REBOUND CAPER

by Thomas Dygard ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 1983

Gary Whipple, clown of the Madison High basketball squad, reacts to being benched (for one too many stunts) by joining the girls' team: a juicy situation that Dygard makes the most of, sports- and politics-wise, until the rah-rah, return-to-normalcy wrap-up. First off, Gary is rattled by how good some of the girls are (""Rita is quick. Frances is strong""): suppose the opposing girl players make him look bad too? Then his father, no stick-in-the-mud, is unenthusiastic; his girl, who usually appreciates his gags, freezes up. The ""caper of the century"" is getting a very mixed reception; and why did cool, competent Monica Conway, the girls' coach and a proclaimed feminist, accept him? In rebuttal, other girls' teams field boys. Initially, stars Rita and Frances collapse; but the last rime, facing rive boys, they lose out only to the boys' ""natural advantages"" (and outplay them on the way). Meanwhile, the boys' team has faltered for lack of Gary's special skills. The girls don't need him--Monica Conway's point; the boys do. So it's back-to-normal time, after persuading Frances not to switch either (and vowing to himself no more stunts). The situation's a little too tidied up; but the strategy of boy-girl play, in particular, makes for some unusual and suspenseful court moments.

Pub Date: March 15, 1983

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1983

Categories: FICTION