Wunderli (Blue Between the Clouds, 1992) turns on the afterburners in this wild tale of a mediocre junior high football team whose players propel themselves into the championship, fueled by anger, grief, and desire. With only two wins—and those were flukes—in the last couple of years, Wing, Sparky, Taco Bell, and the rest of the Olympus Titans have built a solid losing tradition, but the addition of a new coach and a crazed middle linebacker (dubbed ``Spray Can'' for his lisp) changes the chemistry drastically. Everyone suddenly discovers something to prove—particularly Wing, the narrator, who is watching with fury his once robust father die of cancer. A string of exciting victories ensues, capped by a glorious championship game and an equally glorious food fight. With its belching contests and other vulgar behavior, broadly drawn characters, and a hilarious, disgusting pregame ritual, this is not a story for delicate sensibilities, but Wing's relationship with his father is thoughtfully handled, as is the way he comes to terms with his rage and grief. It's predictable, TV-movie fodder, but unusually vivid, thanks to some strong emotions and plenty of action. (Fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: June 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8050-4713-1
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1996
A book with a mission—its purpose, in some people's minds, could not be more timely nor more necessary. Like former Secretary of Education Bennett's Book of Virtues (1993) for adults, this is a collection of short stories, poems, fables, and excerpts organized into ten chapters: Self-Discipline, Compassion, Responsibility, Friendship, Work, Courage, Perseverance, Honesty, Loyalty, and Faith. Each begins with a brief essay; these are sharp and to the point. Most of the entries, from a wide variety of cultures and eras, have a sentence or two of nonprovincial context to make the link to the featured virtue. The selections are compelling and appropriate, by contributors ranging from the well known to the obscure. This is not a book to hand to children to read through by themselves, but for sharing in short spans with a thoughtful adult. Along with other readings, from the concurrent to the adverse, it could serve as a basis for an ongoing series of discussions among families or in classrooms. The virtues espoused, assumed to be objective categories rooted in common sense and in universal moral imperatives, are as perennial as the grass, and even if they have become buzzwords in today's political climate, the book is not just for the ethically challenged. (Anthology. 11-13)
Pub Date: May 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-382-24923-2
Page Count: 384
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1995
Wallace flattens the sophomore jinx in this taut, present-tense tale of an underdog high-school soccer team battling internal dissension, set in the same Pennsylvania town as his strong debut, Wrestling Sturbridge (1996). Friends and soccer nuts since grade school, Barry and Joey bring new life to a team that was 2-11-1 last year, but their relationship is undergoing a power shift. Joey's need to dominate is getting on Barry's nerves, on the field—where his reluctance to pass the ball is costing games—and off: He cuts in on Barry's pursuit of Shannon, a luscious schoolmate. The more the buddies drift apart, though, the harder Joey plays, and through a series of exciting games he takes the team to a climactic try at the local league championship. Meanwhile, Barry arranges to be alone with Shannon at a party, and Joey retaliates by getting him fired from the inn where they both work. The friends' rift is healed by an exchange of knuckles and twin attacks of common sense. Wallace's teenage characters—all involved in athletics—are drawn from life and mostly likable; adults stay in the background, but Barry enjoys an unusually close relationship with his savvy college-age brother, Tommy, a font of good advice. Thanks in part to occasional descriptive asides, Sturbridge takes on a distinctive character, too: It's a small, ethnically diverse, sports-focused town, limited in its opportunities but not as confining as it seemed in the previous book. Engrossing fare. (Fiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-679-88670-2
Page Count: 158
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1997
© Copyright 2024 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.
bookshelf
