From: Steven
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 13:03:06 PST

I think there's a need for good sports fiction for ages 8-10. When I was that age I was a player and a fan and read 90% non-fiction. I might have enjoyed fiction, but what I tried just wasn't that exciting. Still true 30 years later I think.

If Crutcher and Klass had been around I might have liked them, but probably wasn't ready for some of the other issues they tackle. Matt Christopher is still popular, but I inwardly cringe when I recommend him, knowing that the writing is so ordinary. There are better books written for older readers that some 8 year olds can handle, but not much that's excellent and written just for those ages. I also wonder about how much books like "S.O.R. Losers" and
"Crash" really appeal to serious sports readers. They're almost anti-sports in a way, making fun of the people who take them too seriously. Though I'm sure some young athletes do enjoy them, I think of them more as "sports books for kids who don't like sports" rather than "funny books for kids who love sports."


Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library 1595 Burns Streeet West Linn, OR 97068 ph: 503e6x57 fax: 503e6'46 e-mail: steven at westlinn.lib.or.us
Received on Wed 06 Jan 1999 03:03:06 PM CST