THE SUPER SLUGGERS

The Rambletown Rounders are reigning champs in their baseball division and hope for a chance to repeat that success. Banjo H. Bishbash has developed the nickname “Walloper,” and every member of the team has his own as well, a conceit that might confuse newcomers to the series but that gradually becomes clear. Banjo has a penchant for puns, outrageous hyperbole and cornball commentary that brings old-time sports announcers to mind but is all his own. The premise explored in this outing is a ginormous amount of snow that has fallen during spring break and leaves no chance to practice without shoveling the field first. Having recently moved from Florida, new team member Orlando is not at all sure how to handle the icy snow, and his attempts to adapt reach chuckle-inducing proportions—and earn him his new moniker, to boot, in the season opener against the rival Haymakers. Over-the-top hilarity for a younger crowd. (Fiction. 8-12)