YOUNG READERS BASKETBALL STORIES; YOUNG READERS STORIES OF THE DIAMOND

Although we still approve of Mr. Coombs' formula -- sports action with the swaggering masculine dialogue junior high boys like to use in emulating their older brothers -- at this point we could do with some variety of story. More humor, a few monkeyshines would be welcome in the unrelieved series of yarns about young men faced with moral problems involving friendship conflicting with team rivalry; team spirit and personal glory; unselfish devotion to the team without reward. Our heroes usually resolve these problems while dribbling down the court or catching a tough one in center, and the story ends with much slapping of wet backs and tousling of hair. Seems as if there were an overdose of nobility here, tending to get in the way of the story and unfortunately in the way of sports action. Let us hope Mr. Coombs decides to relax a bit in the next collections of stories in this series, since this story group does fill a niche for leisure reading in the junior high group which has some antipathy to the printed page.