Soccer Scoop

Mac Williams, goalie for the Cougars, is known as much for his upbeat game chatter as for his outstanding saves. But when an anonymous artist starts making fun of him with a weekly cartoon, Mac is anything but upbeat. To make matters worse, he suspects that somebody close to him is the cartoonist. Would one of his friends really betray him-or is there someone else who wants to make him look ridiculous?From School Library JournalGrade 3-5AWhen a cartoon appears in the school newspaper making fun of Mac's "motor mouth," the boy tries to find out who is responsible. This is one of Christopher's typical play-by-play sports stories with an upbeat ending and simple vocabulary and sentence structure. However, the plot is not particularly memorable. Mac has the bravado and confident personality often necessary for a successful goalie, but with all of his bragging, readers will wonder how he has any friends. Conversation between characters doesn't ring true and slang such as "You look spiffy" or the reference to a girl getting all "dolled up" for a dance sounds like phrases from the '40s or '50s rather than the '90s. Consider this for purchase only if more sports stories by Christopher are needed.ABlair Christolon, Prince William Library, Manassas, VACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistGr. 3^-6. Christopher scores again with this exciting sports story that is also a pretty good whodunit. Mac Williams, star goalie for the Cougars, is suddenly the target of a series of unflattering cartoons that mysteriously begin appearing in the school newspaper. His efforts to discover the identity of the cartoonist are the basis of the plot, and readers will have fun trying to figure it out right along with Mac. Although Christopher does a good job of dispensing clues without being too obvious, some older readers may not be challenged enough by the mystery element. Other themes, such as loyalty, trust, and a budding romance with the younger sister of a primary suspect, will hold their interest more, along with the dynamic soccer play-by-play. A great choice for engaging reluctant readers. Lauren Peterson