ULTIMATE SPORTS: SHORT STORIES B

A superb collection of sixteen original sports stories for young adult readers features works by respected authors, such as Robert Lipsyte and Chris Crutcher, writing about a wide variety of sports, including basketball, the triathalon, and "future" sports.

Grade 8 Up?An anthology of original stories by top YA authors. Some of the selections are straightforward sports stories, such as Thomas Dygard's account of a high school football lineman who finally gets to carry the ball and finds it a scarier experience than he imagined. Contributions by some of the other writers are more exotic. For example, Robert Lipsyte's "The Defender" features an intergalactic game. Many of the stories use sports as a springboard for an exploration of other themes, such as Virginia Euwer Wolff's account of a snorkling and diving trip to the Caribbean, told from the perspective of each of the high school students who participated. And David Klass offers an account of a young man who discovers that his pretty and intelligent mixed-doubles partner belongs to a weird cult. In all, there is a terrific mix of the serious and the lighthearted, female and male characters, and traditional and nontraditional games. A winning collection.?Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 7^-12. Gallo's most recent compilation of short stories follows the pattern of his previous books--stories by popular YA authors collected under a unifying theme. Authors contributing to this collection of 16 fine short stories with sports settings or themes include Chris Crutcher, T. Ernesto Bethancourt, Carl Deuker, Norma Fox Mazer, Harry Mazer, Tessa Duder, Chris Lynch, and Virginia Euwer Wolff. Gallo has anthologized stories with characters from a variety of ethnic heritages, with varying cognitive and physical ability levels, and with both male and female protagonists. Although the book will strongly appeal to readers of sports fiction, librarians who booktalk Ultimate Sports may secure it a wider audience. The anthology can also be an excellent means of introducing reluctant readers to the novels of these popular and critically acclaimed YA authors. Merri Monks