Review of "Pitchers’ Duel," by Clair Bee

Review of

Pitchers’ Duel, by Clair Bee

Four out of five stars

 This is another installment of the series starring multi-sport sensation Chip Hilton. In this case, it is the last few months of his senior season and the sport is baseball. Chip is an outstanding player on the mound and at the plate, so good that major league scouts are willing to sign him as soon as the season is over. He is considered a sure prospect, the only thing standing in the way of an immediate pro career is his desire to attend college.

 As is the case through the entire series, one of the strengths is the strong supporting cast. Chip’s friends Biggie, Speed, Soapy and Red play with him in all sports and the literal and figurative rock is Coach Henry Rockwell. The “Rock” as he is known has been coaching at Valley Falls high for decades and has an exemplary record.

 However, Rockwell is past the mandatory retirement age, so there are people that want him out. Therefore, there is the continuous undercurrent of hostility, where the people that hate Chip Hilton and those that want Rockwell out join forces in a rather sleazy and underhanded manner. Gamblers are also involved. Despite the problems, Chip and Rockwell manage to win out at the end, even though the team does not win the state championship.

 One positive aspect of the Chip Hilton series is that Bee does not hesitate to deviate from the norm of juvenile sports fiction, where the hero’s team wins at the very end in a dramatic manner. Like other books in the series, this one emphasizes the power of Chip’s character in dealing with adversity. This makes the book a morality play within a story of sports fiction.