cover image Catch Shorty by Rosie

Catch Shorty by Rosie

Maureen Holohan. Broadway Ballplayers, $6.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-9659091-6-7

This installment of the Broadway Ballplayers series chronicles yet another athletic pursuit of a group of sixth-grade girls, who in previous tales played baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey and volleyball. Holohan stretches her concept to the breaking point in this plodding story, which kicks off with the friends' formation of a girls' football league. The narrator is Rosie Jones, whose diminutive stature has earned her the nickname Shorty. Aside from recounting the rather anticlimactic on-field play, she shares her anguish about the prospect of a new job for her father (which would necessitate a move from her beloved neighborhood) and about her older brother spending so much time with his girlfriend. The novel suffers from rambling dialogue, irrelevant details (""My father had a mouthful of mashed potatoes when we walked in the door. He finished chewing, swallowed and wiped his mouth"") and poor grammar (""One by one, my family assisted me up on my feet""). Though a series about girl athletes has potential appeal, this seriously flawed caper is an easy pass. Ages 10-up. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.