Review of
Hard Drive to Short,
by Matt Christopher ISBN 0590458515
Five out of five stars
A YA sports novel about life
Once again,
Christopher has written a sports book that is more about life than sports.
Sandor (Sandy) Varga is a very good baseball player in the youth league, he excels
in the field at shortstop and is a very good hitter. He is also reliable and
responsible for his age. When his games are taking place on weekdays, he must
leave at a precise time in order to be home to watch his younger siblings. Both
his parents work, and he must be home before his mother can leave for her
evening job.
Embarrassed by
his need to watch his young siblings, Sandy simply leaves without telling
anyone on the team the reason for his abrupt departures. This creates animosity
from his teammates, and it begins to affect his relationship with his friends
and his play on the field. Finally, he explains the situation to his coach and
his friends and rather than making fun of him, they all support him.
Unlike other YA
sports books, this one does not climax with a “big game at the end with
heroics.” Yet, there is a happy ending as the revelation of his difficulties
increases his bonding with his teammates.
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