From Parents' Choice®
Sisters Allie and Molly both play softball. Allie is a star pitcher, and Molly is jealous until she's asked to play catcher on her sister's team. Kathy Mackel's first novel is well-crafted and full of emotion. A good sports stories for girls. RECOMMENDED.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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
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