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THE SECOND BASE CLUB by Greg Trine

THE SECOND BASE CLUB

by Greg Trine

Pub Date: Oct. 26th, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8050-8967-7
Publisher: Henry Holt

Full of gauche guy humor, this coming-of-age tale about a 16-year-old boy’s attempts to get to second base (with a girl) takes a while to get going, but once all the plot elements come together, it becomes warm and winning. Elroy isn’t exactly sure what second base is, but he knows that he wants to get there. In his quest to answer that ancient question—what do girls want?—Elroy tries wrestling, creating a band and (gasp!) talking to them. Although his efforts have a tendency to misfire, his hard work pays off in other ways, causing him to grow and develop both physically and emotionally. So when his mettle is tested—a group of jocks actually have a second-base club that involves an unsavory secret—Elroy is ready. It’s hard to buy that the news of the club hasn’t leaked, and the ending feels a tad rushed, but by then the reader is so squarely in Elroy’s corner that it really doesn’t matter. (Fiction. 14 & up)