Slump

Debut author Jarzyana's novel is glibly narrated by 13-year-old jock Mitchie, who is stuck in a slump. One by one, he alienates his best friend, family, teachers and former soccer coach with his bull-headedness and his inappropriate and ill-timed sense of humor. With his penchant for hurting and insulting people, Mitchie makes a convincing jerk; readers may have trouble understanding why even the good-natured principal gives Mitchie the benefit of a doubt. Most of the relationships between Mitchie and others seem insubstantial, including that with Mitchie's perfect older brother and varsity captain, Chuck. The older sibling seems strangely absent from the novel, even though he is in part the catalyst for Mitchie's slump. The most memorable of the crew is Mitchie's lifelong neighbor and onetime pal, Annie, who orders the protagonist to shape up. A flashback of a touch football game the boy plays with his brother and father, more than halfway through the novel, offers a somewhat larger perspective on Mitchie's character and family dynamics, but not enough to make his about-face at the novel's end believable. Ages 8-12. (Aug.)