A Season of Comebacks (Hardcover)

by Kathy Mackel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Gr. 4^-7. Ten-year-old shortstop Molly Burrows can't stand her older sister, Allie, the best fast-pitch softball pitcher in the state. As if all the media attention Allie gets weren't bad enough, Dad, also Allie's coach, seems to be singularly devoted to his star daughter's career. Both girls are convincingly cruel to each another, but when a series of disasters strikes the team, Molly reaches out to her depressed sister. Eventually, both girls confront Dad about their turmoil: Molly about her feelings of being unloved; Allie about the intense pressure she faces. Although the jargon-filled play-by play scenes may be too much for all but the most devoted fans, it's nice to see girls depicted with a passion for sports usually reserved for boys. This first novel sometimes tries to cover too much ground; however, it has good style, snappy dialogue, and strong scenes built around imaginative play. Julie Corsaro

From Kirkus Reviews
Mackel's first novel has the killing pace and gritty sports realism certain to snag readers well beyond the target audience of fast-pitch softball enthusiasts and other sports-mad readers. Molly, 10, tells the story of the year when her older sister Allie, the best fast-pitch softball pitcher in California, is expected to take her team, the Blazers, to the nationals. With her father devoting all of his time to coaching Allie's team, Molly feels left out. When she is drafted for the Blazers, Molly unexpectedly feels even worse. In a tale with myriad surprising twists and no outright scoundrels, Molly's obsessed father gets some well-deserved comeuppances, but recognizes his own folly in time to make things right. Utterly engrossing from the first page, this novel offers exacting insights on and off the field, where family dynamics, Molly's friendship with an understanding and supportive boy, and scenes of imaginative play all carry the ring of emotional truth. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 116 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (April 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399230262
• ISBN-13: 978-0399230264
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,179,463 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story with a message about true victory, June 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Season of Comebacks (Paperback)

My two daughters, age 10 and 11, and I read this book together during our own softball season. We couldn't wait for the next chapter to tell us what happened to Allie and Molly and their respective softball teams. The message about what it takes to be the best-at softball, at being a sister, at being a friend, at being Dad and coach-were excellent. We highly recommend this book and have given it to friends. A must-read for young female athletes!!!Lori

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, did this book jazz our 10 year old softball player!, June 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Season of Comebacks (Paperback)

I purchased this book based on Amazon's recommended readings and readers' book reviews. I didn't expect it to be such a hit, but our 10 year old daughter couldn't stop reading it, talking about it, and reading parts to me. Like Molly, she's lived in the shadow of her siblings attletic prowess, and is only now coming into her own. There are far too few engaging books about girls and athletics out there, but this one is certainly at the top of the list. At my daughter's urging, I read it, and (like her) couldn't put it down. This book deals with all the issues in kids sports -- overpowering parental interest, the effects of a star athlete on the rest of the family, the emotions of competition, and--most importantly--how kids just want to play sports for fun and have fun playing. Highly recommended by two generations in out family!

3.0 out of 5 stars This book is not the greatest book i have read!!!!!!, December 14, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Season of Comebacks (Paperback)

This book is about a ten-year old girl named molly and her sister who is twelve-years old her name is Allison..Molly doesnt like her sister because she says that she is the center of the world,because she was on the best softball team around CA.and also because she was the fastest and the best pitcher.and all of the girls wanted to be just like her.Molly got mad because her dad is the coach and wont let her play because she is only 10 years old...She says that life is not right because of her sister...Well if you would like to know more about the book you will have to just read it...but like i said it's not the best book ever!!!!!!!