The Saturday Secret - Softcover

Rinn, Miriam

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1881283267 ISBN 13: 9781881283263

Publisher: Alef Design Group, 1999

Synopsis

Frustrated and angry over his new stepfather's strictness about Jewish traditions, such as being kosher at home and observing the Shabbat, twelve-year-old Jason fights for the right to play baseball on Saturdays

About this title

About the Author

Miriam Rinn was born in Warsaw, Poland, and immigrated to the United States when she was ten years old. She has always been an avid reader and, as a child, dreamed of working in publishing. In her current position as an Editor for the School and Library Division of Troll Communications, she develops instructional programs in reading, language arts and social studies for elementary and middle school classrooms using trade books. Rinn has contributed stories and articles to many publications, including the New York Times, Women's Circle, the Christian Science Monitor and Highlights for Children. Her writing honors include a New Jersey Press Club Award, a Society of Professional Journalists Award and the Rockower Award from the American Jewish Press Association. Rinn is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and is a regular book reviewer for Publisher's Weekly. She lives in Westwood, NJ with her two children.

Reviews

Grade 4-6?The plot's the thing in this fast-moving story in which the primary conflict is between 12-year-old Jason and his stepfather, who is an observant Jew. The confrontation comes over Jason's desire to play baseball on Saturday afternoons. The boy's deceptions take a toll but eventually lead to the beginning of a mutual understanding between him and his stepfather. Subplots consist of a bully of a baseball coach and his treatment of the team's only female player and incidents involving Jason's best friend, who is African American. Because the character development is thin, more issues are raised than the novel can adequately handle. Jason, for example, is said to be the class cutup, but no evidence is given for this assertion. Still, Saturday Secret is painless reading and raises issues that teachers could use for discussion.?Amy Kellman, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 4^-7. Far from the heavy didacticism of much religious fiction, this moving first novel leaves you thinking that "sometimes knowing what's right can be very hard." The religious message grows out of action and character. Jason hates the restrictions his devout stepfather, David, imposes on the family: Why must they eat only kosher food? Why must Jason wear a yarmulke (he takes it off the minute he leaves home). Worst of all, why can't he play on the baseball team on Saturday afternoons? (Jason lies about where he is and secretly joins the game.) Of course, part of the family tension is not about religion but about a son's grief for his dead father and resentment of the replacement. Jason's reluctant bond with David grows when David roots for him against a bullying coach and when David defends Jason's black friend in a public racial confrontation. What makes the story convincing is that there is real anger. Jason lies, but David is far from perfect, as he admits after losing his temper and yelling at Jason (He apologizes, saying, "The Talmud tells us that insulting someone or calling them names is like killing them.") The ending, when he shows and tells of his love for Jason, is a tearjerker and makes us know that "following the rules in the Torah is not a substitute for doing the right thing." Middle readers will love the baseball, the friendship story, and, above all, the father-son moral conflict and love. The book's last line is a perfect climax. Hazel Rochman

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"It's over, thank goodness," Corsello called out. "Come on in." Jason wiped the sweat off his upper lip and walked slowly toward the bench where the coach sat scowling. Jason knew what was coming. The team had played miserably during the practice game, and it was the last one before the regular season began. The final score was 12 to 2.When the outfielders had loped over, Corsello began. "There's only one player here who has a reason to play like a girl. What's the rest of your excuses?" No one said anything, and the silence seemed to stretch out forever. Jason could dimly hear the other team laughing in the background. "If you want to beat Larry's on Saturday, play like you mean it, not like this... this joke that I watched today! You guys looked pitiful."

Jason stole a look at Michelle. She was chewing on her bottom lip and blinking her eyes rapidly. Although Corsello had gone on a rampage against everyone as the score widened, he seemed to single her out. The more he yelled at her, the more mistakes she made. She'd missed a tag at first base, then made a couple of other errors in the outfield, where he'd sent her. On top of that, she'd struck out two of her three times at bat. Jason knew she was a better player than that, but Corsello's constant criticism seemed to be rattling her.

"Miss Appelbaum," Corsello sneered, "I hope actually catching some balls on Saturday won't ruin your manicure. The rest of you, be here a half hour before the game starts; that's two-thirty. I don't want any last minute calls that you have to go to the orthodontist, or it's your great-aunt's birthday, or any of that baloney. Just be here, and be ready to play."

Michelle bolted as soon as Corsello stopped talking, and although Jason called to her, she ran straight to her mother's waiting car without turning around. Jason watched as Mrs. Appelbaum gathered Michelle into her arms; then he quickly looked away, feeling embarrassed. After helping to put away the equipment, Jason picked up his mitt and fell into step next to Wayne. "Wow, that guy is mean. Did you hear what he said to Michelle?" Wayne asked.

"You mean when she just watched that ball sail over her head?"

"Yeah. 'What are you doing out there? Planning what to serve at your next slumber party?'

That's cold."

Jason was silent. Corsello hadn't bothered him much, but he could imagine what the coach would say if he told him he couldn't play on Saturdays. Jason shuddered involuntarily, remembering Michelle sobbing in her mother's arms. Being on Corsello's bad side was no fun, he was sure.

"I'll give you this hot rookie for your Nolan Ryan," Jason pleaded later that afternoon, sprawled out on Wayne's bed. Baseball cards covered the bed and half the floor of the third-floor bedroom. Both of Wayne's parents were working at Dr. Duggins's dental practice in the Bronx, so the boys had the large house to themselves.

"You want that old man?" Wayne scoffed gently. He knew Ryan was Jason's favorite player, and he enjoyed teasing him. "I'll give him to you, but I want that Dodger rookie too." Although he'd lived his whole life in New Jersey, Wayne was a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, to Jason's astonishment. He said it was a Duggins family tradition, from when his father lived in Brooklyn.

"You can have both of them. I don't care about the Dodgers."

"All right!"

"Wayne, I'm going to be in big trouble soon," Jason said suddenly, putting his new cards in his loose-leaf binder.

"Why? Did you forget to wear your little cap?" Wayne guffawed at his own joke.

"That's not it. David doesn't want me to play on Saturdays because it's the Sabbath and stuff, but if I don't show up for the first game, Corsello will burn my butt. I don't care what David says anyway, I want to play, but I don't know how to get there in my uniform and stuff."

Wayne became silent and thoughtful. "You're going to play even though your father doesn't want you to?" he asked after a minute.

"He's not my father! Stop calling him that." Jason slapped the binder shut. "He can't tell me what I can and can't do. I just don't want to get my mom all upset, so I don't want them to know."

"So how you going to sneak out of the house with your mitt and all?"

"Well, I thought I could bring it over here tomorrow, and then I could just come over and change right before the game."

"I guess you could. My folks wouldn't notice. They hardly ever come up here."

Edition details

• Publisher: Alef Design Group
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1881283267
• ISBN 13: 9781881283263
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 150