August 1, 1997
Gr 4-7-After Sandy Comstock goes to juvenile court for some minor offenses, his understanding probation officer lines him up for community-service work as an assistant coach for a Police Athletic League team. This is just the ticket for Sandy, who loves baseball and believes himself to be an excellent center fielder. However, he is humiliated when news of his crime reaches his teammates. Fortunately, his family is moving to a new town and he has a chance to start again. Unfortunately, Sandy is so preoccupied with the fear that his new teammates will discover his secret that he fails to make friends. It's only after he learns to relax and be honest that he's accepted by his team, and his skills on the field can be appreciated. Despite the obvious message, this novel is not so heavy-handed that it gets in the way of the story. The action moves along at a good clip with plenty of stuff about baseball to balance out the accounts of Sandy's inner turmoil. The writing is always clear and the descriptions are accurate. This is a good, serviceable story for kids who enjoy sports fiction.-Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL