A smiley-face sports mystery in which three Little Leaguers band together to find out who's stealing their equipment—and finally catch Nong Den, their own leadoff hitter, using the missing supplies to teach baseball to the younger Cambodians in his run- down neighborhood. With the championship game coming up, the Sluggers persuade the league commissioner not to suspend Nong Den and—charged with community spirit—organize a used-equipment drive. The happy children are outfitted with their wealthier neighbors' castoffs; a previously menacing Cambodian street gang appears with garden tools to clear off a field; and the Sluggers' Club carries their team to victory. Walker mixes his cast well (there's even a girl on the team) and, in traditional fashion, blends moral and social issues—albeit on a very superficial level- -with the sports action. Still, the bland, everyone's-a-winner plot is bound to weaken reader response. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-15-276163-2
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though set in an English country village, this is no tale of pastoral beauty. The Depression has dispersed Mary's family: While her miner father is looking for work and sister Phyl is a kitchen maid at a distant manor, Mary and her mother are home with two younger children. Until she turns 12 and can get part time work, Mary's only hope for earning money is in racing her father's pigeons, including the promising Speedwell. Worn down by poverty and dreams gone awry, her practical mother is scornful of the sport; when food runs out and she cooks up three pigeons, Mary runs away. Turnbull's story demands that readers infer the details of pigeon racing, but rewards them with the subtle revelation of Mary's courage and determination. Her family's struggles become bitterly apparent with each new initiative, while Mary's simple, childish dreams of prizes and the resolution of her worries about her mother's lack of affection unleash the novel's optimism. The ending is not entirely upbeat, but it's gratifying and realistic. A striking jacket by Reg Cartwright will grab readers from the start. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1992
ISBN: 1-56402-112-2
Page Count: 119
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1992
A superficial look at the cultures of various regional groups in both Americas. A typical entry includes three paragraphs on the Incas, a map, and three small, dark photos of ruins and an Inca girl today. Many of the archival and museum diorama photos are muddy, small, marginally related to the text, and poorly captioned. There are no entries for pottery or basketry, though both were important to many of the cultures here. The arrangement also makes it difficult to compare the cultures of various tribes; the visual material is extensive, but unexceptional. The brief index has no entry for ``kayak,'' ``umiak,'' and ``bullboat,'' all described in the text and listed in the glossary. Disappointing. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1992
ISBN: 0-528-83494-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1992
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
